“Simply beautiful – beautifully simple” is the motto of the Valsana Hotel & Apartments in the Swiss Arosa. Situated 1,800 meters above sea level surrounded by forests, mountains and the lake Obersee, the hotel opened in December 2017. Until 2015, a 115-year-old sports hotel was located at the village entrance of Arosa before it was dismantled and reconstructed. Materials from the old building were reused which can be found today, for example, as pillars in the lounge. Nature and sustainability are the core values on which all Valsana’s activities are based on – combined with the perfect amount of luxury guests will experience pure relaxation.
A living room in Arosa
The ‘most beautiful living room in Arosa’ including the adjacent restaurant ‘Twist’ form the heart of the Valsana Hotel. The combination of old furniture and revived materials exudes coziness and invites you to linger. Relax in the comfortable armchair in front of the fireplace and shelves with second-hand books, enjoying a glass of European wine. Luxury only where it makes sense, the rest is casual – like the employees wearing their uniforms with sneakers.
“Easy-peasy and yet special”
In the restaurant “Twist,” Marcel Laversa is responsible for delicious compositions. His secret recipe: combining seemingly simple ingredients to something special – just “easy-peasy and yet special.” You will find anything here, from Zoodles to a tofu-pasta-bowl and buffalo-milk risotto to roasted Swiss pikeperch fillet. The ingredients are mostly local, and all animal products come from certified and animal-friendly companies in Switzerland. The meals are prepared as “feel-good dishes” with fresh and healthy ingredients. Your meal is served with best Arosa water, which is bottled in reusable glass bottles.
Ice storage, faucet aerators, and postcards with seeds
Not only Valsana’s cuisine and facilities are sustainable: the autonomous energy concept is extraordinary. The own storage tank drastically reduces CO2 emissions and supplies the entire building with heat that was previously produced by geothermic and heat recovery. The hotel also cooperates with the nearby supermarket using its waste heat. Electricity is solely sourced from hydropower, and faucet aerators installed in the taps reduce the water consumption. Moreover, both internal and guest communication is carried out electronically. The obligatory hotel postcards are made from compostable material with flower seeds worked in it – a sustainable (and renewable) regard from afar!
Apartment or hotel?
At Valsana, it’s up to you: Guests can stay in one of the lovingly equipped rooms, or rent a spacious apartment and book the hotel services if needed. This is specifically great for families: those who want to stay in bed longer instead of preparing breakfast can enjoy the tasty and balanced breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant “Twist,” and use the apartment’s kitchen in the evening.
Bears’ land in Arosa
It was planned and advised for seven years before it was actually implemented – thebears’ land is open since August 2018. Together with the animal protection organization “Vier Pfoten” (engl. four paws), a 2.8-hectare large compound was created underneath the cable car Arosa-Weisshorn. Up to five brown bears freed from captivity and animal cruelty can live here. On a visitor platform, you can observe the bears in a natural habitat or learn more about the animals on guided tours, in experience and study zones. This summer, bear Napa is the first to be moved to his new home. Napa was trained as a ‘dancing bear’ and kept chained in a tiny cage. Now he is getting used to running unchained in the large compound.
Discover the Swiss mountains
Besides the Valsana and the new bear, the impressive mountain scenery is a tempting highlight in Arosa: Here, you can bike various trails along rugged mountains, clear lakes and streams, hike on more than 300 km of marked out hiking trails including panoramic routes, climb up 2,900 meters high mountain peaks, or hike in hidden valleys. Every athlete and nature lover will find the right venture. In winter, the skiing area Arosa Lenzerheide awaits winter sports enthusiasts with many ski slopes, a snow park and the snow-covered landscape. And when you are snowshoeing, you can recover in 20 mountain cottages with local refreshments.
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