Brücke 49 Hotel

Vals, Swiss

This design-driven retreat in a small Alpine village in Switzerland puts conviviality at the heart of operations, with a welcoming home-stay feel to guarantee relaxation after days in the great oudoors

If it’s Alpine hospitality you’re craving, alongside elegant Scandi design, look no further than Brücke 49 Pension. Nestled in the mountain village of Vals, this four- bedroom refuge has a home-stay feel – albeit it one that reflects the Danish-Swiss founders’ exquisite taste: crafted furniture, heavy linen bedding, curated playlists and hand- thrown crockery.

The house is just a short walk from the village square, and is set in a row of painstakingly restored buildings – many dating back to 1770. The dark grey exterior and hardened symmetry summon a suitable sense of drama given the Piz Tomül Mountain looming large, the churning riverside setting and local Valser quartzite. Once inside, everything instantly softens, welcoming you to wood-panelled rooms with lit fires, an honesty drinks-trolley and design books laid out to leaf through.

There’s a unique sense of communality here. The tone is set at breakfast with signature Swiss bircher muesli, freshly baked bread and an array of Alpine cheeses, honey and jam served around a large wooden table. With a maximum of eight guests staying at any one time, it’s more a case of ‘family-style’ than ‘refectory dining’. Bathrooms are also shared – each serving two double rooms – but the vase of wild flowers, Aesop soap and pristine cleanliness makes it perhaps the most civilised of shared-bathroom experiences, be that in a hotel, hostel or home. With a well-equipped kitchen at your disposal too, it’s easy to rustle up meals inspired by local ingredients. Alternatively, three apartments are on offer at neighbouring Brücke 49 Herberge with the same ethos of hospitality and sense of style.

Immersion in your surroundings is a given. All guests are entitled to a reduced-price entry to Vals’ thermal baths and there’s no shortage of hiking routes and wild swimming spots in the surrounding hills. You should, however, be aware of a strange phenomenon in which guests find themselves willing a wet-weather day for an excuse to hunker down at Brücke 49, watch the tempestuous weather from indoors and soak up the high life in the mountains.

Doubles from £198 including breakfast. 00 41 81 420 4949, brucke49.ch

Words by Rachel Walker.

This review was taken from the October 2023 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.