BIRTHDAYS IN BELALP!

Olivia and I were born 29 years and 2 days apart! Every year in March, we have lots of back-to-back celebrations with family and friends. Since we are far away from family, we decided to enjoy a weekend away to celebrate our birthdays! So, where did we go? We decided to spend our birthdays in Belalp!

Belalp is a ski resort area in Valais. It is 2,100m above sea level, which allows for amazing views of the surrounding Swiss Alps. Belalp is also part of the Unesco World Heritage Jungfrau-Aletsch region. And, Belalp is a car-free area so you need to access it by cable car from Blatten. There are two options: the gondelbahn or luftseilbahn. The gondelbahn runs constantly from 8:45 AM until 5:00 PM. It is small, but there was enough room, just barely, for all four of us, the dog, Gregg’s skis, and our luggage. It costs $7 per adult with the half-fare card or $14 for a regular ticket to use the gondelbahn. Children are free with the junior card.

Once we hopped off the gondola, we made the trek to our hotel. Just kidding, it was a two-minute walk! We had the best location! So, where did we stay?? We visited the Hamilton Lodge, and we honestly fell in love with everything about this rustic, charming, and friendly lodge. The Hamilton Lodge & Spa is a ski in/out hotel with an incredible view, and we felt that it was one of those places that feels like home. It has 19 rooms, and they are all different. We booked a family room, and it was very comfortable for us all. We had a separate room for the kids with bunk beds, a small bathroom, and a comfy bed for the adults!

The food at Hamilton Lodge was delicious! Breakfast was included, and we opted for the half-board option, which includes a three-course dinner. Everything that we ate for the three nights was delicious, and we would definitely choose this option again.

Other than eating lots of delicious food, we spent our days enjoying the snow! Both the girls and I had a ski lesson with Schneesportschule Belalp for our first day. We had separate ski lessons, and we both had incredible teachers. We learned a lot while having a blast. This was the girls and my second time skiing! After such a great experience with Schneesportschule Belalp, we signed the girls up for a second day of lessons, and they were even able to go down their first real ski slope multiple times!

Between our second night and last morning, it snowed over 1.5 feet (0.5 meters), and it was such a winter wonderland! We sure had an interesting time driving back down the mountain in the crazy snow (props to Gregg for driving like a champ!). Where is your favorite place to visit in the winter? Thank you so much for wandering along with us!