Overlook Lodge by Cervo: new box seat above Zermatt

Four years ago in autumn, we reported on Cervo Zermatt here on the blog. The 5-star hotel, which is spread over different chalets, inspired us with its nonchalance and the now legendary truffle fries (a magnet for après-ski). Since then, not only have we developed further (four years of constant photography is quite impressive, which can be seen in the comparison of these contributions), but also something has happened with the Cervo. For this winter season, the Cervo now has five chic apartments on offer for all those who appreciate the private ambience and independence during their holidays. As part of a blogger trip organized by Design Hotels, we were allowed to sneak into the Overlook Lodge by Cervo before the official opening and try out sleeping.

Overlook Lodge – Apartments mit Hammersicht

Cervo hotelier Daniel F. Lauber came to Overlook Lodge by chance. About 200 m walk below his hotel complex, a new chalet building in an enviable panoramic location stood empty for a long time. Daniel F. Lauber saw this as a good opportunity to supplement the rooms of the Cervo with self-catering apartments and took over the chalet in its already built condition. If he had planned it from scratch, then perhaps one or the other detail would have been designed differently. In the five apartments of different sizes (from the 2-person studio to the 3-bedroom apartment) you will find familiar Cervo details such as the checkered pattern of the box spring beds. We share the “Penthouse Overlook Three Bed Room Apartment” on the top floor of the chalet with two fellow bloggers from Denmark and Germany.

While I suspected at home during my preliminary research that the pictures with the impressive view of the Matterhorn were visualizations (in the sense of “you can see the Matterhorn clearly, but certainly not as blatantly”), I am taught better on site. The view is simply gigantic! At least when the Matterhorn shows up, which of course is not guaranteed – as we found out ourselves on the first very cloudy, grey day. Luckily, it presented itself to us from its chocolate side at the end. The five apartments are offered, as you know it from holiday apartments, at the basic price without additional services (from 258 CHF for the Cosy Studio (2 people) per night). Depending on their mood, however, a guest of the Overlook Lodge has the opportunity to book every conceivable Cervo service up to the private chef in the apartment. So you can cook for yourself one evening, then let yourself be pampered in the Puro restaurant and finally have a Ferdinand fondue mix with all the trimmings delivered to the apartment. Full flexibility.

Ferdinand & Co – Genuss at La Cervo

That’s exactly what we tried right away, marched the good three minutes walk up to the Cervo and tried our way through the menu of the Cervo Puro. My favorite of the current menu is the winter salad and the Olde Cow entrecôte. Also new since 2013 is the Ferdinand restaurant, which serves raclette, fondue and BBQ variations in a casual ambience and is well received not only by hotel guests, but also by the local population. The fondue season at Ferdinand starts in the second week of December – so unfortunately we were still a bit early to try the “Shades of Zermatt” fondue with roasted walnuts, Valais dried meat, mountain herbs, garlic and the noble diamond schnapps “Genepy”. This is on the (already very long) restaurant bucket list for future Zermatt excursions.

Sporty & delicious – what Zermatt inspires me with

The next morning, a breakfast box with fresh rolls, jam, butter, yoghurt and freshly squeezed orange juice is already waiting in front of our apartment door. After that, we are ready for the first kilometres of slopes of the still young 2017/2018 ski season. It is just under a 10-minute walk from the Overlook Lodge to the Sunnegga valley station. Fortunately, I know the Zermatt ski area from previous visits – there is a pleasing amount of snow for the end of November, but the visibility is unfortunately underground. Not tragic for us, but for my bloggers (including the lovely Lea from Escape Town, with whom we already explored the Tyrolean glaciers and the Alpstein together) of course it’s a pity that we are dotting such a gloomy day. Fortunately, Zermatt not only scores with kilometres of slopes, but also with many great places to stop for refreshments. For the first warm-up stop, we head for the Blue Lounge Blauherd below the Rothorn. Afterwards it’s more or less straight to Chez Vrony, which I’ve already raved about here on the blog. It’s snowing outside and inside we’re feasting on the Valais specialities.

More tips for your winter stay in Zermatt

We have already explored what else Zermatt has to offer on previous visits. For those who like winter and outdoors, I recommend the following activities:

• The day ski pass for Zermatt costs 79 CHF for adults / half-day ticket from 12:15 p.m. for 61 CHF
• Follow the winter hiking trail from Furi to Berghaus Stafelalp on foot
• The winter hiking trail from Zermatt to the hamlet of Zmutt (with a stop at the restaurant of the same name) is also beautiful.
• For après-ski, stop at Cervo and order truffle fries (the valley run from Sunnegga to Zermatt conveniently ends right there)
• In case of bad weather, plan a detour to the Matterhorn Museum.

Note: we were kindly invited by Design Hotels™ and Cervo Mountain Boutique Resort for this stay. All views and opinions are, as always, ours.