The array of activities at Jiva Hill resort will please both sun worshippers and daredevils, says Jenny Southan.
The journey across the border from the centre of Geneva to the Jiva Hill Park Hotel and Spa in Crozet, France, takes only about 25 minutes, and the vista quickly changes from Swiss suburbia to cornfields and mountains. The landscape is remarkably flat at the base of Monts Jura and I stare out of the window trying to pinpoint where my weekend retreat might be. Soon a sharp right leads off the road and up to the resort, which nestles unobtrusively at the foot of a mountain.
The hotel, which opened in 2007, consists of a cluster of low-rise wooden lodges. To the far right stretches a lake and a few tennis courts, and beyond is a nine-hole golf course. Stepping into the fresh air, which is tinged with the smell of cut grass, the stresses of my week start to dissipate.
From my bed I can see the cable cars on the Jura mountains that transport skiers up and down in winter. My room is decorated in immaculate minimalist style, with frosted glass, a deep-pile carpet in soft earth tones and twin walk-in showers. It’s elegant and luxurious, without a hint of pretension.
The spa and wellness centre is just down the hall and has a sauna, hammam and pool area with sun terrace. But I’m more interested in the wealth of activities on offer, namely the waterskiing, and have booked myself in for a taster lesson.
Next to the 650-metre man-made lake, a few people lounge on deck chairs as a speedboat zooms past, a man in a black wetsuit expertly streaking across the water behind it. I confess I am a little nervous, and picture myself being dragged like a rag doll through the icy water, flailing and choking. François Baltus-Languedoc, director of sales and marketing at Jiva Hill, assures me that I will enjoy it. “Waterskiing is a really exciting sport,” he says. “If you listen to what your instructor tells you, you will be enjoying yourself within five minutes.”
During the summer season, from April to September, the water-sports centre can be block-booked by incentive groups, but one-off lessons such as mine can also be booked at a cost of €54 for 15 minutes. That may not sound like a long time but waterskiing requires a lot of energy, especially when you’re learning, and as Baltus-Languedoc points out, most people find their arms get tired quite quickly.
After changing into a wetsuit and life jacket, I join my instructor, Thomas, on the small jetty by the Ski Nautique 196 powerboat that will pull me along. Before I get into the water, I have to squeeze my feet into the rubber shoe-grips attached to the skis and then sit with my back to the water so Thomas can demonstrate what I need to do. He crouches in front of me and gives me a handle with a rope attached to it. “Sit with your knees up to your chest and then slowly rise to a standing position with your feet angled upwards when the boat starts to pull you,” he says. “Keep your knees bent, your arms straight and your weight over your feet – don’t lean forward.”
After practising on dry land a few times, I stand up, shuffle around so I am facing the lake, dangle my legs over the water and then slide in, gasping at how cold it is. I hear the motor starting and Thomas tosses me the rope, shouting: “Remember to rise slowly out of the water. If you fall or lose hold of the rope, I will stop and come back and get you.”
I hold the bar firmly, struggling to stay seated in the water, until after a few seconds the boat starts up and I find myself rising out of the lake. I wobble to standing position and start ploughing through the wake, faster and faster, until smack – I lose control and fall face down into the water, my hands still holding the baton, water forcing itself up my nose and in my mouth. I hear the engine die and I splutter to the surface. “You tried to stand up too quickly,” Thomas shouts. “Try again.”
Once again I grip the bar. This time I stay crouched for a little longer than my instinct tells me to, and this seems to work. I am in control and cautiously move to a standing position, doing my best to keep my arms straight. Thomas gives me the thumbs-up and by now I am approaching the end of the lake and am about to do my first turn. I take it like a pro, albeit at a much slower rate than the expert I saw earlier, and ski back down past the lake house.
Things only go wrong when, after a couple of laps, Thomas motions for me to try zig-zagging back and forth behind the boat. I get the hang of it quickly but then my confidence gets the better of me and I am launched back into the water headfirst, emerging bedraggled and disorientated, though laughing. One lap later my time is up, and I’m already thinking about booking my next session.
If you are visiting Jiva Hill between mid-December and mid-March, the action moves from the lake to the mountains, where enthusiasts can experience cross-country and downhill skiing at the Monts Jura resort, five minutes’ drive away. “Guests can buy tickets in reception for €23 and within minutes be on the slopes,” François says. “At the big resorts in the Alps it can be almost impossible to book for a weekend during ski season as they have a minimum number of nights you have to stay. But with us, you can decide you fancy going skiing on a Thursday, fly out, and be on the slopes on the Saturday.
“As well as this, if you want to go to the better-quality slopes, we can arrange for a helicopter to take you to the Alps, which takes half an hour. And we offer a Winter Extravaganza package with a personal trainer, massages and full-board accommodation.”
Jiva Hill also offers well-equipped conferencing facilities for up to 48 delegates, so is ideally positioned for meetings and incentive groups. Although François Baltus-Languedoc would like to see an expansion of these facilities, he explains that strict planning permission means construction can occur only on land that has previously been built on, so further development has been curtailed for the time being.
While a large proportion of guests staying are business travellers, he has noticed that many of them return in their leisure time, or tag a couple of days on to a trip to Geneva. I can see why – the peacefulness of Jiva Hill is hard to forget, as are the black skies at night, unpolluted by the city’s glare. And with the restaurant serving excellent locally sourced fare, there is never any need to leave the resort. All you need to worry about is polishing your waterskiing skills.
Fact box
- Jiva Hill Park Hotel and Spa, Route d’Harée, Crozet, France; tel +33 450 284 848; jivahill.com
- Rates started from €189 for a Saturday-night stay in April. A waterski package costs €396 for two and includes one night’s accommodation in a Deluxe room and two days at the resort, plus breakfast, two 15-minute waterskiing lessons/rides per person, an instructor and equipment rental.
- British Airways, Easyjet and Swiss fly daily to Geneva from London. Jiva Hill is a 10-minute drive from the airport.
