Altesse Two

Magical from start to finish

Is there anything more romantic than winding your way along the beautiful lakeside of Lac Leman by rail? Passing through the classical Swiss towns of Lausanne and Montreaux with their grand, period properties, the glass-like surface of the water reflecting the coloured buildings and the snowy peaks behind them? It gets better. 

From Visp you join part of the route featured on the famous Glacier express train and you climb higher still, through the steep sided valley towards Zermatt. Rounding the final bend you catch your first glimpse of the iconic Matterhorn standing proud over the town.

Your cute little ‘electro’ taxi awaits you at the station, and whisks you and your luggage through the charming car free streets of Zermatt and on up to the popular and pretty Winkelmatten district to the southern end of the valley. You draw up next to a field of fluffy white snow; Chalet Altesse nestled into the Pine forest shines like a beacon in the night, drawing you in. Don’t worry about your bags, the concierge will take care of those as you take your first steps through the snow towards the open door and your magical ski holiday in Zermatt has begun.

Location is everything here; you are in that rare Zermatt being, a ski-in, ski-out property, with glorious views of the Matterhorn. You will ski out across the gardens of the chalet when snow conditions permit, and within seconds reach the Klein Matterhorn Express which grants you access to the spectacular skiing offered by both Zermatt, and across to Cervinia in Italy, for a truly international ski experience. 

Inside Chalet Altesse more than lives up to her enviable position. Stylish and chic the apartments are reminiscent of New York lofts with their bright white walls, modern furnishings and punctuated with splashes of colour from the bold art works. A bright, open kitchen and capacious living space are designed for modern living, perfect for keeping an eye on the little ones while you cook up a storm. You chose the second floor apartment – with lovely views out across the snow-filled garden. The venue for this year’s family snowman competition. You already think about next year’s trip – your sister’s family could take the apartment below.

Your snowman declared in last place (it’s the same result every year), you leave everyone to it and sneak inside to explore the shared wellness area; a blissful hour of ‘you time’ spent in the Finish sauna and brightly tiled Turkish bath. Then a cheeky little power nap in the relaxation room before dinner. Why not? It’s your holiday too.

The ability to create your own holiday blueprint to suit your group is a key part of the Altesse experience. The friendly concierge will assist wherever needed, but otherwise respecting your privacy and leaving you in peace. You will find the breakfast essentials already secreted in your kitchen on arrival – and some additional shopping should you wish, and a daily bread delivery keeps things fresh.

You fancy a night off cooking (who doesn’t) so you take a short stroll across to the local restaurant Sonnmatten and spend a wonderful evening eating local, Swiss specialties and chatting to the friendly owners Barbara and Sam.  Another evening you arrange a meal delivery direct to your apartment from Restaurant Zum See – the mountain restaurant the Times rates as one of the top ten in the world. 

Despite being a little outside of town you don’t feel at all isolated here, rather special, like you’ve stumbled upon one of Zermatt’s best kept secrets. The skiing access is better, the views are better, and you only have to hop on the electro bus to reach town in 10 minutes when you need to buy the Swiss chocolate you promised everyone back home.