Chesa Pool Autumn
Engadin became one of my favourite spots (I dare to say) in the world - especially during autumn time. As the director of Chesa Pool commented, living in this location makes taking vacations a tricky thing. Everywhere you go, it‘s „ok“ since your residence is already a paradise hard to top.
I was lucky enough to return to this gem - Chesa Pool - for ten days during this time of the year (I’ve been here in Summer and will be coming in winter to cover the three most essential seasons and moods). They were ten days where the sun was shining almost every day (except for two half cloudy days - which gave the landscape a mystic twist - and one half rainy day). The trees were green and yellow, turning slowly into orange tones, contrasting with the blue sky - the typical scenario of Ravensburg 2’000 pieces puzzle.
Every day was a new spectacle. The opportunity of simply walking out of the Hotel as the starting point of various hiking possibilities is indescribable. At the end of this post, you will find an overview of the hikes I’ve done during my stay for some inspiration (one could spend an entire month here and still not see all the gorgeous spots that exist).
There have been a few changes in the Hotel since I’ve last visited. One worth commenting herewith is that a new Chef, Matija (from Slovenia, who originally studied marine, but through practice and trial in & error became a Chef), has newly started in the Kitchen, bringing a delicious taste to customer’s plates. His vision is to make delicious veggie and vegan dishes for meat-eaters (a place where everyone will feel fulfilled even without meat). He wants to use mainly local and seasonal products, including native, wild herbs that he picks up in nature when the outside hours are still dark. The idea is to eventually also make a vegetable garden at the back of the Hotel and grow their own ingredients.
I already look forward to seeing his visions come to fruition.
Chesa Pool is part of a group of Hotels (5 in total) pertaining to the Buff family. The bread-making for all the establishments is centralised in one little Bakery located at the Hotel Nolda, where Toni, the baker, is the sole responsible for all. He wakes up every morning between 1 and 2 am to make sure all guests can enjoy the freshest bread as of 7 am at the breakfast buffet.
Gipfelis (the Swiss Croissant - a bit crispier and prepared with less butter than the “normal” Croissant), Zopf (a white bread typical in the weekend’s breakfast), the famous local Nusstorte (a delicious nut pie) following the family’s recipe, and various kinds of bread are handmade by him. I was lucky to follow him through his early morning process and experience it first-hand. In the Bakery, it’s all about perfect timing. A clock is an essential tool. Of course, I also had the chance to try some of the Multigrain Gipfeli and the Zopf, warm, directly retrieved from the oven (nothing better than starting the day like that)🙆♀️
I had already enjoyed my stay in Summer, but now I liked it even further. It felt like going back home. The time flew by, and the weather was divine. I already look forward to seeing the landscape during wintertime, when I shall return in January.
I am enormously thankful to the entire team for the experience and look forward to seeing them all again soon. This house is a special place, which I can highly recommend to anyone searching to connect with nature and disconnect from the business of daily lives.
HIKES:
(check the map of the Region to see the routes and get inspired for other paths in the area)
Val Fex - Val Fedoz
a breathtaking panoramic view of the Silsersee all along and meeting goats who run freely in the valley, where you walk along the glacier river.
Sils Maria - Isola - Maloja - Lägh da Cavloc and all the way back to Sils Maria -
a 24km distance path that is worth every step. The route between Sils Maria along the lake to Maloja, walking through Isola (a tiny little village with stone homes), is breathtaking. The lake gets like a mirror when it is wind still, reflecting the surrounding mountains and the forested islands on its surface.
From the Val Fex to Sils Maria and continuing to the Nietzsche Memorial Stone
an easy and relaxing walk in a peninsula at the Silsersse, where you experience the beauty of the lake. Once reaching the peninsula's tip, it is possible to view how transparent the water is, inviting you to get some refreshment. I can imagine it being packed in summer, but there was a serene atmosphere at this time of year, with only a few visitors enjoying the sun rays by the shore).
Val Fex - Marmorè
and back to the Hotel, since my time was limited. A gorgeous view from the entire Val Fex and the Silsersee. A spot to sit, enjoy the view and just be. Soak in the beauty, slow down the breathing and get some inspiration. You can, of course, also choose to extend the hike and add other routes to it before returning to the Hotel.
Val Fex - direction Muott’Ota
but then, once achieving the point beyond the trees, I decided not to go all the Muott'Ota, since it was already starting to get somewhat late and the wind was blowing harshly (I preferred to respect the strength of nature). Instead, I went back down to the Val Fex through Güye. A spectacular view. Probably due to the uncertain weather and the time of the day (later in the afternoon), I was alone in the peak, enjoying the quick-moving clouds brushing the valleys and mountains around—a 360° panoramic view, changing every second. Sometimes the blue sky would peak in, and something only white clouds were to be seen. I had done this hiking route already in summer, but the magical colours of the fall and the rapidly moving clouds gave it all a new twist.
Plaun da Lej - Grevasalvas - Maloja - Isola - Val Fex
Plaun da Lej is reachable with the bus from Sils Maria - a 30min ride (which reminds me - Did you know that if you book a minimum of 2 nights at Chesa Pool, you receive a pass of the region where you can use all buses and mountain lifts?). From there, one walks up to Grevasalvas with a panoramic view of the Silsersee, all the surrounding peaks (all the way to Italy) and bits of the Silvaplana See.
