We spent one of the most beautiful weekends ever in Lenk and Adelboden.
It’s a really beautiful drive and as we approached Lenk we were awed by the landscape, the pretty villages and the quantity of cows everywhere.
Our hotel for the first night was the charming Simmenhof Hotel not far from the centre of Lenk. The hotel is really lovely with cosy decor. We were staying in a really nice family room with three beds on one floor and a mezzanine with two beds above, plus a balcony offering an incredible view of Lenk and the mountains surrounding it.
We dropped our bags and went downstairs where we were beginning our first activity which was a horse drawn carriage ride through Lenk. Jude and Alba were extremely excited by this prospect and I have to say it was one of my favourite activities since we started the blog. The countryside is stunning and we past by lots of rolling hills and pretty chalets, we saw lots of animals and plenty of people waved at us while we past. It was such a peaceful experience and the perfect antidote to a stressful week.
All too soon our ride was over and we were saying goodbye to the horses. When we arrived at the hotel we spotted a really cool bar with windows looking into the riding school where we could watch the horses training so we decided to have a drink so that Alba could watch before dinner. The Hotel Simmenhof also has a nice restaurant with plenty of options to choose from and a children’s menu so it was easy to find something we wanted to eat.
The hotel is really family friendly and has plenty of other facilities including a swimming pool and wellness area, pool table and you can also organise riding lessons with the school next door. In the winter you can also enjoy a fondue on the horse carriage which sounds amazing!
We all slept well in our comfortable beds and were up early on Saturday morning. We had a nice breakfast and set off for our first activity which was a visit to the Alpkultur playground at Lenkerseeli. This playground is not far from the hotel and has a beautiful location at the foot of the mountains. It was a really cool place for the children with a zip line, lots of swings and slides, tunnels to explore, places to BBQ or picnic and a cool little train which circles the park. Jude and Alba loved that part. There is also a little enclosure with baby goats running around and visitors can climb in to say hello. We spent about 1.5 hours there, although we could easily have stayed longer but we had to head back to the hotel to check out and head to our next activity.
We noticed that there was a nice market in Lenk on the Saturday morning but we didn’t have time to stop during this visit.
We drove to Betelberg valley station and parked the car before taking the cable car up to Betelberg, It’s a really glorious place at the top of the mountain with a great playground for the children (the highlight was the trampoline!). There is a beautiful lake a short walk away which offers spectacular views of the area. The cable cars are cool and you can choose one of the themed cars which are decorated like mountain cabins and offer narrative from a character telling us about life in the Alps. This is such a good idea for children and made the journey fun.
We decided to have lunch in the restaurant before heading back down the mountain again.
Our plan for the afternoon was a trip to the Erlebnisbad Wallbach swimming baths, which has an outdoor pool with a water temperature of 34 °C and is open all year round. There is plenty for children too with various things to play with, diving and paddling in the children's pool and slides to enjoy.
For the second night, we were staying in Adelboden which was about 1.5 hours drive from Lenk. Adelboden is a really pretty town, with lots of nice shops, bakeries and restaurants with wonderful views over the mountains.
Our hotel for Saturday night was the Hotel Alpina, which is a short drive from the centre of Adelboden. This place is really paradise for children with playground and petting zoo, climbing wall and play room. We were staying in a two bedroom apartment with balcony which gave us all plenty of space. We went down to the playground to let the children explore before dinner.
We were staying on a half board basis which offers a children’s menu and three different menu options for adults. After a busy day, we were happy to go to bed quite early and we all slept well after a day in the mountains.
We had a good breakfast and checked out before our final outing of the weekend. We drove to Engstligenalp valley station and took the cable car up to Engstligenalp. This is another stunning spot and the departure point for lots of different hikes in the area so it was quite busy on a Sunday, you can also choose the Gobi trail with children which helps to motivate smaller hikers. Keep your eyes open for the impressive waterfalls. We walked for about a couple of hours to explore before enjoying a cup of coffee in the sunshine before heading down. There is a separate entrance next to the main cable car station which is for the Gobi gondolier. These small cars are decorated with Gobi theme and music and the children were soon singing along as we descended. When you buy your tickets, don’t forget to ask for your Hearts Desire ribbon to attach to the heart on the mountain.
We were so sad to leave this beautiful part of Switzerland. It was such a wonderful change of pace that I immediately felt the stresses of the week lifting from my shoulders as soon as we arrived on Friday. These are really the kind places that Swiss dreams are made of. I really can’t wait to have the opportunity to go back.
Information
Tourismus Adelboden-Lenk-Kandersteg / Lenk-Simmental Tourismus AG
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