The Alps truly are a breath of Swiss air and to mark Helvetia’s national day today I’m lying back and thinking of Switzerland.
And inviting you to do the same.
Of course, the Alpine air, the hearty food and wine and the valleys playground can make your bed too inviting.
And you can end up sleeping in and getting the knock on the door because your party is about to leave.
Meaning you have to grab the quickest of showers, leave it running, and have to face Bertha in reception on your return.
Who greets you with a frozen Guten tag straight from the Eiger.
And lets you know that your shower water seeped through the ceiling onto the breakfast room and muesli eaters below.
Wake up on the water
In spite of all that, the Swiss have stuck with us and continue to invite us out to the Alps… probably to redeem ourselves.
The Swiss offer us a range of accommodations here from a boutique boat to a night under the stars to an, er, former prison!
The MS Attila Boatel on the lake at Murten/Morat offers a pleasantly luxurious interior and first-class service so that you can spend a carefree and unforgettable time.
And as a sample, on August 9, they offer a 24-hour Music Cruise with Swiss artist Bastian Baker.
The price per double cabin is CHF 1,750 (single occupancy CHF 1,500)
Reach for the stars
Now the sky frames everything in Interlaken.
And whether you stay at valley level or climb the slopes or take the Jungfraujoch train up to the peak, we’re all looking up.
In the spacious Aarmühle Penthouse Suite, you can rest your limbs and take in the private panoramic roof terrace overlooking the rooftops.
Experience an unforgettable night under the stars in the cosy bed in the weatherproof, non-air-conditioned pavilion with glass roof.
A cosy warm night is guaranteed even in cool temperatures with vintage bed bottles, as well as a large selection of warming fur blankets.
The gazebo offers the additional choice of one of the two bedrooms in the suite, located directly under the terrace.
Two bathrooms are at your disposal, one with a sauna, the other with a large bathtub.
The unforgettable visit is rounded off with breakfast as soon as the sun’s rays have kissed you awake. And all for CHF1099.
Soft cell
And if you didn’t know it before you soon will when you get out there. All that fresh air makes the Swiss look at the world differently.
Even turning an old prison into the cult hotel that is the Hotel Barabas in Luzern.
The only reminder that these imaginatively furnished rooms, complete with shower and toilet, were once prison cells is found in the floor plans and the bars on the windows.
The Barabas Hotel offers a choice of 60 different prison cells and rooms including shared rooms with bunk bathrooms or single, double, triple and quadruple rooms with private bathrooms.
