When you are a family of four (or more) and your children are quite young, you never know how to balance the choices in order to build the perfect family holidays. Where to go? Which hotel to book? What to do? It is complicated and sometimes you end up making choices by default rather than choosing something that you are truly happy with. If you are looking for the perfect family holidays, here is the perfect choice for you: Les Diablerets in Switzerland. Full travel guide and tips here.
The Perfect Summer Family Holidays: The Location Is Crucial
First things first: Location. If you have kids and that you work hard all year, you dream to find the perfect summer holidays that will allow you to chill-out, spend quality time with your children and even learn something you did not know. Everything wrapped up with a good amount of deserved rest. The starting point of your vacation organization is WHERE should you go? If you are looking for a great place, safe, easy to access in a fantastic area with many different activities to do, here is your dream destination: Les Diablerets.
es Diablerets is a village and ski resort located in the municipality of Ormont-Dessus in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It is surrounded by the Diablerets Massif, its peak (Sommet des Diablerets at 3,210 metres (10,530 ft)) is the highest point in western Switzerland. The village lies at an altitude of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) on the north side of the massif of the Diablerets in the Swiss Alps. It can be accessed by train (Chemin de fer Aigle-Sepey-Diablerets) or by road from Aigle. The Col du Pillon (1,546 m) on the east gives access to the Bernese Oberland region and is the Glacier 3000 cable car lowest station.
Les Diablerets is known for its traditional mountain architecture and the administration of the area has strongly developed all the activities in the region. The place is very well known as a ski resort, containing all the structure to the perfect winter vacation. But it is on Summer that you realize how rich the region is and what a great family holidays spot Les Diablerets is.
Fresh air, variety of activities, friendly people and nice food are some of the promises that Les Diablerets can offer. You might not do everything in one stay! Families will be delighted as you will easily be able to manage a good balance between children compatible activities and adults interests. Honestly, this is not something always easy to achieve. Les Diablerets will surprise you and will allow you to find the right balance between rest, action and great moments with your beloved ones. You can easily get to Les Diablerets by car, train or plane.
- Geneva: 1h15mn from the Airport and 2h05mn from the Train railway station
- Zürich Airport is at 250km
- Lyon Airport is at 240km
L’Eurotel Victoria Les Diablerets: The Perfect Hotel For Your Family Holidays
Once you know where you want to go, the immediate second question is where to stay? At Les Diablerets, we can only recommend one amazing location: L’Eurotel Victoria Les Diablerets. For more than 40 years, the Wartner family has the pleasure to welcome guests from all over the world in this 4-star-superior hotel with 101 rooms, junior suites and apartments as well as a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool and sauna. In the middle of the Vaud Alps, you still find a cosy ambience in and around the hotel in the charming mountain village Les Diablerets. No matter if you come skiing, hiking, alone, as a couple, as a family, as a group or a seminar – you have found the right place. You will be pleased by the caring welcome all the hotel personnel will dedicate to your arrival. Friendly smiles and a lot of professionalism characterizes the welcome. Your children will be offered a “Chocolate passport”, meaning that each time they will pass by the main reception desk, they will be able to get free Swiss chocolate!
The Family Rooms And Apartments
When you arrive with your family in a hotel, you want to make sure your children are comfortable, safe and that you also enjoy the quality of your stay. L’Eurotel Victoria Les Diablerets offers the perfect stay for your family. With different family rooms and apartments, you will be able to find the perfect room for your family, depending on how many people you are and how comfortable you wish to be. From 34m2 for a Classic Family double room up to a fantastic 52m2 family apartment, the reservation team will be happy to help you find the most adapted room for you. All rooms are decorated with good taste, natural materials are present that fit the outside environments and you will fill as comfortable as home.
Services
The hotel as an outstanding infrastructure and services. In winter they have a fantastic ski room where you can leave your skis and even your ski shoes on the auto-heating and drying furniture. In all seasons, you can enjoy the great indoor swimming pool and sauna as well as a small fitness with everything you need. I must confess it is by far one of the best indoor swimming pool I have seen for its size, design and cleanliness. After a good day “into the wild”, you will appreciate the relaxing moment by the pool before a good diner.
The hotel also has a garage for parking. There are limited places but with some booking preparations, they will for sure find a place for your car. Otherwise, there is no problem with parking your car in the hotel surroundings. The hotel also has a fantastic restaurant in which you can be served for all your meals. Families will be delighted by the welcome of their children at the restaurant. Everything is done to please the small ones. From the nice decoration to the colouring napkin and pencils, up to the children’s menu, everything is perfectly orchestrated to serve you the perfect diner.
The Restaurant, An Important Point For Families
One important point to highlight is the quality of the children’s menu. In many restaurants, it is always the same fish and chips, ham, sausages and other french fries. Here at L’Eurotel Victoria Les Diablerets you have the choice to great homemade dishes like lasagna, vegetables, etc. You can for sure ask french fries for your children but at least you have the choice.
reakfast will be a true treat. From local cheese and dry meat to international standards, you will be happy to wake up in the morning and get to breakfast. The whole team of the hotel will always make the maximum to answer your needs, specificities or requests.
The Diablerets Region Is A Perfect Destination For Families
The whole Diablerets region is a fantastic choice for families. There are hundreds of activities you can do, therefore you will always find something that will please everybody. If you like culture, sports, hiking or simply breathe fresh air, your heart will be conquered by what you can find there. The tourism office at Les Diablerets is open every day and your hotel main desk can also help you build the ideal journey. Something important to notice is the possibility to get a Free Access Card that offers several types of activities for free, including the cable cars or ski lifts. Enjoy free activities at Villars, Gryon and Les Diablerets! To discover everything the mountains have to offer during summer, the Free Access Card is your key to many activities and means of transports without limits from May, 30th to October, 25th 2020. Activities specially designed for children are a treat for the entire family, including mini-golf, bouncy castles and a miniature train ride!
If you are staying in a hotel in Les Diablerets, you can get the card for free (as you are paying the “taxe de séjour”) directly at the main reception desk. By staying at the Eurotel Victoria Les Diablerets, we got all the advice we wanted to build the perfect stay. In the programme:
- he Glacier at 3000m, the Alpine Coaster and the Peak Walk by Tissot
- Tree Climbing
- Swimming pool
- Tennis
- Mini-golf
- Hiking
Glacier 3000: A Unique Location With All The Swiss Alps Splendors
Glacier 3000 is by far one of the most popular activities you can do in the Diablerets region. It all started back in 1959 when the first idea of connecting the Col du Pillon with the Tsanfleuron Glacier emerged. Since then, things have evolved to welcome families with children, couple and friends to an amazing breath taking location.
- 1964: First cable car connection between the Vaud side and Diablerets Glacier
- 1977: The Scex Rouge chairlift is built.
- 1979: The new Dôme ski lift is built and is put into operation.
- 1983: The new Quille du Diable ski lift is put into operation.
- 1993: The Tsanfleuron ski lift is built.
- 1999: The new Glacier 3000 cable car becomes operational.
- 2001: Restaurant Botta is opened. It was designed by star architect Marion Botta.
- 2007: In May the Alpine Coaster is opened. It is the highest situated toboggan run in the world
- 2014: Opening of the Peak Walk by Tissot. It is the first suspension bridge worldwide that connects two peaks with one another.
I can only advice you to take the cable car from Col du Pillon and climb there. You need to check the weather conditions first in order to choose the best moment to go there in sunny weather. Once you are there you can have a beautiful walk on the glacier. It will take you one hour approximately to walk the glacier through and finish your track at the Refuge l’Espace. It is a nice mountain restaurant, inspired by the high-mountain refuge. No electricity no running water. But it is a very nice place managed with great care. The food is delicious and will surprise you. At the Glacier 3000, you can also experience the Alpine Coaster. It is considered as the highest located toboggan in the world. Your children will love it and so will you. 520° circles, 10 curves, 6 waves and 3 jumps promise action-packed speeds of up to 40 km/hour on a one-kilometre stretch: The Alpine Coaster will quickly raise your adrenaline level and get your heart beating hard! You will experience weightlessness up to 6 metres above the ground on this high-flying adventure in a mountain environment you will never forget. You determine the speed with the brake lever and how many times you want to go down the toboggan run.
Being up there at the glacier, you cannot avoid the famous Peak Walk by Tissot hanging bridge. There is only one suspension bridge in the world that connects two mountain peaks. It is called Peak Walk by Tissot. It can be found at Glacier 3000. And it invites you to an adventure that you will not easily forget. The Peak Walk by Tissot is the highlight of the glacier adventure: It connects the smaller peak (View Point) with the 5 meter higher main peak (Scex Rouge) and takes all guests to incredible heights. The 107 metre long and 80 centimetre wide bridge offers a stunning view onto the Alps: Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are visible from the bridge and offer grandiose views, far off into the distance. The suspension bridge is free of charge and open year-round subject to weather conditions.
Treetop circuits: At The Parc Des Diables You Will Get Great Fun !
At Les Diablerets in the Alpes Vaudoises, the Parc des Diables welcomes budding tightrope walkers from the age of 4 upwards for an afternoon of excitement and thrills! There are four circuits of different levels of difficulty, so they can climb, run and jump in complete safety:
- The Diablotins (from 4 years) circuit is great for the little ones who can be accompanied by their parents on their aerial adventures, with ten 3.5 metre high obstacles.
- The Dahu Course (from 8 years old) is an intermediate circuit offering ladders, walkways and a zip line.
- The Zip Line (from 10 years) circuit has a series of six zip wires where you can fly through the air suspended from a secured wire.
- The Vertical Circuit, (from 12 years), is the most spectacular of the four aerial circuits. It starts on a 13 m platform which can be accessed from four different lifts. The more daring then have the choice between three different jumps called Powerfan, Gravity or Free Fall, with a free fall of 7 m. Guaranteed thrills and fun for your holidays in Les Diablerets!
- The team working at the Parc des Diables is great. We got a fantastic welcome with a very reassuring speech about security and how to enjoy the parc at its best. On this situation with the tree climbing activity, we then realize how dynamic our children are more and more, and how dynamic we are less and less. Joke apart, it was great fun and a good balance between complexity and entertainment.
Swimming Pool: Get fresher In A Great ambiance
During hot summer days, sometimes you wish to dive into a fresh swimming pool. At Les Diablerets it is possible. The outdoor swimming pool is perfectly located in the centre of the village and offers fantastic scenery to the mountains. It is well adapted for children. You will spend hours there. We also had a great swimming pool at our hotel, therefore we had the choice. The outdoor swimming pool at the Sports Centre with its 3-metre diving board and the gradual slope is ideal for the whole family to cool off, swim and dive. There’s also a paddling pool guaranteeing safe fun in the water for little ones. To top it all off, there’s a slide offering endless thrills and laughter for all the children! There’s a large green space around the pool and paddling pool for lazing in the sun or family picnics!
The Tennis Club: Game, Set and Fun!
Les Diablerets has very good outdoor and indoor tennis court facilities. Outside the courts are made of clay, which provides a great experience. No matter if you are an amateur, semi-pro or pro, you will spend a great time playing tennis in the middle of the Swiss Alps. By the Grande Eau, at the foot of the Glacier 3000, the Diablerets sports centre has tennis courts for public use. Opening every day during the summer season, the Sports Center gives you the opportunities to play tennis on 5 outdoor courts and 1 indoor.
Mini-Golf: The Next Tiger Woods Needs To Start Somewhere!
One of the most popular activities with children in recent years is mini-golf. It is a great way to spend quality time with your children and as an adult to get some fun as well. In Les Diablerets, you can find a nice 18-hole at the Hôtel des Sources. You will get great fun with the children. Once the game is over, your children can enjoy a small playground while adults can have a drink and chat. It is a lovely place within a fantastic atmosphere and the mini-golf team is great. Depending on the time of the day, if you are looking for a meal, the Hôtel des Sources has a nice restaurant.
Hiking Is A Great Activity For Families, It Strengths the bonds
When you are in such a fantastic region, and if the weather conditions are great, hiking is a great option. If you do it with your family, you can teach something new to your children, take along grand-parents for a healthy walk and maybe be a bit more adventurous on mountaineering. Les Diablerets offers many opportunities for hiking. Depending on your level and on what you are looking for, you will always find the perfect trail. For experienced hikers or beginners, families, couples or friends, the Alpes Vaudoises is a walkers’ paradise, with mountain peaks, glaciers, mountain lakes and rivers, waterfalls, mountain chalets and more. So many treasures just waiting to be discovered in the calm and serenity of the mountain landscape and its stunning scenery. Exploring the Alpes Vaudoises on foot, escaping the stifling heat of the cities and gazing at a cloudless sky is a definite option in the summer!
In Conclusion,
everybody knows that organizing family holidays is not easy. When you find the perfect spot that gathers all the different elements to allow you to spend the perfect vacation with your family, you can only wish one thing: Go back there once more. Les Diablerets represents a fantastic location to go with your family, no matter if winter or summer. The summer season is still on and we can only wish you to discover the wonders that Les Diablerets can offer. The Eurotel Victoria Les Diablerets is by far the perfect hotel. Staying there once, it will turn you into a loyal customer. It is one hundred per cent fantastic.
José Amorim
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