Your base for this holiday is Kandersteg, one of the last surviving picture-postcard Swiss villages in the heart of the Bernese Oberland. It's incredibly pretty (with streets full of cuckoo-clock style houses) and very much unspoiled. The combination of high trails and wonderful open plateaux make it a superb cross-country ski choice for all ages and abilities.

The Hotel Alfa Soleil is a traditional, cosy and family-run hotel on the edge of the village (only 5 minutes' walk from the centre) with a wonderful view over fields to the mountains behind. The restaurant is managed by owner/chef Nico Seiler, has an excellent reputation, and is rated highly by our customers so you will enjoy fine dining whilst staying here. There are 35 rooms on three floors; all rooms are en-suite and have a television, telephone and hairdryer. For the evenings, the hotel has a cosy lounge bar with a pool table and music desk which is open to both hotel guests and the general public. There is also a large lounge area for residents with an open fire where you can relax for a quiet chat or with a book, or to play one of the hotel's board games.