Though it was the trip of a lifetime for both of us, our backpacking trip through Switzerland was Andrew’s idea and really Andrew’s dream. In the early planning stages in early 2017, I agreed to the trip on one condition. During our days off from hiking, we’d stay in a hotel, but not just a hotel, a nice hotel. One with a pool… or hot tub. Preferably.
Andrew made good on this condition and booked our last days in Switzerland in the beautiful village of Adelboden, where we stayed at the Parkhotel Bellevue. After a week of backpacking, this place was the epitome of luxury to our tired legs. It was a bit of a contrast to go from coin operated showers and the Lover’s Dorm at the Mountain Hostel the night before, to luxury shower supplies and turn down service for our bed with a view at the Bellevue.
I sariety is the spice of life, as they say.
Since it was the end of our trip and we visited this ski town in July, there wasn’t really al that much to do in Adelboden itself in just a day, which was all we had during our stay. I saw nothing wrong with this. The end of our trip was restful and relaxing in a wonderful spot to enjoy the beauty of the Swiss Alps.
Parkhotel Bellevue & Spa Adelboden
A four-star hotel was a big change from the mountain hüttes we’d been staying in for the majority of our trip! The beautiful white building stood out against the lush green, hilly backdrop like a beautiful layer cake. It was a fabulous feeling to arrive at the beautiful Parkhotel Bellevue!
Since it was raining the day we were due to arrive, we made our way over earlier than we expected and made it there before check-in officially opened. We were asked to wait until our room would be ready, but after a few minutes our room was ready to go.
Not only did our room have a working, clean shower (ha!), it had a lovely little reading nook and an incredibly comfortable bed.
The bed faced the balcony, which offered this incredible view.
Like many of the valleys we traveled to, this one had many waterfalls all around. It was beautiful.
The best part, however, was definitely the pool.
Heated, fitted with massage jets and with the loveliest view, it was the perfect spot to rest our sore muscles!
It was fantastic in the summer, I can’t even imagine how beautiful it must be after a day on the slopes in the wintertime!
Adelboden
The village itself was picturesque. A little bit sleepy in the summer, but lovely nonetheless. It was the perfect backdrop for our last relaxing day.
We didn’t do much in Adelboden, as we only had one day there. A lot of my day looked like this – reading with a view!
I finished the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante during this trip. They were fabulous and I recommend them highly!
We did take the gondola up to Tschentenalp for a picnic. It was nice to enjoy a view for such little work – just a ride up to the top!
Up there we enjoyed some snacks and views. We watched a group of model plane enthusiasts fly planes and planes that looked like birds, attracting some actual birds to the scene. It’s amazing how different each valley looks!
Eating in Adelboden
We spent two nights in Adelboden and had lovely dinners each night. We went with the wander and see what we see approach, when we discovered our first choice Alte Taverne was closed for the summer holidays. The first night we landed on the lovely Adler, where I got yet another curry. It seemed the early bird special was still on when we arrived…
The second night we ate at the modern restaurant at the Bären Hotel. I got the gluten, dairy, meat free spaghetti and meatballs… which ended up being quite good!
It was the perfect end to an incredible trip!
Jenn is an American expat living in London, spending her time freelancing, traveling and writing on this here blog. Thank you for reading. Are you planning a trip here? Tell me your plans in the comments!
