Description: When looking to book somewhere in Zermatt to stay for a couple of nights, I kept hitting brick walls. Zermatt is busy in both teh winter and summer season, but it is the price that is the crippling thing in this car free town. We wanted somewhere clean, comfortable that offered breakfast, all at a reasonable price...asking too much??
Well I spent quite a while hunting, before I finally decided upon Le Petit Hotel, which was one of the more affordable hotels that I could find, that offered breakfast. We paid 280 CHF for 2 nights, which was pretty good for Zermatt in one of its peak summer months.
When we arrived in Zermatt, it was an extremely hot day, and we were rather envious of some of the bigger (and more expensive) hotels which sent little electrical carts to carry people's luggage from the train station to the hotel. We unfortunately did not have this luxury, and if I am to be honest, it is rather a slog to the hotel, as it is at the further end of the town, about a 10 minute walk, through the main street. This is not so bad, as it is mostly flat, however, it is the last stretch which is up a cobbled street on a rather steep slope that you need to climb to get to the hotel. We were ever so glad to reach the door of the hotel.
The hotel itself stands out well, as it is painted a funny yellowy colour, but is a strange shape. The girl at reception, could not have been nicer and more helpful, and we were impressed with her efficiency. So it was a lovely welcome we received. There is a very very small lift that will transport one person and a bag up the floors (a blessing, since the other option is a sprial staircase), so we took it in turns to go up with our bag to the floor we were staying on. There is a beautiful roof terrace at the very top floor of the hotel, with some lovely seating, loungers and tables, and with outstanding views of the matterhorn, right in front of you. We enjoyed sitting up here and relxing before dinner in the evening.
Our room was rather on the small side, but the bathroom was larger than we had found in some places, although a little on the old fashioned side. The whole hotel in fact has a 70's decor running through it, although there is something very homely about it. There is no air con in the room, although we kept our window open all night, and we were cool enough. The room had a TV with some english speaking channels, although no phone or hairdryer.
Breakfast in the morning was superb. It was set out in a buffet style and always very well refilled. There as a terrific selection of fresh fruit, cereals, ham and cheeses, fresh bread for you to cut yourself, yogurts, as well as various juices and coffee.
We had two very pleasant nights sleep, and we found the staff to be very friendly and helpful at all times. They spoke good english, and were very ready to help should you need advice.
The only downside as I mentioned was the location. It is perfectly fine it you just walking about and there are lots of restaurants within a stone's through, but it you are pulling your own luggage, then it is one of the further hotels from the train station. In saying that however, you need to make the choice between paying a lot more for a larger hotel who will collect your luggage from the station, or paying a more reasonable amount for a hotel, which was perfectly good with an excellent breakfast, with the only downside being having to carry your own case. I think I would always go for the second option.
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