Riffelalp-resort Zermatt Swiss Bliss Travel

The Riffelalp Resort, Zermatt

Europe's highest five-star resort

Zermatt and the Riffelalp resort were given a very respectable fourth place in The New York Times’ list of 52 places to go in 2017. After spending just one night in this fantastic hotel I can understand why. Not only does this five-star resort command exceptional views of the Matterhorn, it also has ski-in and ski-out access and was totally updated in December 2016. It boasts amazing facilities all set in an alpine paradise at 2222 meters. Let me tell you more.

First of all, the service is impeccable. The day I arrived, I already had some activities planned in the village so they sent their porter to collect my luggage from the station and gave me a train ticket for the ride up later that day. When I did go up (it’s a 10-minute train ride on the cog-wheel train from Zermatt), I was met at Riffelalp station by a snow mobile, which was kind of cool. In the summer, the hotel has its own private tram service that takes you from the station straight to the hotel.

Since it was first inaugurated in 1884, the Riffelalp resort has undergone quite a few transformations. The rooms have all been refurbished to a very high standard, using good quality materials, with lots of state-of-the-art technological features including the awesome TV-guide that gives you access to everything from the room-service menu to a number of apps including Spotify and Accuweather. The rooms are traditionally styled featuring wood-panelling and large glass windows giving you direct views on the Matterhorn. Personally I fell in love with the beautiful bathrooms that feature a lot of light-grey stone with wood trimmings with a super walk-in shower and a large bathtub. The larger suites have a double walk-in shower. And in case you want to travel with your dog, the hotel provides the fanciest leather dog beds I have ever seen, they come in two different sizes complete with a comfy faux-fur pillow.

Now for the serious stuff: this hotel has the most incredible range of facilities. To start with, it has three restaurants: one elegant restaurant serving international cuisine, an Italian restaurant (located just across the ski slope) and the inevitable Swiss cheese restaurant offering a very traditional décor. There’s a bar with a very relaxed atmosphere and an open fire where mulled wine and hot drinks are served when guests come in from skiing. The hotel also has a fabulous wine cellar where you can enjoy a winetasting evening three times a week.

It has the most amazing recreational facilities for kids and teens, the highlight of which has got to be the bowling alley. The kids club looks fantastic with supervised childcare and a separate area for teens to hang out. The hotel also offers a games room with a pool table and board games, ideal for family fun. It has a terrific ski room with its own ski shop. If you can’t find what you need, they’ll order it for you from Zermatt and it will be there with the next train. It also has two chapels, one used for concerts, the other for religious services.

As a keen hiker, I was so impressed by the fact that the hotel also has its own in-house mountain guide, Yann, who offers daily excursions in the area. Yann is a very experienced guide, being a member of Zermatt’s mountain rescue team. In the winter, he might take you snow-shoeing or skiing to the Italian side. In the summer, he organizes daily hikes and he'll even take guests up to Breithorn, the easiest 4000m peak to climb in the Swiss alps.

And last, but not least, it has a lovely spa, with an indoor pool, a relaxation area with a fireplace, a large outdoor thermal pool with breath-taking views on the Matterhorn and a fantastic wet area, offering a range of different steam rooms and saunas. Massages can be booked here too.

I really enjoyed discovering this fantastic resort and can safely say that I’ll be adding it to my list of favourite hotels in Switzerland.

2nd February 2017