The Cervo Mountain Hotel @ Zermatt / Switzerland

House & Hotel Magazine features Switzerland.

We enjoyed our time in the nice designhotel Cervo.

It is a mountain resort is a timber-framed sanctuary nestled on the slopes above Zermatt, Switzerland’s most iconic alpine resort. Guests can ski right up to the entrance where, with the majestic Matterhorn looming large on the horizon, they’re greeted by a small, almost private doorway that just oozes exclusivity. When they step inside, the smell of warm wood starts to soothe them. A smiling face is there to welcome them. And as they wander further into the building, there’s the comforting sensation of being immersed in a contemporary alpine wonderland.
Lets call it the King of the Mountain resort, nestled in in the alpine forest below the Matterhorn.
The hotel sits 100 metres above the village Zermatt.Local materials like felt, loden and stone converge with vintage curios in the main building, a converted 1950s chalet that still has its original wooden floor. Everywhere from the Provencal-inspired restaurant to the peaceful chalets that house CERVO Mountain Boutique Resort’s 33 rooms and suites, young visionaries Daniel Ferdinand Lauber and Seraina Müller have merged contemporary lines with homely colors. With help from local architect Roman Mooser, they’ve even incorporated seductive spas into each of the sunlit chalets. This dedication to accentuating life’s comforts, combined with an enviable location next to some of Europe’s best ski slopes, makes CERVO Mountain Boutique Resort the ideal place to savor the tranquility of the Alps.
With sense-stirring views of the Matterhorn, the CERVO is a hotel that embraces its mountainous surroundings. So lets say it is welcoming and with a distinctly modern twist, it’s where guests can live and feel Zermatt at its best.
The place is located directly at the end of the slopes and on the edge of the forrest. CERVO has direct elevator access to the Sunnegga Station and is ten minutes by foot to the train station and village center.

Resto tip: Schauenstein

Schauenstein is located in the Swiss Alps, in the sleepy “city” of Furstenau, in reality an alpine village of 700 inhabitants. It is about 100 miles from Zurich, which by train can be reached in two and a half hours: from Zurich airport change at Zurich central station and take the train to Chur (the oldest town in Switzerland) then change again to reach the station of Thusis, which is a few miles from Furstenau. It is a lengthy journey but a scenic one, as the train goes past an impressive lake and then heads into the snow-capped mountains. The final leg of the train ride is the so-called Glacier Express, which serves assorted famous ski resorts such as Davos. Its name proves that the Swiss do, after all, have a sense of humour, as it should really be called the Glacial Express based on its true velocity. The scenery it passes is certainly very pretty, and you have plenty of time to admire it.

Schauenstein itself is just great, the dining area is split into two separate rooms, with the kitchen in between. This is not mass catering – the restaurant accommodates just 16 customers at lunch and 26 at dinner. The decor reflects the age of the building, with lots of wood paneling and impressively thick doors.

The wine cellar has around 3,000 bottles, presented in a thick tome. There was a wide selection of Swiss wines, but also plenty of the classics.
Lets talk food:
Canapés included rocket sorbet with apple, with intense and well-balanced flavour. A potato and leek soup also had plenty of flavour.
Churros were excellent, with a spicy dip, while the best nibble was char, served on a cracker, simple but tasting superb.
Bread was made from scratch in the kitchen, a soft, doughy white bread, served warm with local butter. Just delicious.
Our first amuse-bouche was langoustine from Brittany, pan-fried and also served raw, with basil mousse and lemon espuma. On the side were delicate rice crisps and a lovely langoustine jelly with lime foam; the langoustines were of high quality, the lemon and lime elements works brilliant togehter.
Tuna and cucumber in various forms now appeared, including some raw tuna with avocado foam. Some tuna was seared, some served as sashimi, some marinated, each with different preparations of cucumber; all were of excellent quality. Veal tartare was next, served with sweetbread and also a deep fried piece of veal. The veal itself was lovely, but the star was a sweetcorn sauce, which had remarkable flavour and worked really well with the veal, with a sweetcorn powder adding a contrasting textural element.
Yummy and for me enough, just a small dessert.

It was marinated mango and pineapple, refreshing, with passion fruit and mascarpone sorbet, but on the side was a dish of spectacularly rich chocolate fondant.
All dishes were well balanced, with appealing combinations of flavours, and some surprises mixed in with the familiar.

Its worth it, lets go for it.