For years, people have been driving past Ste Foy, on the way up to Val d'Isère and Tignes - and not giving the place a moment's thought. Now they might be tempted to turn off and take a look.

There have been lifts here since 1990, but what's really put the resort on the map has been a big surge in new building over the last two or three or years. Now there's accommodation to match the quality of the slopes, and the word is spreading. This is no longer just a place the guides from Val d'Isère bring their clients when the powder there has been skied out.

Of course, not everyone is going to like the place. Anyone who's looking for big-resort buzz will be lost here. There aren't the facilities, or the bars, or the sheer energy that you find in Val, Méribel or St Anton. Nor is there anything like the amount of skiing. 35km of pistes is - let's face it - almost nothing. Anyone who's reasonably comfortable on red-rated runs will ski everything twice before lunch.

But then, in many respects, that's the whole point of coming here. Ste Foy is an antidote to the hassle and hustle of the megaplexes - to their crowded pistes, endless queues, and industrial scale. This is a place where you don't have to rush to the lifts each morning if you want to catch some decent snow. You can tackle it at your own pace - and if that means kicking back for a couple of hours on a sunny terrace to discuss the sexual politics of your chalet party, or what to do about your sister's new boyfriend, then all the better. After all: aren't you supposed to be on holiday?

But it's not just the fact that Ste Foy is small that makes it special. Four other factors elevate it into the super-league.

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1. The off-piste terrain. No wonder the guides from Val bring their clients over. The upper slopes are north-facing and have a lovely, steep, even pitch. This is the kind of place where any confident intermediate should lay aside his or her dreams of high-speed carving for a day or two and buy himself a couple of lessons on powder. With so little traffic on mountain, this is the perfect place to make the breakthrough into off-piste skiing or boarding.

2. The chalets. There are some stunners here: all of them more or less brand new.

3. The proximity of Val d'Isère, Tignes, and Villaroger (which connects with Les Arcs). You can drive to all of them comfortably in 25 minutes. Which means your cute, away-from-it-all destination comes with built-in big-skiing insurance: although we reckon in high season, at least, most people will try the big resorts once and then beat a hasty retreat to the serenity of Ste Foy.

4. Première Neige. There's a family-friendly British tour operator working in the resort, Première Neige (+44 (0)870 383 1000), which has its own crèche, staffed with qualified staff. It also offers a private nanny service for chalets, as does another British tour operator Venture Ski (+44 (0) 870 242 4881). For parents with a young family, who are looking for a rest as much a skiing holiday, that makes Ste Foy a great option.

By the way - do you want to see what Ste Foy's like after a dump? Click here for Si James's video of a perfect day snowboarding with friends. Clear skies, low temperatures, a foot and a half of fresh: absolute heaven.