Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen, Andermatt – A Casual Hotel in The Heart of the Swiss Alps
by Pepe Strub, August 28, 2024
We just returned from a short visit of Andermatt – a Swiss Resort Town which has seen quite a bit of change over the past 10 years. It turned out to be a perfect getaway for a hot weekend in August. And staying at the Scandinavian Radisson Blu hotel which is located in the new part of town was the perfect choice.
Andermatt is located at the crossroads of historic importance to Switzerland. It sits between 4 valleys in the center of the St-Gotthard Massif, at an altitude of 1,437 meters which can easily be reached from Zurich by car or by train. In 2007 Egyptian entrepreneur Samih Sawiris started to transform this once laid back Swiss military village into a sustainable world-class destination. In 2010 The Chedy, his Luxury 5-star resort opened and a new era began in Andermatt. The 3 ski areas of Andermatt, Sedrun and Disentis were recently combined and today represent the largest ski area in Central Switzerland.
The Radisson Blu Reussen offers 244 elegant and spacious rooms and suites with modern amenities. It is conveniently located in the new part of town, just 300 meters away from the train station and the cable car up to Gemsstock. It was designed as a modern interpretation of a Swiss Chalet, with a warm and inviting atmosphere which combines local fabrics, natural wooden floors and soft furnishings.
Along with excellent skiing opportunities, Andermatt offers a lot of other activities and sports including cycling, golfing, tennis, hiking and climbing, fishing and Glacier trekking, among many others. The indoor offerings include squash, boldering and table-tennis. For families there are many activities including a Culinary Trek, Alpine Playground, Climbing Paradise, Smugglers Trail and many hike and mountain biking trails.
Andermatt is surrouned by eight Alpine Passes: the Furka, Gotthard, Oberalp, Susten, Klausen, Lukmanier, Nufenen and Grimsel Passes. You can traverse these Passes by Postal Bus, car, motorcycle, racing and mountain bike, Glacier Express or with historic Steam Train. The Glacier Express stops in Andermatt too. It is about in the middle between Zermatt and St. Moritz.
As first time visitors to Andermatt we loved our stay at the Radisson BLU Hotel Reussen and the new village just behind it. The new village includes modern buildings representing different architectural styles of Switzerland and restaurants, shops and a pharmacy. And if you look for a more traditional setting, the old village is just 5 minutes away on foot.
We continued our journey via Susten Pass to Meiringen. After reaching the top of the Susten Pass and starting to descend, we were stunned by the mighty Stein Glacier towering over the valley. A truly impressing sight! We stopped at the Berghotel Steingletscher – make sure you also visit the Alpine Cheese Dairy just behind it. The remainder of the way and down the Susten Valley was very scenic too, including a stop in Gadmen, home of the famous Swiss Gold Vreneli.