Casual, more casual, Lenk Lodge!

I sat on the train last Friday, all tingling. We finally went to the mountains. The weather forecasts were anything but promising, but our accommodation – the Lenk Lodge – should easily make up for that.

Lenk Lodge is refreshingly genuine

I know what I like and what I don’t. And when I clicked through the Lenk Lodge website for the first time, I was already blown away. The philosophy and the architecture were exactly what I liked. The expectations were correspondingly high and – I am unforgivable – could easily have been disappointed. But where it says “refreshingly genuine” on the label, it says “refresh genuine”. Fabienne and Roman Cortesi have created a new gem on Lenk with the purchase and conversion of the former holiday home into a homely feel-good place. With a lot of heart and soul, 10 pretty guest rooms and a casual large parlour have been created. Elements such as the staircase were cleverly restored to their original state of the 1920s and supplemented with modern design pieces and bright splashes of colour. The house creaks and lives. And as was to be expected, we were welcomed nicely. Refreshing, genuine cordiality!

Simply comfortable at Lenk Lodge

The ten different rooms are all equipped differently. We are accommodated in Studio 7 with a view towards the end of the valley with the mighty Wildstrubel. The room has a private bathroom and a mini kitchen. Not all ten rooms are equipped with a bathroom. Some of the rooms in the first phase of renovation on the first floor share a shared bathroom. I liked the light wooden floor and the reduction to deliberately placed accents such as the funny chair in the corner. We snort the homemade roasted almonds as a bedtime and then plunge into bed. The next day we want to be fit for the mountains.

Breakfast happiness instead of weather luck

My enthusiasm is curbed by the view out of the room window early in the morning. They can’t do magic here at Lenk Lodge. The cloud cover has clung to the mountain slopes and it is only a matter of time before the rain will set in. There is no time for mope. We can expect a wonderful breakfast buffet, which scores with regional products. «Aus der Länk Dänk». It’s a matter of honour, isn’t it? The weather quickly becomes a minor matter. And Lenk Lodge is the first accommodation ever that makes me voluntarily try filter coffee. The coffee is roasted in the Kafischmitte in Langnau in the Emmental and smells wonderful. My second favorite is the homemade organic spelt oat muesli with fresh apples. If desired, eggs are served for 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 minutes. The kitchen team also knows how to deal with my daring “a little more than three minutes”. Fabienne, Roman and their team not only know how to spoil their guests with a delicious breakfast, but also have hiking and biking tips up their sleeves.

Out into the water

After breakfast, the mountains beckon – despite wet forecasts. We lace up our hiking boots and have the marching tea filled into the bottles. All you have to do is ring the chic golden bell at the exit. The beginning of June is low season at Lenk. There is still snow in the higher altitudes and the cable cars are only in operation from the second weekend in June. A classic that is nice to walk even in unstable weather is the Obersimmentaler Hausweg. This leads in a circular route via Lenkerseeli to Zelg and back to Lenk and can be combined with the Simmen Falls.

Drying feet

It rained on us more than once that day. The fronts passed by every hour. Back at Lenk Lodge we slip out of our wet hiking boots. On nice days, the beautiful garden with sun loungers would tempt you to relax. But as it is, we make ourselves comfortable in front of the fireplace. The small hunger in between is quenched with fresh, homemade aperitif pastries or pieces of cake. We are well taken care of here.

More tips for an enjoyable weekend at Lenk

• Prices vary depending on the room and season. Studio 7 costs in the low season from 220 CHF per night / room including breakfast and free use of the mountain railways (with guest card, which is available from one overnight stay).
• As soon as the snow is gone, Lenk Lodge is located in the middle of a hiker’s paradise. In the lower altitudes, I like the hike to the Seven Brünnes or the tour through the Wallbach Gorge. Still on my bucket list is the trip to the Iffigsee.
• With the guest card, you benefit from reduced admission to the Wallbach Bad, which is about a 5-minute walk from Lenk Lodge. A good bad weather option, as experience has shown that the sun does not always shine on Lenk.
• The Lenk Lodge also offers attractive partner offers with the Lenkerhof (e.g. wellness area incl. dinner for 124 CHF).
• You can also enjoy fine dining in Lenk at Hirschen (Oberriedstrasse 1). A speciality of the house is the burger to put together yourself. The daring combination of breaded Camembert cheese, bacon, onions, mushrooms and hot chili sauce tasted great and cost 22 CHF.
• It is rustic and schampar friendly at Hüsy Blankenburg. At first, we were irritated by the fact that reindeer was on the menu as a special of the day, although the restaurant focuses on regionality and seasonality. It turned out that the reindeer are indeed native to the Bernese Oberland. They come from the reindeer herding of the Luginbühl family in Frutigen.

Note: Lenk Lodge invited me to this stay. Thank you very much for this! As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm.