In Zermatt, Europe's highest resort (3883 m), the 4-star, family-style Schweizerhof is within walking distance, just a few minutes from the cable car and station. You can also get there by horse-drawn carriage or electric taxi, as cars are not allowed in the resort.
In the heart of the village, the 4-star Schweizerhof is part of the Michel Reybier Hospitality. The businessman runs a small empire in wine (Château Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, Tokaj Hetszölö in Hungary, etc.) and hotels (La Réserve Geneva, Paris, Ramatuelle, Mama Shelter).
You enter through a passageway under the hotel to reach the entrance at no. 5 on the main street, lined with wooden chalets. Interior designers Kristian Gavoille and Valérie Garcia, creators of MOB Hôtels (another of Michel Reybier's brands), have given the hotel a facelift to appeal to a refined family clientele.
The wooden façade with its regular, linear balconies has remained unchanged since the hotel was restored in 2018. The fireplace can be seen as soon as you enter the lobby, which adjoins the huge restaurant. The Kitchenthe lounge and a bar. Check-in is at a long counter next to a library. In the evening, the hotel's two managers, Jonas and Roman, are on hand to welcome guests.
In the late afternoon, a DJ set sets the mood. Everything is made of blond wood, with comfortable leather armchairs and a large smoking room inviting you to relax.
Quiet night
The hotel offers 95 rooms and suites (from 17 to 50 m²), most with balconies and terraces. The Junior Suites consist of a spacious bedroom with king-size bed or twin beds and a cosy living room with a large sofa bed. The furniture is in light oak. In the morning, we greet the Matterhorn (the Swiss name for the Cervin), a sort of protective deity.
The white marble bathrooms are sober, with a few essential items such as a Dyson hairdryer. An IPad lets you adjust the temperature, book a table in one of the 3 restaurants and even pay your bill. A connected hotel business.
Three restaurants and two bars
After-dinner drinks are served in the smoking room. English club atmosphere with cigar humidors. Le Schweizerhof Kitchen opens onto the dining room and its lounge bar. You can sit down on large leather sofas to enjoy fresh local produce, pizzas, pastas or simply a cocktail.
Restaurant La Muñia, named after a Peruvian medicinal plant, executive chef Alberto Fulong (now at Cocomama in Montreux) started us off with raw or marinated ceviche, a spinach, parmesan and truffle salad, followed by beef tataki with soy sauce or Gyuniku steak. A delicious Peruvian-Japanese fusion menu.
Le Cheese Factory offers a totally different setting, in the style of a Swiss stubli (mountain tavern), with a menu featuring two Alpine specialities: fondues with apricotine (a local spirit), truffles, fresh herbs, grape vines, etc. and raclettes made with local cheeses. To the accompaniment of the alphorn.
A dream spa
Need to pamper yourself or relax? A 900 m² spa welcomes you with a large 25 m indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a wellness trail and two massage rooms. Personalised rituals, massages, a jacuzzi and sauna all help you relax. Facial treatments are also available with the Swiss cosmeceutical brand Nescens, renowned for its anti-ageing approach using highly-dosed active ingredients.
A small fitness room with a view is equipped with state-of-the-art machines. Not to mention all the winter and summer sports activities that can be booked at the hotel reception desk: skiing with a mountain guide, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice sports.
HIGHLIGHT
- The location in the heart of Zermatt is ideal for getting to the Gornergrat cog railway and the Sunegga funicular and accessing the ski area: the Matterhorn Glacier or Little Matterhorn gondola (3883 m) takes you to the highest point.
- Kids club (afternoon and evening).
Hotel Schweizerhof
Bahnhofstrasse 5, CH-3920 Zermatt, Switzerland
T+41 (0)27 966 00 00
www.schweizerhofzermatt.ch/
Getting there
TGV Lyria Paris-Gare de Lyon - Lausanne (3 h 39) - Coir
Glacier express: Coir - Zermatt
TGV Lyria
www.glacierexpress.ch
The Swiss Travel Pass The Swiss Army Knife of travel. This pass, which costs 335 euros in second class and 535 euros in first class for 8 days, allows you to :
- unlimited travel by train, coach and sometimes boat;
- Free movement on most panoramic trains;
- free access to urban transport in over 75 towns and cities.
- Free admission to more than 490 museums and a discount of 50 % on all ski lifts.
www.swisstravelsystem.com
Photo opening : Marc-Weiler
Text and photos not included : Michèle Lasseur
