Chalet Arva

Stepping through the front door of Chalet Arva at Oeschinen Lake is like stepping through a portal into another dimension. The traditional wooden house. The inscriptions of gratitude on the chalet’s outside walls. The dark green shutters. The stillness of the surroundings. Everything here invites us to slow down.

We get ready for a cozy stay at this stunning place: Well above 1,500 meters, just a handful of guests, and us. Chalet Arva is an old wooden chalet that has kept its charm, untouched by the tourists enjoying the breathtaking views during the day. Once they leave with the last gondola down to the valley below, we breathe in the crisp alpine air and take in the scenery in silence. 

And this is exactly what hosts Nicola and Borys want for their guests: to unwind, to switch off and to let their thoughts fly. The chalet was built in 1880 by Nicola’s great-great-grandparents as a mountain hut, back when they still brought their cattle up the mountain for the season. And her strong connection to the place still shows.

Nicola kept the house true to its traditional style to make guests feel comfortable – and special. Linen bedsheets. Regional, home-cooked meals. Traditional green and red elements throughout the house. Simplicity instead of a million options. With good reason, Chalet Arva’s motto is “Less is more”.

This is also reflected in Chalet Arva’s menu: Be it smoked Swiss trout, the classic “Arva-Plättli” with regional cheeses and cured meats, or the signature dish, 27-hour slow-cooked pork knuckle from the local butcher – everybody will find something to love. 

The chalet only has six rooms, each designed individually – lake views come standard in every one. Our room under the roof has a magical feature: a window that lets us look straight from bed into a clear, starry sky. 

It is the simple life that Chalet Arva has perfected. Between Swiss tradition and minimalist design, guests can enjoy the lake, the mountains, the garden – the big unwind. 

And the unwinding begins once we get to the village of Kandersteg. To get to our destination next to Oeschinen Lake, we have to take the gondola up the mountain – or walk all the way. Since Oeschinen Lake and the surrounding environs are part of UNESCO’s Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch Heritage Site, there is no public road leading up to the area; individual tourist travel by car is not possible. And rightly so.

Nicola and Borys are, like their fellow mountain dwellers, allowed to drive their all-terrain vehicle, a Land Rover Defender. This very car will be one of the few we get to see once we arrive at Chalet Arva. Traffic jams? Negative!

Oeschinen Lake itself is a shapeshifter: depending on the light, it shimmers in different shades of blue – turquoise, deep blue, sometimes even pale azure. And especially in the early and late hours of the day, its play of colours calms our senses. It is the remoteness of the place, the serenity of the lake and the absence of visitors that let us breathe. 

We really get to feel how special this place is once we set out onto the lake in one of the wooden rowing boats. We look at the old chalet and its garden, take in the peak of Blüemlisalphorn and let our minds slowly wander. Feeling calm. Arriving in this very moment, far away from our daily life in the city.