F&C Experience

Amazing experience every time! Morzine is incredible. Carol and Fred are very welcoming guests, their food is amazing and the lessons are well planned, creative and interested. Highly recommended.

My son and I were guests of Fred and Carol in January. They and their two children are such a lovely family. We felt incredibly welcome and comfortable in their beautiful home from the moment we arrived and felt as if we were long time friends by the time we left. Fred is an amazing chef as well as an encyclopedia of knowledge about the area, where his family has lived for generations. Carol is a kind and patient teacher. And they are both incredibly supportive, caring, and generous. And you could not ask to be in a more picturesque mountain village. I would definitely recommend their immersion program to anyone looking to learn or improve their French in a warm and welcoming environment.

Amazing! Fred and Carol are wonderful hosts. They are so kind and friendly, whether offering amazing food (Fred is a qualified chef) or patiently and expertly helping you to speak French (Carol is a qualified teacher). Their house (built by Fred and his family themselves!) is beautiful, warm and cosy, and it’s really easy to get into Morzine, either by bus or they might kindly give you a lift if they have time.I can’t recommend this wonderful family enough.

I lived with Carol and Fred pretty as much a member of the family – albeit one paying for his own ensuite room with mountain view - earlier this winter.Carol simply did not speak English to me, despite being fluent. If I didn't understand, she would find another way to say it in French I could deal with. There were only two or three occasions where Carol had to revert to my native tongue and even them, the required words were only uttered once before reverting to French. She is highly skilled at knowing just how to communicate to you.This enforced use of the language was brilliant - my brain went into overdrive. Slowly my school French rocked into action – to the point where we could have actual flowing conversations – not that I was any good with tenses or topics with a sophisticated vocabulary. But the simple joy of being understood in another language – phenomenal.Carol and Fred together created a genuinely relaxed context in which to make all my mistakes without fear and thus make progress. I went from every conversation in public starting with “Parlez-vous Anglais? to simply asking for what I wanted and going with the flow. Sometimes I still needed to revert to that crutch, but increasingly not – an undoubted sign of success.Just for good measure, Fred is a ski instructor, carpenter (he built the chalet!), and chef who seems to know just about everyone – making for a highly enjoyable dinner one evening with assorted guests all having a go at making crêpes, before the master took over.I cannot recommend the french language immersion concept enough. The way Carol and Fred run things, you forget you’re there to learn – you just do. Exceptional.

Carol and her family are always very welcoming, their home is so lovely and the view of the mountains is beautiful!! French lessons with Carol are fantastic, my french has improved so much since starting. I would definitely reccomend to anyone wanting to progress their French, experience France and spend some time in the mountains!

I stayed with Carol and Fred for one week in July and am already eager to return. It was such a fantastic break from everything going on in the world, and I felt I was getting the best of both worlds - a unique mountain holiday along with french immersion. Especially this year with the pandemic, I couldn't return to the US to see family and was looking for a different type of holiday. Their family was so welcoming and made me feel right at home. They're experienced with homestays so were able to do so much to make me comfortable, I really appreciated that.Practically speaking, I was nervous to do a homestay as I am a newbie in this regard and typically like to have my own space and downtime when I'm traveling. In the end, I worried for naught as the private room is indeed 'private' and the family was extremely respectful of my privacy and rest. In fact, they were encouraging me to take more down time as they know all too well how mentally draining a language immersion can be.In terms of the experience, it was so fantastic. I took one hour french lesson with Carol every morning and she really focused on the areas she noticed I needed practice and adjusted lessons as I expressed desires to improve certain areas. Having the 1-1 attention was really beneficial to me as I try to take french from the classroom to real life. I had considered going to the Alpine French School in Morzine, which I've heard good things about, but in the end realized that I've taken plenty of french classes and what I really needed at this point was immersion. I had several important 'break throughs' with my french and really feel better equipped to continue learning and conversing more.In the afternoons, we went on breathtaking hikes. There are tons of options in the area and Fred is a pro, offering knowledge and fun facts about the whole area. In the winter, you can go skiing - Morzine is a top ski town in the area with. You can probably pursue different activities to your interest, but I highly recommend taking advantage of the outdoors and Fred's local expertise. I also had around two days to myself and was able to explore Morzine and the mountain lake nearby for some relaxation and meeting new people.Finally, make sure you come hungry. It was such a pleasure to enjoy Fred's gourmet meals around a family table. You can help him cook, as I did, to pick up tips and recipes. Pictures below because I can't do the meals justice! :)If you're looking for a homey, mountain french immersion, I can't recommend them enough. Carol and Fred's family already feel like a home away from home and I can't wait to see them again soon!