Ski culture in Switzerland apparently owes a good deal of its popularity to the Brits who were the trailblazers of winter sports at the turn of last century. Adelboden, a charming mountain village in the Bernese Oberland region, two hours from Zurich, and home to The Cambrian, has been a hub for skiers, hikers and bikers and lovers of simple Alpine summers ever since. It sits pleasingly under the radar.
The village itself is cookie-cutter charming, mostly Alpine timber chalets with window boxes brimming with red geraniums in the summer. The surrounding landscape is glorious: mountainous, lush in the summer and with excellent and varied skiing possibilities in the winter months. The standout – and perfectly viewed from the hotel terrace and south-facing balconies - is the Engstlige waterfall.
The Cambrian itself, a member of Design Hotels, sits close to the top of the village; a great white Belle Epoque structure built originally at the turn of last century. The hotel has 72 rooms of which 24 are suites, each one configured slightly differently as with so many old hotels.
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Independently owned by a pair of Welsh brothers, Grant and Craig Maunder, who, having skied locally as kids and looked longingly at the hotel they couldn’t afford to stay in, bought it decades later in 2008. Taking over the operation of the place in 2011 they set about transforming it into The Cambrian with a full-scale design and branding transformation. What has evolved (as they’re constantly evolving the space) feels modern, elegantly designed, and full of warm Welsh and Swiss hospitality. The classic Swiss chalet this is not.
While the exterior of the building has remained as it was, what the Maunder brothers have done inside makes this place what it is. They immediately built a spa to make this a year-round destination. There are four treatment rooms, a gym kitted out in Technogym equipment, a yoga studio with panoramic views of the mountains, an indoor pool, and their jewel in the crown – an outdoor infinity pool, heated to 32 degrees all year that offers breathtaking views of the landscape. The proximity of a mobile cocktail cart certainly helps too.
Grant Maunder, with a helping hand from Dutch interior designer and hotelier Johan Bouman, has evolved the interior of the hotel over the years, which is designed with a gently modern, light touch and is pleasingly at odds with the building’s exterior.
The material palette is full of soft textile and warm timbers – lots of oak veneer pieces designed by fellow Dutchman Studio Jeroen Wand, seen in freestanding shelving in the communal areas of the hotel along with wardrobes and headboards in the bedrooms. Walls are a perfectly muted Farrow & Ball ‘Card Room Green’ and, as one might expect, there are reminders of the Welsh connection in the custom-designed Cambrian Cross woolen blankets by Melin Tregwynt. There’s even a restaurant by Welsh chef Bryn Williams serving modern cuisine from locally sourced produce rather than the obvious Swiss chalet classics.
Elsewhere, furniture is kept perfectly simple, with DCW Editions desk lamps and Punt Mobles chairs and desks in each room. In the communal areas there’s lots of comfy seating by De Padova and B&B Italia, rugs by Nanimarquina – all of it perfectly placed to enjoy the expansive views or the cosiness of open fireplaces in the winter.
Outside, there’s a newly designed decked terrace featuring a lot of ‘Palissade’ tables and chairs by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Hay – it’s a perfect spot for breakfast. Time spent at The Cambrian is peaceful and easy in a space that works harmoniously with the landscape. Rooms start from £320 per night, thecambrianadelboden.com
