October 28, 2015

zermatt in the summer

welcome to one of our new favorite places on earth: zermatt, switzerland!
AKA, the glitzy yet rustic ski village and home of the stunning matterhorn.
it is one of the gems of switzerland … and of europe!
as we rode the train from täsch we already knew we were in for visiting
somewhere special. you can feel the anticipation as you wind up to this
town that is only accessible by train. we stepped out of the station and
immediately spotted our mode of transport to our hotel…this cute shuttle!
every hotel has a little electronic shuttle to pick guests up,
zip through the streets, and deliver you to the front door.
there are really no cars here, so this is how it’s done!
i was already falling in love with the streets as we were driven through town.
then i fell even harder for this pretty hotel set against the mountain! ^^
the parkhotel beausite represents the more posh & upscale side of
zermatt. i think it’s a perfect place to stay during the summer
when the rates are lower and the amenities can be enjoyed.
we arrived in the late afternoon of a foggy day and there was no sign of
the matterhorn yet. i knew it could be tricky to see depending on
weather, and i have friends who never even glimpsed it during their
stay … so i crossed my fingers it would peek out the next few days!
my fingers must have been crossed tight, because we woke up,
opened the curtains, and saw this view (1000000 X better in person)
it was pretty surreal to wake up and just see this from our bed. does life get better?
we were pretty much hypnotized by the matterhorn. this mountain is magic.
it was tempting to stay in bed all day long with that view, skylights,
and the cozy mountain lodge feel…but we had hiking and exploring to do!
we finally pulled ourselves out of bed to the smell of breakfast downstairs in the
dining room. swiss food wins every time, and the swiss muesli was calling my name.

after breakfast we relaxed on the terrace waiting for it to warm up
(and finding any excuse to take in that view any way we could)

then, it was off to explore the oh-so-charming town.
you can walk anywhere you need to, especially in the summer weather.
since we were hiking the next day we just strolled and enjoyed our first day.
even though we were visiting in late summertime, the matterhorn
had a fresh dusting of snow making it look so much prettier.
the contrast of the blooming flowers in the village was amazing.
later the blue skies came out and wowed us all….
we knew how lucky we were to even be glimpsing this
beauty, much less with blue skies behind it. there is
just something about ski towns during the summer.
after the very best of days in town, we stumbled back to our
beautiful hotel to hang out for the afternoon and dinner.
the indoor pool was so classy just like the rest of the place.
i curled up with this magazine while chase went off to nap.
this is the best kind of vacation!
later we made our way down to dinner, which can be included right in
your stay. it makes it so nice to just have everything onsite! the set
menu changes daily and gives a taste of swiss cuisine.
the piano player in the main room
i loved this classy hotel tucked against the mountain … complete
with toblerone left on the pillows at night instead of mints. so swiss!