Walking & Wildflowers in the Engadine Valley (Guided Walks)

Bedrooms

• Included option

  Standard room

  Bright, airy and furnished to a very high standard, in a style that reflects the building’s history, the bedrooms look across the village towards the mountains. They have either a shower or bath, and are equipped with bathrobes, a hairdryer, safe and radio, but no TV.
  
   
• Upgrade option

  Room with balcony

  These rooms are similarly bright and airy, furnished in light Alpine pine, with wooden floors and walls and the same facilities as the standard rooms. Their big attraction is the balcony, from which you can enjoy superb views of the valley.
• Upgrade option

  Suite

  The hotel has a number of exquisite suites: three traditional Engadiner suites located in La Chasa Pepina across the road from the hotel, plus the Piz Pisoc suite (pictured above) in the main building, which is more modern in style.

• Mr J Paul

  USA

  01 June 2024

  We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in the Engadine Valley. This was our first guided walk, and it was a delight. The hotel/restaurant was very pleasant, Ernst our multilingual guide was great, and the wildflowers were everywhere. Our group, which consisted of just two couples, let Ernst pick the itineraries, which often involved a train or bus. The walks were rated as level 2, which seemed about right—proper hikes rather than naturalist shuffles. An advantage to having a native guide, beyond not having to study route directions, was having someone who could make mid-course corrections when the unexpected occurred, like a cancelled train, an impassible rockslide, or late snowfall (all of which happened). We added in a few extra days to do some solo hiking and were glad we did.

  The Via Spluga walk from Switzerland to Lake Como was more challenging, partly owing to the unusually late snows, as well as the length and rockiness of some of the terrain. We are both in our seventies and managed reasonably well though. There are bus options for shortening the very long day to Isola. We did this when the hotel in Splugen informed us that snow made the high portion of the route to Isola impassable. It still left a fair bit of hiking on the far side. On our day off in Splugen we hiked up the Via to where the snow began and then returned. The next day we took the bus to Montespluga. I think this stage would be more relaxing as a two-parter with a stopover in Montespluga. The Cardinello Gorge beyond Montespluga is spectacular, but would be dangerous in the rain. Also, there is a turn-off in the gorge that goes steeply down to a wooden bridge to cross the river. Instead, we continued ahead along the path without crossing the river, and this got us to Isola, so that’s an alternative if you’re feeling tired. We liked all our accommodations (Weiss Kreuz in Splugen, Locanda del Cardinello in Isola, San Lorenzo in Chiavenna, and Tullio in Gravedona), each, like kittens, having its own personality. We had a nice meal in Gravedona at the Agriturismo Cà del Lago. Ferries on Lake Como are infrequent, at least in early June, so the suggested jaunts require planning. We just boated to Bellano and back. The rest of humanity seemed to have their sights set on Bellagio.

  One of our trains back to Zurich took us through the Bernina Pass, which was unexpected and spectacular. If you’re tired of melted cheese and preserved meats, Casco Viejo Tapas, Brasserie Louis, and the vegetarian Roots (several locations) all had reasonably priced—for Zurich—meals.

   

  INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Walking and Wildflowers in the Engadine holiday with Along the Via Spluga to Lake Como
  

   

• Mr M Esten

  Berkhamsted

  10 June 2023

  The guide, Ernst Vogel, was outstandingly good.