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St-Gervais is a handsome 19th-century spa town set in a narrow river gorge, half-way between Megeve and Chamonix, at the turn-off for Les Contamines. It has direct access to the Mont d'Arbois skiing via a 20-person gondola from the centre of town. At the mid-station is Le Bettex (1400m), a small collection of hotels, private chalets and new apartments, more conveniently situated for the skiing but with little evening animation. You can go up in the opposite direction from St-Gervais, towards Mont Blanc on a rack and pinion railway, which takes you to the Les Houches skiing. The only way back to St-Gervais from here on skis is off-piste, and there's frequently not enough snow. St-Gervais and Le Bettex both have their own ski schools.Its position makes St-Gervais a very convenient base for touring the different ski resorts of the Mont Blanc region. It also makes it fairly full of traffic much of the time.In St-Gervais, the Val d'Este hotel is conveniently situated in the town centre (as are the spacious Alpen Rose apartments), while the chalet-style Carlina on the outskirts has swimming pool, gym and sauna. In Le Bettex, the Arbois offers stylish accommodation.