This was our third time in Les Houches, and Cathy's house, the Pic Rouge, was a great place to stay. It is not very large, but extremely well organised and equipped with absolutely everything you might need. Also, good planning has gone into making life easy for lodgers - if I at times wondered how things worked (stove, recycling, etc), I would find instructions either in an instruction folder or close to the appliance (both in English and French) telling me exactly how to proceed. After many years' experience with (at times not very pedagogical) holiday accommodation, this was absolutely splendid.
A 5-minute walk away lie Les Houches boulangerie and Carrefour for supplies. Another source of supplies was Cathy's generous offer to help ourselves to vegetables, berries and herbs from her little garden, which we gratefully did. All meals were taken on the patio where
an added bonus was the comfortable leather sofa - a great place to sit, gazing up at the shifting cloud formations and light variatons on the Mont Blanc range (or, if one gets it to oneself, a little power nap).
The Chamonix valley has fantastic opportunities for hiking and Cathy's instruction folder gives a wealth of tips for easier and more strenous hikes. We also played tennis, there are courts in Les Houches at the far end of the village, and if you want to go swimming, Lac du Passy is a short drive away.
We had a splendid week in Pic Rouge, and would love to come back.