Hospitality is something I’ve always been familiar with. When you’re mom is from Brazil, I grew up having people over All. The. Time. It was very common for us to host friends/family (even acquaintances we barely knew), and invite them to spend their vacation staying in our home in Southern California. It’s actually a big part of Brazilian culture to be hospitable, have dinner parties, and celebrate any occasions regularly. Back as a young child I thought it was annoying, mostly because I didn’t want to give up my room to share with my sister (we all know how that goes right?) Now I’ve grown to love being hospitable with my own home and always want to host parties and get-togethers. So it should come as no surprise that I have a pretty high standard when it comes to hospitality and culture when I travel. It’s not that I expect to be treated like royalty, it’s more of the feeling I get when I’m there and how I remember my experience when I’m home.
Nick and I are big fans of traveling and exploring new places. We try to make it a point to travel a least 2-3 times a year. Normally two of those trips involve just the two of us and the 3rd one is as a family trip taken with our daughter. We love learning about new areas, trying new foods, having memorable experiences and using our scuba certification (hence the kid-free trips) as often as possible when we are vacationing.
With how busy we both have been lately, a vacation hadn’t happened yet… We were both feeling like we needed a quick change of scenery, but one close enough that we could bring miss Jade along too. I booked a room up at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah only knowing two things: 1. It was settled by the Swiss (hence Swiss Days) 2. I knew Midway had the crater, where I got certified to scuba dive.
The Resort
Upon arriving into the stunningly decorated lobby (seriously the swiss-inspired architecture both inside and outside will blow your mind) the staff was welcoming and friendly. Plus they have fresh banana bread, just sitting there in a basket big enough to feed a multitude. This is the kind of place where they look you in the eyes, smile, offer you fresh banana bread, have that “we’re here and happy to serve you” attitude. I LOVE that! It was inspiring and a good reminder that even a simple smile can give so much. Oh and just as a side note, I dropped my cell phone into some water and the concierge was so helpful in suggesting that I put the phone in rice. She called the restaurant, had dry rice brought over and literally saved my phone and all of my photos! She treated me like a real friend and I will ALWAYS remember that experience!
Kid Friendly
Yes, there are a lots of grown up things to do at the Zermatt Resort… If you are traveling with littles, don’t let that deter you. There were TONS of activities perfect for little ones. Between all of the walking paths, trails, goats, deer and little critters to the enormous chess game and carousel, there is plenty to do. Jade loved riding the carousel and the attendee was kind enough to let ride as much as she wanted. It never did get old for her, unlike Nick and I how had to coax her off of her “Woo-doff” (Rudolph), They had become quite attached.
We decided to settle in and grab dinner at the Smoke Haus, it was the best smoked chicken I’ve had in a long time. Even if you only take a day trip to Midway, do yourself a favor and grab lunch or dinner there. It’s the restaurant right off the main entrance, you’ll be singing their praises and dreaming of smoked cuts for days. After dinner and more exploring around the resort, we went back to our room for a pillow fight and bedtime, basically our normal bedtime routine.
Outdoor Recreation Heaven
Because we were just there for a quick overnight stay, we didn’t have time to do multiple activities that were available. We settled on swimming in the crater. But now that you and I both know how many options there are, we won’t make that mistake again! Whether you prefer wheeling, ATVs, boating, fishing, hiking, diving, swimming, golfing, skiing/snowboarding in the winter, snowshoeing, snowmobiles… They have everything you need for hours of fun in the great outdoors winter or summer. 
When we got to the crater, there were 8 people leaving with paddle boards who had just finished a yoga class. (again, something I’m adding to my list for next time!) Jade loved how warm the water was, (who wouldn’t?) it was like a bath tub in there.
We had such a great time seeing all of the little wonders Zermatt had to offer! Overall, we absolutely loved our experience and our stay at the Zermatt in Midway, Utah. We loved feeling so at home while away on our mini stay-cation and having so many amazing amenities at our fingertips.
Oh, and the next time you’re at Zermatt Resort, make sure you have one of the staff members give you a tour. This place is HUGE and there are so many hidden gems and activities that I wouldn’t have ever guessed were there. In addition to having a truly hospitable culture that made us feel like family, we were inspired to do more little trips like this more often and we plan to come back again and again.
Have you ever stayed at the Zermatt? What was your favorite thing to do there?
Disclosure: As typical with Travel Blogging, my family was hosted by Zermatt, all thoughts and opinions are my own.