We experienced agrotourism in Switzerland and we spent a fabulous night in the heart of nature. Discover our little holiday on the farm!
We were immediately excited when Switzerland Tourism asked us to assist them in their quest to help people to discover some of the best agri-tourism locations that Switzerland has to offer.
We set just after lunch last Monday and our destination was the Swin-Golf in Cremin. We had never tried this sort of accommodation before and weren’t really sure what to expect but what we discovered was beyond our wildest dreams.
The Swin-Golf is part of a working farm where owners Christophe and Michel also have two amazing cabins build of stilts in the walnut trees. When we arrived, we were greeted by Christophe and we spent a few minutes looking around before we checked into our cabin. The first thing the children saw was the mini horses, Zorro and Arielle. Zorro was free to walk around the grounds and soon came over to say hello where he was immediately set upon by a VERY excited Alba. She wanted to stroke him and cuddle him and fortunately he was good natured enough to let her. The area directly outside the cabins is where all the action is with mini golf course and the Swin-Golf immediately in front of you. We decided we would check in, drop our bags and come back outside to try the mini golf.
We had seen a few pictures of the cabins online but in real life, they are even more impressive with modern appliances (the huge shower, coffee machine, iPad in the room etc) , tasteful decoration and a huge terrace area. The overall effect is really luxurious with all the comfort of a high end hotel. The children had a huge triple bed where they could comfortably snuggle up at the end of the day. Jean and I had a nice double bed right by the window and the kitchen area had everything we needed.
We dropped our suitcases and went back outside to try the mini golf. This is included in the price if you are staying the night and Christophe gave us each freshly sanitised clubs, golf balls and tees plus the all important score card.
Jude and Alba were really excited and we all really enjoyed a bit of friendly banter as we went around the course. I think Alba managed a record of 25 hits to reach one hole :-).
We stopped a little before the end as we had an important appointment to keep and hurried to the front of the farm. Here we were meeting Michel who was taking us on a walk accompanied by Zorro and a wonderful elderly goat called Barbichette. Michel was great company and he explained a bit about the area and pointed out some edible foliage to the children as we passed on our way to the “dragons cave”.
The children were really excited to discover our destination which was a charming cave cut into the hillside with a fire blazing outside and beautiful table laid for us all. We tied up Zorro (Barbichette having wandered off somewhere along the way) and Michel gave the children each a stick to spear a sausage on to cook over the fire. Christophe joined us with a delicious bottle of C-Ampagne (Champagne Chasselas) and we enjoyed a glass each while the children concentrated in their sausages and we got to know our hosts a bit better
It was so lovely to chat, we could have spent hours talking but as the evening grew closer, the temperature dropped and we headed back to the cabin. We took the route back across a suspended bridge, through the fields and back through the village so that we could get a feel for our surroundings. The village is lovely and the scenery is beautiful with rolling hills as far as the eye can see.
The farm is situated right next to a wonderful restaurant called Restaurant à la Ferme which is certified bio and provides a delivery service to guests in the chalet. We had placed our order of pasta for the children and cordon bleu’s for us the day before and it arrived promptly as planned.
The children's pasta was delicious and Jude said it was the best dinner of his life (praise indeed!) and Jean and I really enjoyed our meal prepared with locally produced ingredients and full of flavour (Cordon bleu à l'ail des ours). As night fell we lit the log burner in the cabin as the temperature was due to drop and Jean and I tucked up the children before heading to the terrace to enjoy a glass of wine together. The children were all fast asleep and we woke up later that usual the following morning feeling refreshed and were surprised to see a lovely sprinkling of snow everywhere when we looked out the window.
The first thing on our agenda for the day was brunch. We had heard lots of great things about the brunch on the farm but the reality was really something else.
We were invited into Christophe and Michel’s home where we were joined by another family staying in the second cabin. Their kitchen/dining space is lovely with plenty of light, lots of space and beautiful spring decoration. We took our seats and Christoph explained what was on the table which included freshly made breads, home made jams, honey and juice, croissants, locally produced charcuteries, yoghurts and cheeses, delicious sweet and savoury tarts made in front of us and our choice of eggs. It was spectacular! I had a delicious cinnamon tea and we were soon sitting back with full tummies. At the end of the brunch we were given a doggy bag to take home. This is such a good idea as it means that nothing goes to waste and we could enjoy anything we hadn’t eaten at home later. Sustainability is really at the centre of the farm life and its really great to be able to show this to the children.
Following brunch we went back to the cabin to pack up and load the car before going back to the mini-golf to finish the game we started the day before. It was really close and Jean won with one point more than me! Alba was glued to Zorro in the last few moments before we left and we really dragged ourselves away with heavy hearts.
It was such a wonderful break from our daily lives and something about being so submerged in nature really forces you to disconnect a bit. The children absolutely loved it with so many different activities to try. As well as the Swin-Golf which we must go back and try, you can also plan horse riding and picnics in the summer. There really is everything you could wish for for a fun break in the countryside.
We will definitely check for another stay in the farm as it was an amazing experience for our family. If you want to book your stay, just click here :-)
Information
Discover more information on MySwitzerland ! They have listed many vacations on the farm, you can even sleep in the straw for some of them.
Michel Bessard
Christophe Moos
Ch. Des Ecoliers 5
1526 Cremin