 From the 5-star hotel to that little hideaway inn, not forgetting those mountain refuges – the best addresses to find a roof in Valais
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Mont-Collon Arolla Hotel: cocooning at the foot of a 4,000-metre mountain |
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 One more hotel that more than one Englishman who went to climb the Alps at the end of the 19th century fell in love with. We suppose even George VI's doctor stayed there, as did so many other visitors who didn't forget to write their exploits in the visitor's book. Built in 1862, the hotel has always been owned by the same family. Nothing seems to have changed, from the parquet floors in retro style to the soapstone oven. We must remember that here we are at an altitude of 2,000 metres and that this place was almost totally self-sufficient up to 1950, until a road was opened during the construction of the Grande-Dixence Dam. A haven of tranquillity at the foot of a 4,000-metre mountain at the beginning of the mythical race of the « Patrouille des Glaciers », the Glacier Patrol.
Contact and information:
Hôtel du Mont-Collon
CH-1986 Arolla
+41 27 283 11 91
http://www.hotelmontcollon.ch
Photo: Hôtel Splendide
What to do in Arolla:
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Hôtel Splendide: le charme des années 1930 |
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 Un hôtel aussi historique que familial construit au milieu des années 1930 par le grand-père du propriétaire actuel. Grande demeure à la simplicité dépouillée qui met en valeur les volumes caractéristiques des palaces de cette époque, le Splendide n'usurpe pas son nom.
Construit à proximité du fort militaire de Champex, situé sur un axe stratégique du passage des Alpes, l'hôtel a été occupé par l'armée durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il a repris ensuite sa fonction initiale, accueillant quelques hôtes notables parmi lesquels le général Guisan et sa famille, le sherpa Tensing, José Giovanni et Lino Ventura venus y faire des repérages. De cette époque, il subsiste encore quelques meubles et un certain art de vivre. Pour les nostalgiques et les amateurs de nature.
Contact et informations:
Hôtel Splendide
Famille Richer-Lonfat
CH-1932 Champex-Lac
+41 27 783 11 45
www.hotel-splendide.ch
Photo: Hôtel Splendide
A faire à Champex :
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Hôtel Belalp: set out to conquer the Aletsch glacier |
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 A mystical hotel built in the beginning of the 19th C. that welcomed British mountaineers who set out to conquer the Alps. An eagle's nest at an altitude of 2,100m. A 30-minute walk, or go cross-country with snow-shoes, from the highest cable-car station, Blatten-Belalp. Ideal as a look-out post for trips towards the Aletsch glacier and forest.
Contact and information:
Hotel Belalp
Fam. Thür-Fahrni
Postfach
3914 Belalp
www.hotelbelalp.ch
From 65 francs/night, double-room, breakfast
Photo: Hôtel Belalp
To see:
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Hôtel Weisshorn: a myth at an altitude of 2337m |
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 It stands alone in the middle of an incredibly beautiful mountainous landscape. A familiar looking hotel, a comforting refuge, and a childhood memory too, as this is where Hergé got a few of the « Tintin in Tibet» adventure scenes.
The Weisshorn was created in 1882 to accommodate the first English adventurers who set out to conquer 4000m peaks. The hotel sinks its roots into a land of legends that is said to be inhabited by fairies and druids. Adding to the hotel's charm is an old-fashioned feel, a tendency to lean over, rooms with creaky wooden floors, a welcome so warm that it makes the outdoors feel cold, and the very famous blueberry pie. A place from your dreams that can be reached on foot or mountain bike during the summer and with « climbing-skin» skis during the winter.
Contact and information:
Hôtel Weisshorn
3961 St-Luc (localiser)
www.weisshorn.ch
Ouvert de mi-juin à mi-octobre et de fin décembre à mi-avril
Photos: Batimag
Things to do in Saint-Luc:
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Grand Hôtel Bella Tola & Saint-Luc: baroc charm at 1'652 m |
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 Bella Tola is the name of the peak that dominates St-Luc. It is also the name of a hotel, over a hundred years old, that is situated in the heart of Val d'Anniviers, directly facing the 4000. Initially a refuge for the travellers who were hosted by the local priest, this 19th century residence recently underwent a complete renovation that earned it the title of historic hotel of the year in 2001.
All the rooms are different, decorated in the baroque style and dotted with a multitude of artefacts gathered from second-hand shops by the lady of the house, Anne-Françoise Buchs-Favre. A romantic inspiration that is also present in the brand new SPA. There is a covered swimming pool with a view on Cervin and beauty care cabins, in a decor combining natural stones, fire and ice. A place of serenity to be discovered in the most snug of surroundings.
Contact et informations:
Grand Hôtel Bella-Tola & St-Luc****
3961 St-Luc (localiser)
Tél: + 41 27 475 14 44
Dès CHF 136/personne
www.bellatola.ch
Starting at CHF 136/person
What to do in Saint-Luc:
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