Hotel Monte Rosa, Switzerland: A Victorian jewel in the Swiss Alps

Zermatt's oldest hotel, the Monte Rosa, sits in a picture-perfect property with amazing views onto the Swiss Alps in one of Europe's prettiest towns

By Steve King

13 December 2019

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IN BRIEF

First impression Somebody appears to have dropped an immaculate Victorian jewel box at the foot of the Matterhorn.
Staff Multicultural, multilingual and generally marvellous.
Food & drink More than holds its own in a town that is disproportionately blessed with excellent restaurants and bars.
Bed & bath Perfectly spoiling without being the least bit flashy. The closest you will get to razzle-dazzle here are cushion covers with knitted animal shapes on them.
The crowd One-percenters keeping it on the down-low.
In a nutshell An enduring classic in what may be the prettiest town in the Swiss Alps, overlooked by what is indisputably the most beautiful mountain on earth.

Set the scene
Allow Mark Twain to do the scene-setting: ‘That short valley is a picture-gallery of a notable kind, for it contains no mediocrities; from end to end the Creator has hung it with His masterpieces.’ That short valley leads to the Matterhorn, with the Monte Rosa – pale and pretty and modestly palatial – at its base.

What’s the story?
Mountain climbing and winter sports as we know them today did not exist until the late 19th century. Zermatt was one of the key locations in their development. A Swiss chap called Alexander Seiler saw what was coming and opened the Monte Rosa in 1854. (He opened several other hotels in the years that followed, among them the Mont Cervin Palace, which is just around the corner from the Monte Rosa and still going strong, still fabulous.) The Monte Rosa became the unofficial headquarters of the Alpine Club, an association of mountain-fancying English toffs. In July 1865, a group of seven climbers (including two guides) made it to the top of the Matterhorn for the first time. Minutes later, a rope broke and four of them fell to their doom. The disaster was front-page news around the world. It captivated the public, made Zermatt famous and sparked a tourist boom that has continued ever since.

What can we expect from our room?
If you are looking for acres of gold taps and marble, try across the street, at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof. If you want quirky contemporary design and irony, ask for directions to Backstage Vernissage. (Both of which, incidentally, are marvellous, and you should take a peek at them in any case while you are in the neighbourhood.) The Monte Rosa is calmly cosseting, with lots of timber, lots of wool and lots of antlers. You could almost describe it as homely – but only if the home you are thinking of is uncommonly nice and unusually full of antlers.

How about the food and drink?
The bar at the Monte Rosa is one of very few bars outside Scotland that really gets away with tartan upholstery – here, for reasons that remain mysterious, the Balmoral vibe just works. The winter-season-only Belle Epoque restaurant is a gem, with one of the most quaintly elegant dining rooms in town.

Anything to say about the service?
When you arrive you will, in all likelihood, be ushered across the threshold by Luis Morais, who, if he has not actually been at the Monte Rosa since it opened in 1854, cannot have arrived long after, and whose warmth and kindness will set the tone for the rest of your stay.

What sort of person comes here?
The Zermatt crowd is rich and sporty but not as showy-offy as that of certain other Alpine salt licks. The Monte Rosa will suit traditionalists with a special interest in the history of the town – in which respect the hotel has a unique significance.

What’s the neighbourhood scene like?
No doubt you could, if you really wanted to, scare up a fur coat or a Rolex or a diamond necklace in a shop somewhere on Bahnhoffstrasse or in one or two of the hotel lobbies. But Zermatt leans towards more convivial, communal, foodie-drinkie pleasures – less catwalk, more cakewalk. It has several of the best – and best-loved – restaurants in the Alps, such as Zum See, Blatten and the peerless Chez Vrony. The Monte Rosa is flanked by two delightful – and dramatically contrasting – restaurants: on one side, the impeccably cheesy Whymper-Stübe fondue house; on the other, 1818, a chic, buzzy joint with its own pop-up-style Dom Pérignon Champagne corner.

Anything you’d change?
Not an antler.

Anything we missed?
Did you spot the little herb garden in Blatten where ingredients for Ricola lozenges are grown? If not, go and give the speedwell, lady’s mantle and peppermint a sniff.

A final note: is it worth it?
The view from the doorstep alone is worth it. Bunking down inside is just the icing on the cake.

Describe the ski experience here
Choose your own superlative. Because of its altitude (high), orientation (favourable) and topography (varied), Zermatt is arguably the best destination in Switzerland, if not in the world, for all kinds of Alpine sports, all year round. With better places to eat.

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