Friday, May 19, 2006
03/2006: Saas Fee: ‘I prefer this resort to Zermatt..’
Bit of a party in the bar last night, unfortunately my latest room is directly above it and I was bouncing around in my bed to the raucous sound of German drinking songs until the early hours.
Am moving on to Saas Fee today, so take a taxi to the train station for the ride to the car park. Miraculously manage to locate my car in the multi-storey and even more miraculously (to someone who owns an elderly Suzuki jeep), it starts first time (the car has a new-fangled key card and start button which floored me completely when I picked it up).
Drive in a blizzard on a narrow winding road down the side of one mountain then up a narrow road with scary hairpin bends on another. Me and heights are not compatible - despite many attempts to conquer my fear (including a very expensive and utterly useless weekend session with Paul McKenna) - I still quake at the sight of a sheer drop. Try not to look but it’s a touch difficult to drive with your eyes closed.
Check into the hotel at 11am and am told my room won’t be ready until 3pm.
Head out to start looking at the hotels. Saas Fee is on a plateau at nearly 6,000 feet which is higher than Zermatt and it is much colder here. On first impressions, I prefer this resort to Zermatt, it’s a lot smaller and quieter and has a more intimate, authentic feel. I can’t see what the scenery is like as it’s obscured by the driving snow. The shops are still as expensive and upmarket though.
Trek back to the hotel through the snow, my room’s ready but the lift’s broken and I have to trudge up 5 flights of stairs. It’s a tiny single room in the attic with a sloping ceiling I have to stoop under. The bathroom is so small there isn’t room for a sink, so it’s in the bedroom. It’s not a cheap hotel so I’ve probably got the most expensive room per square foot in the resort. But, there’s a chocolate on the bed which is good enough for me – although I suspect I’ll be charged for it if I eat it. The bathroom boasts a pair of scales which I studiously avoid as I’m a bit partial to dark chocolate and have indulged shamelessly since arriving in Switzerland.
Having slept in 5 different rooms in the last 6 nights, 3 nights in the same room feels like luxury.
Bit of a party in the bar last night, unfortunately my latest room is directly above it and I was bouncing around in my bed to the raucous sound of German drinking songs until the early hours.
Am moving on to Saas Fee today, so take a taxi to the train station for the ride to the car park. Miraculously manage to locate my car in the multi-storey and even more miraculously (to someone who owns an elderly Suzuki jeep), it starts first time (the car has a new-fangled key card and start button which floored me completely when I picked it up).
Drive in a blizzard on a narrow winding road down the side of one mountain then up a narrow road with scary hairpin bends on another. Me and heights are not compatible - despite many attempts to conquer my fear (including a very expensive and utterly useless weekend session with Paul McKenna) - I still quake at the sight of a sheer drop. Try not to look but it’s a touch difficult to drive with your eyes closed.
Check into the hotel at 11am and am told my room won’t be ready until 3pm.
Head out to start looking at the hotels. Saas Fee is on a plateau at nearly 6,000 feet which is higher than Zermatt and it is much colder here. On first impressions, I prefer this resort to Zermatt, it’s a lot smaller and quieter and has a more intimate, authentic feel. I can’t see what the scenery is like as it’s obscured by the driving snow. The shops are still as expensive and upmarket though.
Trek back to the hotel through the snow, my room’s ready but the lift’s broken and I have to trudge up 5 flights of stairs. It’s a tiny single room in the attic with a sloping ceiling I have to stoop under. The bathroom is so small there isn’t room for a sink, so it’s in the bedroom. It’s not a cheap hotel so I’ve probably got the most expensive room per square foot in the resort. But, there’s a chocolate on the bed which is good enough for me – although I suspect I’ll be charged for it if I eat it. The bathroom boasts a pair of scales which I studiously avoid as I’m a bit partial to dark chocolate and have indulged shamelessly since arriving in Switzerland.
Having slept in 5 different rooms in the last 6 nights, 3 nights in the same room feels like luxury.
# posted by hotelreviewer @ 12:04 pm 
