Postcard from ... the Alps

Exposed: Nuit Nature’s ‘bulle’ near Combloux, in the French Alps

Dawn broke over Mont Blanc, its sharp lower peaks battling with a thick curtain of cloud which threatened to sink around the mountain’s famous shoulders. Behind me the Chaine de Aravis lurked, dark slabs of stone thrusting through the gloom. My panorama of this grumpy Alpine awakening took in 360 degrees, an extraordinary view provided only because my shelter was a transparent plastic “bubble” sitting in the middle of a grass meadow.

Nuit Nature is a night under the stars with the winter sting removed and a bit of luxury inserted. The space-age spherical chamber would look out of place in the traditional French mountain village of Combloux – if you could actually see it from the potholed road. But Estelle Isoux has hidden it well, allowing visitors to feel a symbiosis with nature without feeling overexposed.

“A stay in the bulle offers a complete immersion in nature,” she said as we drove down a muddy track from her beautiful homestead in a robust, open-topped 4X4. “Each night is unique. You could experience rain, snow, stare at the stars or see the sun rise from behind Mont Blanc. It wouldn’t be the same if there was more than one bulle in the meadow.”

The bubble is manufactured by French company Bubble Tree which began in 2008 by positioning them in trees before expanding their range to include ground-based structures. Stays in Bubble Tree’s products are now offered by six companies in France, from the Vendée to Corsica. But if you want a classic Alpine scene complete with western Europe’s highest summit, you’ll need to come to Combloux.

In an area well-known to tourists – the ski resorts of Megève and St Gervais are close by – finding a secret spot is something of a miracle. From this prospect you are able to take in the broad sweep of mountains which line the route into the Chamonix valley. Mont Blanc sits in regal insouciance in the distance.

Enjoying all this visual stimulation while lying on a supremely comfortable bed, sipping a glass of cool champagne, somehow feels like cheating. Previously a night spent outside in the Alps was the preserve of intrepid montagnards, earning their right to watch time move over the peaks with calloused hands and thigh-burning ascents. At Nuit Nature, the bravest thing I did was scamper in gathering dusk to the “bathroom” perched 50m away on the edge of the forest. Estelle’s husband Olivier built the wooden cabin himself, inserting a sunken wooden tub and shower, sink and a dry toilet. A small generator provides piping hot water and the soap is handmade in the shape of Estelle’s beloved donkeys which live on the estate. The whole scene is unashamedly eco-chic – once the bulle is deflated and removed (a process which takes about an hour and a half), the meadow returns to its original state.

I watched night – with its accompanying cloud, which seemed to roll over my head like the sea – descend while supping on foie gras, pork and vegetable casserole accompanied by the mountain speciality cornbread, cheese from different regions in the area and, to finish, a chocolate and balsamic mousse which chef Jean-Christophe Meynet assured me would be a delicious combination. He was right.

I switched off all the lights in the bulle and darkness rushed in, blurring boundaries. It felt as if I could reach up and touch the sky.

In summer, Estelle serves breakfast outside in the meadow. I was content to watch raindrops bounce off my own private force field, snuggled under a duvet, while the café au lait steamed on the table. Those montagnards can keep their hard-won views. I’d much rather live in a bubble.

www.nuit-nature.fr; from €270 per night for two people, including dinner, wine and breakfast