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Hotel Castle, Blitzingen, Goms Valley

Hotel Castle

Bedroom

Restaurant

Bar

Skiing in the Goms Valley

The Swiss come to the Goms for the first-rate cross-country skiing and enviable snow record. We are sure you will love it too for the tranquillity that reigns over the valley, exemplified by the secluded Hotel Castle which perches above Blitzingen, affording panoramic views.

At this perfect winter hideaway, you can savour truly outstanding cuisine and enjoy service that is second to none – Peter and Brigitta Gschwendtner make wonderful hosts, and go out of their way to ensure that your holiday is a memorable one. They are helped by a team of friendly staff which has won awards for the exceptional level of service.

Rooms: As befits the 4-star status of the hotel, the 22 attractive bedrooms are suite-like in their dimensions, incorporating a sitting area and a kitchen corner (ideal for making drinks and snacks on your return from the trails) as well as a large, sunny balcony or terrace. All bedrooms have a bath with an overhead shower, a radio, telephone, hairdryer, internet access and satellite television. As in the rest of the hotel, the use of light wood creates a warm, intimate feel.

Facilities: You can relax on the sun terrace, the small bar, the billard room or in the spa which now features a sauna, a steam room, and a jacuzzi. There is also a solarium, for which a small charge is made.

Restaurant: The four-course dinner is one of the highlights of each day – Peter is a highly accomplished chef whose exquisite mountain dishes have earned him an enviable reputation. The first-class cuisine is complemented by the sweeping views afforded by the arched picture windows, making the restaurant one of the hotel’s main focal points. Breakfast is a generous buffet.

Skiing and other winter activities: The high Goms Valley is widely considered to be the best cross-country domain in Switzerland and, as you would expect of a network of this calibre, it caters well for all levels, with trails ranging in length from 3 to 45 kilometres. Access to the 100 kilometres of trails could not be easier with the hotel’s shuttle bus service down to the village, a journey which takes around five minutes.

From Blitzingen, you can ski from hamlet to hamlet in either direction, perhaps travelling by train along the valley for one leg to explore further (we include a travel pass for the upper valley, giving you unlimited travel on trains and buses). It is also well worth taking advantage of the waymarked snow-shoeing trails and 21 kilometres of winter walking paths, many of which lead straight from the hotel door across the panoramic slopes. Alternatively, don downhill skis and try out the beginners’ runs at nearby Fiesch, a 17-minute train journey away, or take a day trip to the chic resort of Zermatt or the Aletsch Glacier, Europe’s largest. There is an ice rink for skating in the village of Obergesteln, 15 minutes away.

The village: Blitzingen is a very small – and consequently very peaceful – village, with just one or two shops. More facilities can be found elsewhere in the valley in the string of ancient wooden villages whose houses are the colour of roasted chestnuts.

Winter activity week: Enjoy the snow in a variety of ways, the highlights of the week being the two excursions led by Peter. A keen mountaineer who climbed Everest in 2004, he will show you the best of the valley on a half-day walk and a snow-shoe excursion. Snow-shoe rental is included for that day, as is cross-country ski hire on two other days so that you can explore the valley on skis – or take a lesson or two if you are new to the sport (pay locally). The remaining two days are left free, a chance to enjoy more of your favourite activity.

Beginners’ cross-country try it out week: Learning is always relaxed in the serenity of the Goms Valley. Two two-hour lessons are included initially so that you can learn the basics at the beginning of the week, practise by yourselves at your own pace for a couple of days, then hone your skills with a final lesson at the end of the week. Ski hire and your cross-country pass are included for all six days, and we also provide a travel pass covering the upper valley so that you can use local transport to enjoy other trails a little further afield.

Winter activity week price

Beginners' try it out week price

7-night Holiday Prices & Travel

Nights: 7
Meals: dinner & breakfast every day
Start: Saturday or Sunday
Extras: cross-country pass; travel pass for the upper valley, giving unlimited travel on trains and buses
Included travel: British Airways Heathrow-Geneva (1h35) (out dep 0650, 0835 or 1040, home arr 1600 or 1750), connecting journey by rail (3h20) & transfer (0h05)
#Variations (16 & 17 Feb; 23 Mar): British Airways Heathrow-Basel (1h35) (out dep 0850, home arr 1815), connecting journey by rail (4h15) & transfer (0h05)
Latest flight arrival: 1400
Earliest flight departure: 1430
Destination airport: Geneva

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