The Begley’s Alpine Sun Experience
Last summer, the Begley family travelled to the beautiful Swiss resort of Lenzerheide to experience our Alpine Sun programme. They stayed in the Priva Alpine Lodge, a unique chalet and apartment-style accommodation concept, perfect for families and groups of all shapes and sizes. We asked them to review their Alpine adventure and their experience with Powder Byrne.
When I first spoke to our Powder Byrne travel consultant George, I mentioned that we were looking for something a bit more adventurous and interesting to rival our usual summer beach holiday. Much as I love relaxing on a beautiful beach, our children had been pestering us for an adventure holiday with lots of activities, so when George suggested an Alpine Sun adventure we decided to take the plunge and go for it.
Priva Alpine Lodge was the perfect accommodation and Powder Byrne made us feel relaxed and at ease in our unfamiliar summer surroundings from the word go. Beautifully located, spacious and comfortable, our apartment at Priva was exactly what we were looking for. We were spoilt for choice with family-friendly activities and places to dine and never found ourselves without something exciting or interesting to do.
One of our favourite activities and highly recommended by the Powder Byrne team was mountain biking. The perfect adrenaline-fuelled activity to get your heart pumping. The Lenzerheide valley was beautiful and mountain biking proved the perfect way to explore the mountains, with endless kilometres of trails and tracks, we weren’t surprised to hear it was used for Red Bull’s World Cup mountain biking. Our instructor Jenny really made our experience. As beginners, we were a little daunted, but through her attentive and patient manner she made us feel at ease, allowing us to enjoy an extreme activity we couldn’t have imagined doing without her help.
Our children had a fantastic time and enjoyed everything they tried their hands at. Their favourite activity was white water rafting, a truly unforgettable experience for all of us. They adored our guide Ed, his knowledge of the area and friendly attitude ensured they had the best time. Our children’s excitement grew as they noticed all the various watersports available on the Heidsee lake, from canoeing and paddle-boarding to wake-boarding and wind-surfing, it was ideal for our kids with boundless energy.
The two guided hikes we did as a family allowed us to soak up and enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of summer in the Alps and they were the perfect way to unwind and spend quality time together as a family. At the top of the mountain we ate at the Bergrestaurant Sharmoin which was beautiful spot and the perfect round off to our hike.
Another highlight of our holiday was the toboggan run at the Pradaschier adventure mountain, which is actually the longest toboggan in Switzerland and also home to a challenging and exciting high ropes park. The adventure mountain was incredibly fun for all of us, activities that we could do together, allowing us to see the mountains from a remarkable viewpoint in one of the most exciting ways.
We indulged each evening in stunning settings and fabulous food thanks to the local recommendations of our Resort Manager Chris. Heid Stübli was fantastic for traditional Swiss mountain cuisine. We dined at the Revier Mountain Lodge twice and our kids especially loved it here; friendly and relaxing, it was the perfect spot to eat after a busy day.
The Swiss Alps in summer were a real treat and beyond our expectations in terms of natural beauty, amazing activities and great food. Really helpful advice and support every step of the way from Powder Byrne and their team on the ground helped make everything a breeze. Without doubt a truly memorable family holiday.
Call 020 8246 5300 to speak to one of our Travel Consultants or click here to organise your Alpine Sun adventure.