The assignment that I’m on, just outside of Geneva has me spending more and more time in this gorgeous country. Currently, I’m enjoying/working on a two week stint in Switzerland which meant…a weekend! Since I am physically unable to stay put, I just had to leave the sleepy lakeside town of Nyon and head to the mountains. The journey to this place alone was the stuff dreams are made of – shockingly scenic train ride where each town is more dramatic than the next followed by a cable car ride 5,000ft straight up the mountain. I was literally giddy and giggling to myself the whole time.

As I had been reading about the Experimental Chalet in various travel magazines, I just had to head to Verbier. The Experimental Chalet is a small boutique hotel brought to you by the fun folks behind The Experimental Cocktail Club in London. I was looking forward to trying this quirky, new place and promised myself no work over the weekend as I had no put down my laptop for quite literally every waking moment of the weekend prior.

The outside of the chalet is quite festive with it’s newly updated red shudders, jacuzzi tubs (tops of their solariums shown below), and slightly scary bear statue. Welcome. To bear country.

The chalet also houses the supposed cult classic Farm Club which is a disco. I’ll admit, I stayed up until just after 11PM to see if I could check it out. When the handle didn’t open the first time, I retreated to the comfort of my king sized bed. I know how to have a good time.

The lobby was something out of a Wes Anderson dream state.

My room was one of the nicest, on the fourth floor and featured a large space and balcony. The furnishings were new but looked very dated… because they were supposed to…still, a little odd.

The bed was defo the oddest part. The bed itself was fine, but the headboard looked a bit like astro turf. The painting above was something that some hotelier clearly found in their grandma’s basement and blew the dust off of before hanging. The piece de la resistance was a small statue on top of the headboard, which is nicely set in the foreground of the very ugly artwork behind it. At first, I thought it was two humping rabbits…because…bed…

Upon closer inspection, I am pleased to inform you it was a small Greek mythology creature/mountain goat statue. If I turned over often in my sleep – as I do – would it move and come to cuddle with me? Nope, it was superglued to the headboard. Quelle strange!

Other old-timey details like this rotary phone that I couldn’t figure out how to dial the front desk with abounded. Thank goodness for mobiles.

A small table in the corner featured an ashtray for 20.

The closet featured a tiny coffee maker and quite nice espresso, I might add.

However, the snacks were priced for a much fancier room than this. A tiny bag of popcorn was 18 CHF. The cheeseboard that I nibbled on could have served four people was 17 CHF. Very strange pricing.

The bathroom was immaculately clean and offered fun robes and slippers in an Alpine theme. The tub was large and clean and had I not just enjoyed three hours at the spa, I would have enjoyed a long bath. That’s right, the spa was fantastic. Be sure to check for specials before you book or you may be surprised to find they are available later, just not to you, which was most frustrating. The spa manager, Morgane, was very thorough in treatement and explanation. The natural Biologique Research products I am anxious to try at home and made a very pleasant afternoon.

I did manage one quick Aperol Spritz before dinner at The Experimental Cocktail Club. It was nice as they always are, but the place was dead. During my stay, the bar was only open from 6-9PM, so I am glad to have made it. When asked for something small to nibble on, this was what was presented to me. I should have just called it dinner and stopped myself before I was sick on meats and cheese. Delightful.

The only thing lacking at the Experimental Chalet is probably the view. Slightly removed from the main drag, in a good way, it also loses a bit of the breathtaking view to the valley below. My balcony was directly across from a tennis court and children’s trampoline camp (!). It was not quiet, shall we say. I also do not understand how a large room with a king bed, had just one lousy chair on the balcony. No table even. They should work on this part because a glass of wine with a partner after the kids had stopped jumping would be pleasurable in this space.

That’s all she wrote. For less than half the price of the W Hotel on the opposite end of the main street, I would definitely choose the Experimental Chalet again. If you like boutique hotels, a wee bit of quirk, and a value, this is a great find in Verbier.