Experimental and tradition-conscious, alpine and oriental, casual, paired with Swiss excellence. What sounds like a chain full of contrasts is exactly the mix of styles that CERVO Mountain Resort has created into a way of life. Thus, a total of 9 lodges perch like small chalet units on a hillside above Zermatt and look out over the incomparable silhouette of the Matterhorn. But this time the mountain of mountains is not the star of the stay, it is rather a conglomerate of small surprises. Inside, the individual buildings are connected via underground corridors and elevators, and the interior design has fun creating big storytelling out of seemingly small accessories. In the end, you feel like you’ve only absorbed a fraction of this attention to detail. You just stand there, filling a little diary with your own notes or calling the front desk on an ancient phone and smiling at such creativity. So let’s go on a little journey of discovery through CERVO Mountain Resort.
#rooms
My room is called sporty Alpinist and beats on 32 square meters the balancing act between purist design and cozy comfort. In addition, there is this merciless view of the Matterhorn, which can be inhaled without restriction from the bed, the lounge chairs or the private terrace. In general, the handmade Hästens bed succeeds in an outstanding manner in curing the exertion from the ski day without any problems. I have rarely slept and dreamed so well as on this Swedish mattress. In addition, there is a minibar in cool CERVO style, which holds the equipment for a whole cocktail evening. There’s no shortage of nibbles either, as there’s cheese, sausage and even cookies. Here you can chill, read or write exciting stories and so it does not take long and you have forgotten when you actually came, let alone when you want to go again. You’ve long been in the CERVO flow, which creates an overall feeling out of opposites.
#food
Would you like a taste of the CERVO flow? Let’s start with the music in the Bazaar restaurant. While I’m still eating the main course to cool electronic sounds, the Bee Gees are already warbling for dessert, as if there were a mother-in-law’s heart to warm here. Does that go together? It sure does, because the Bazaar has many faces and spontaneously reminds me of the Djemaa el Fna in Marrakesh or the cool bars and lobbies in Aspen, Colorado. It is a mixture of an African design restaurant and an après-ski bar, whose creative menu sounds oriental, African, Italian and typically Swiss. My choice on 3 days: burgers, veal tagliata and raclette. Plus tiramisu and chocolate mousse. Always accompanied by the outstanding CERVO Fries with parmesan and truffle oil. My conclusion: casually served, outstanding in taste, creatively staged. Addiction factor: 12 out of 10.
#wellness
Japanese, Buthanese or Northern European? Don’t worry, you don’t have to choose, because the Mountain Ashram Spa unites all the great voids under one global idea of relaxation. So I focus on the here and now first in the tea yurt (not a typo), glide through the warming vapors of a Japanese onsen (again, not a typo), and finally regain my mindfulness in the steam room. Because that’s what all the individual relaxation islands and meditation or yoga options are about. Enough of hectic and the dictatorship of the smartphone, towards self-discovery and relaxation.
#skiing
Zermatt is not just a ski resort. It’s a compound of scenic, outstanding kilometers of slopes that stretch up and down the peaks from Rothorn to Gornergrat to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. This involves a difference in altitude ranging from 1,600 to 4,000 meters. The weather is of course CERVO style and the sunshine on the first day, is immediately compensated by the snowfall the day after. I can’t even say which was better, because fresh powder snow feels like skiing through goose feathers. In addition, the slope combo 9, 1, 3 delivers me directly in front of the fragrant ski cellar of CERVO Mountain Resort.
In the end, I’m left with a big grin on my lips and a tired twinge in my muscles. But that’s what the beloved Hästens bed is for, and it will fix it.
#CERVO
The Democratic Mountain Community is something of an exclusive little club at CERVO Mountain Resort. But to me, it’s the perfect term for the motley crowd of guests, the super-nice staff, and the cool boss, Daniel F. Lauber, who has designed a veritable wonderland of surprises up here in Zermatt. Throw all your expectations overboard, forget when you came, remember your mindfulness and get into the CERVO flow.
This article was written at the invitation of CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt. My special thanks go to Ilona Jeckelmann for the sensational organization and to the host and owner Daniel F. Lauber.
