Zermatt: My first Berghotel experience

Since moving to Switzerland I have always wanted to stay in a mountain hut (i.e., high altitude, no access by road, only by hiking) and it was also a dream of my mom's to hike and sleep in the Swiss alps. The mountain huts in Switzerland are really unique - in fact the Swiss have their own nomenclature for this unique type of lodging (a "Berghaus" or "Berghotel"). A contact of mine lent me a book specifically on Switzerland's Berghotels. The book describes the Berghotels as:

"Berghotels" are in a world apart. Largely undiscovered, unadvertised, and privately owned, they are ideal for the traveler who wishes to experience the Swiss Alps off the beaten track. In themselves, they provide a sense of adventure; every one is unique, informal, intimate. 

So, after doing some research from the book, we chose to go to the Fluhalp hut in the Zermatt area. For those that follow my blog regularly, you are already aware of my love of Zermatt (it is one of my self proclaimed "happy places"). The Fluhalp is situated at approximately 8,500 feet above sea level.  It is easily accessible from the town of Zermatt for beginner/intermediate level hikers, you can either take a series of underground "metros" and above ground cable cars to mix and match the journey with smaller hikes or you can hike up from the town of Zermatt through a variety of trails. Given our basic hiking abilities, on the first day we decided to take the metro up half way and then hike the remaining half way up to the hotel.

On the Sunnegga underground metro which takes you half way up the mountain

We stopped for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Switzerland, Chez Vrony 

Heading up the mountain after lunch

Almost to our destination! You can see the Fluhalp in the distance

Stopping for a picture opp at an alpine lake below the Fluhalp

We reached our destination!

Enjoying a beer on the terrace of the Fluhalp

Our private room, with a view overlooking the Matterhorn

The view from our room

The sun starting to set - you can see the shimmering lake in the distance on the right that we took a picture in front of on our way up

I was so happy with our experience at the Fluhalp. After getting a little bit lost on the trails (whoops!), we arrived in the late afternoon and we were promptly shown to our adorable, clean private room with a view overlooking the Matterhorn. We dropped our things and joined the rest of the guests out on the terrace for a well-deserved post-hike beer overlooking the beautiful scenery. The guests came from all different nationalities and skill levels, including a group of seniors who embark on weekly overnight hikes; a trio of mountain climbers with the full caboodle of ice picks, ropes, snow shoes; young solo adventurers; families with fairly young children; and couples looking for a getaway. Dinner was served to everyone in the communal dining room promptly at 7PM and included a full 3 course meal. After dinner, the guests quickly retired to their rooms and everyone was sleeping by about 9PM because wake up time for some of the extreme climbers was at 2:30AM (I kid you not). These hikers woke up at 2:30AM and ventured out into the darkness at 3AM with their equipment and head lamps - they were headed for the summits of the nearby snow capped peaks.  We felt a little bit like we were in the midst of Mt Everest-type climbers, it made for a very "authentic" Berghotel experience.  For anyone looking for a true Switzerland/Alps experience, I would highly recommend a stay at a Berghotel and the Fluhalp in particular.

Next up on the blog - our second day hiking in Zermatt!

LUNCH: Chez Vrony, my favorite restaurant in Switzerland and an absolute must do in Zermatt. It is only accessible via hiking or skiing
DINNER/HOTEL: Fluhalp - clearly highly recommended!