The mARTigny Boutique hotel is a modern, accessible hotel for bike and art travelers in Martigny in the Valais region of Switzerland. It’s walkable to downtown for thermal spas and regional restaurants, and near wineries and the Barryland canine amusement park. It’s within an hour’s drive of ski areas. For drivers, the spacious parking lot is a helpful feature, although it’s also close to the train station if traveling by train. The closest airport is in Geneva, Switzerland.
Specifications
- Room types: Standard room, Junior Suite, Suite.
- Parking: Free parking or paid covered parking.
- Pets: Pets allowed for a fee.
- Accessibility: 2 fully accessible rooms, large elevator.
- Certified Bike Hotel: Bike storage, area guidance, and connections for tours and bike sales and rentals.
- Restaurants: One restaurant and bar.
What was my experience like at the mARTigny Boutique Hotel?
The hotel staff was super friendly and had the power adaptor converter I needed to borrow for U.S. to European travel conversion at the front desk. This was really important because the converter I had bought earlier in my trip failed me, this was the last hotel I stayed in before my flight, and I needed to download boarding passes.
Adaptor tip: You can’t just use an adaptor for Europe in Switzerland because it uses a different type plug. Either get swiss adaptors or universal ones. Sometimes, you can plug straight into outlets with a USB cord, but it’s not something you can count on in every hotel room.
My room, like all of the others in the hotel, was dedicated to an artist. My room was the Signac room. It wasn’t relevant to the minimalist design, but there was a print on the wall.
The mARTigny reminds visitors they are in an art city from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to bed. It’s in the name! The city is known for exhibits from Europe’s most famous historical artists, Roman ruins and Swiss sculptures scattered throughout the town.
We went to thermal spas and a local winery and restaurant at plan-cerisier. Sitting on the terrace at the restaurant in the hill, we had a beautiful view of the valley at night while dining on french cuisine. The vegetables came from the onsite garden. We also visited Barryland, the St. Bernard Museum and experience, while there.
At the free breakfast buffet, I didn’t understand the egg boiling machine, so I accidentally cracked raw eggs onto my plate. Some days, pastries were prepackaged. (This isn’t the place to go for an extravagant breakfast.)
However, I would recommend ordering cooked items that are made just for you. If ordering breakfast to go when you leave pick up at least 15 minutes before you plan on leaving, just incase timing gets mixed up. Leaving by train was super easy, as trains in Switzerland are always on time.
Pros
- The location is less than a 10 minute walk to the train station, where you can catch trains around Switzerland and to Zurich and Geneva Airports.
- As opposed to many downtown hotels, there is a parking lot in front of the hotel.
- European power converters are available at the front desk.
- Flexible meal times. While the breakfast buffet didn’t feel gourmet, meals are super convenient and can be available nearly anytime. This is a helpful feature in a bike hotel where travelers may be outdoors most of the day and want to eat on trails.
Cons
- You will have to walk over 10 minutes to downtown hotels, restaurants, and thermal spas.
- It’s not the place for a fancy breakfast, and you will have to cook your own hard / soft boiled eggs.
- A mixed con is that your order may not be ready for breakfast at the exact moment if you preorder. Remind the front desk in the morning an give yourself an extra 15 minutes just incase.
Restaurant Hours
La Cordillère, a restaurant combining Peruvian and French Valais regional cuisine, open for lunch during midday and for dinner Monday through Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays. Breakfast is served complimentary everyday. There’s a bar in the hotel for drinks.
Certified Bike Hotel
The hotel prides itself on being a good base for road and mountain bike cyclists. They offer repair kits, know routes and transportation, and have secure bike storage on ground level. They also work with two companies for bike tours, sales, rentals, and repairs.
Inclusion
The MARTigny Boutique Hotel makes a point to include people with developmental disabilities among its employees. In a city known for art, a hotel that is welcoming to everyone is very special. It’s also inclusive of hotel guests with disabilities because of the larger elevators and specific rooms for individuals with mobility disabilities.
In My Expert Opinion
I stayed at the Martigny Boutique Hotel during an 11-night trip with other journalists in Switzerland. My stay was hosted. I’ve been writing about travel since 2005.
mARTigny Boutique Hôtel
The bed was comfy and the front desk staff was attentive. The breakfast wasn’t my favorite, but the overall service was fantastic. There’s plenty to do and fantastic art exhibits. I like to be near transportation and support inclusion, so I would definitely stay there again for a future trip. Plus, it’s dog friendly.
