As anyone who follows our blog and Instagram knows, we are DEFINITELY beach bums. 
Most of our trips revolve around some type of beach, however, there is just SOMETHING about the mountains that just draws you in! We have both always grown up around mountains, so maybe we just got used to them, but there really is something so profound yet powerful and magical about them, and the Alps are no exception! This was my first trip to the land-locked country of Switzerland and the first time I’d seen any of the Alps and there really is just nothing to compare them to, the country is just absolutely breathtaking! If you have not ever been, I HIGHLY recommend that you make this a top bucket list item. We spent 3 days and 2 nights in the adorable little car-free town of Murren, which is in the Burnese Highlands in the Jungfrau region (to read more about what we did in Switzerland check out my post here). Murren is nestled up under the mountains of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau, which provide a gorgeous view no matter where you are in the town. The best view, however, comes from Hotel Eiger, which gives you a perfect view of the tallest and most famous mountain, Mount Eiger, hence the hotel’s name. We were hosted by Hotel Eiger in the fall of 2017 and had an absolutely fabulous experience!
This incredibly charming family hotel has been in Adrian and Susanna’s family for 4 generations, which is part of what makes this hotel so endearing and also so well-run…they have been perfecting the hospitality business since 1892! This means that every detail of 
your stay has been thought out ahead of time so that all you have to do is relax. They even allowed us to store our luggage at the front desk after we checked out at 11 since we were still planning on doing some hiking. They also are able to offer a room to shower and change in after you check out in case you need to clean up after exploring…see, I told you they thought of everything 🙂 We were welcomed by owner Susanna, who gave us a super helpful rundown of the town of Murren and of the 
hotel. Susanna (like most Swiss natives that we met) was extremely hospitable and helpful and is willing to answer any and all questions. She showed us the best places to go in town, the best hiking trails to take, suggested other towns and attractions to explore, and explained how to get there…she is a great resource that is always willing to help! That same hospitality is also true of the rest of the staff at Hotel Eiger…everyone is extremely friendly and hospitable and eager to help make your stay the best! Honestly, the customer service that we experienced at this hotel was probably some of the best we’ve had in all our travels. On top of that, we probably have had the best sleep here that we’ve ever had in a hotel, no joke. The combination of a quiet car-free town, fresh mountain air, and the glorious alpine water makes for a perfect night’s sleep, and some pretty perfect days too 🙂
The room itself was great…very spacious with a large bed, desk, lounge chair, wardrobe, 
mini fridge, flat screen tv, and a very clean bathroom (which comes complete with robes and hairdryer!). Everything you could need is provided and the room is very clean. The decor in the room is also very pleasing and makes you feel right at home. We especially loved the fresh air and natural light coming from the windows and balcony door. The best part of the room is the balcony (obviously), which faces the mountains and gives you a SPECTACULAR view, quite honestly, probably the best view in the town. Hotel Eiger was one of the only hotels with a clear view of the Eiger, which is what makes the hotel so spectacular. Free wifi is also available and you also get a guest card which will get you discounts in town at nearby shops!
As far as extra features and amenities go, Hotel Eiger offers just about anything you 
could want! They have an indoor swimming pool and lounge area, an outdoor rooftop lounge area, gym, ski room, sauna, indoor lounge area with leather couches, a bar, a child’s play room and library, souvenir shop, and 3 restaurants…THREE! (Check out the souvenir shop for super cute local handmade gifts and Swiss treasures; we loved the shop!). The free breakfast buffet is located in one of the indoor dining rooms with big windows that offer a perfect view of the Eiger. The buffet itself is fantastic with all types of bread, cheese, and meat options, cereal, yogurt, eggs, and pastries. They even offer a variety of juices and champagne!
As far as the restaurants go, the three restaurants offer the same menu, but all 3 have different, but spectacular views. One is located outside on the deck, which we visited
daily for after-hiking drinks, coffee, and ice cream. The other 2 restaurants are located inside and are a little more formal. Be sure to book your dinner reservation during sunlight hours so you can still see the view, and request a window seat if there are any available! We spent about $100 the night that we did dinner at the hotel restaurant and had some amazing local Pinot Noir, pesto-crusted lamb with spinach and ricotta ravioli, which we finished off with a crème brulee that was to die for! Everything was absolutely fantastic and definitely worth the money, I would highly recommend planning to do at least one dinner at the hotel restaurant, even if you don’t end up staying at the hotel.
We even got to meet the owner Adrian during dinner as he made his rounds and greeted every dinner guest in the room. It was really awesome talking to him and Susanna about the history of the town and the hotel and seeing where it came from and how it’s grown. We love supporting “mom-and-pop” establishments, and this one was top notch! Adrian and Susanna and their staff treat everyone like family and make you never want to leave!
Prices seem to run within the range of $200-$1,000+ per night, depending on the room and season, and so worth it for the value that you receive here! There are several options to fit a variety of needs and budgets, including standard rooms, superior rooms, junior suites, superior suites, and family suites. The price, value, hospitality and views are all part of what makes Hotel Eiger the #1 TripAdvisor ranked hotel in Murren, and for good reason (check it out here)! We were not disappointed (clearly). If you’re planning a trip to Murren you should DEFINITELY look into staying at Hotel Eiger….and if you aren’t currently planning a trip to Murren you should definitely start 😉
To get there:
Being that it is the highest town in the area, and Murren is a car-free town, it can be a bit 
tricky to get to. But again, the views make it completely worth it! We had a rental car that we left in the covered parking garage located at the train station in Lauterbrunnen, which is the town below Murren which IS accessible by car. We ended up paying about 25 CHF (Swiss Francs) for the 2 nights and 3 days that our car was in the garage, so it evens out to about 8 CHF per day. From there we got tickets to Murren, which cost about 11 CHF per person for a one-way trip. The fare includes a gondola from Lauterbrunnen to 
Grutschalp, and the train ride that takes you from Grutschalp to Murren. The entire trip from Lauterbrunnen to Murren takes about 30 minutes total. You can buy the tickets at the train station or the 
at the gondola station, and the gondola leaves Lauterbrunnen every 30 minutes. The train station at Murren is located right in front of Hotel Eiger, and while there is a porter available for the hotel, you really don’t need it since its right across the street. From what I’m told, you can also get to Murren via gondola instead of the gondola/train combination. We didn’t take that route, but the gondola station is on the other side of town, so if you go that route with your bags you may want to utilize the porter option.
*This post was a collaboration with Hotel Eiger, but all opinions and photos are my own
planning. The was one of our “wing it” trips where none of our hotels were planned until the night or two before, and we bounced around the island in two different rental cars and stayed in 3 different towns over the course of 5 days (read more about our itinerary 
has it’s own restaurant, bar, shop (selling beach accessories, jewelry, a few clothing items, hats, blankets, etc.), library, sauna, and 2 pools, TWO! They also offer spa services, massages, and yoga and pilates classes if you’re wanting to purchase any of those services…they pretty much have anything you could want! We really wanted to get dinner at the hotel’s restaurant since it looked so amazing, but unfortunately we ran out of time and didn’t get a chance to. However, the hotel 
breakfast is AMAZING! Quite possibly the best hotel breakfast that we’ve had – and free too! They had an amazing do-it-yourself yogurt bar, with all types of fresh fruits, nuts, granola, jams, and honey. They had an assortment of freshly baked bread and all kinds of cheeses and meats that were absolutely fabulous. Not to mention all of the juice options, coffee, pastries, and hot breakfast items that you could order too! Absolutely fabulous breakfast, in all honesty, it was the meal we looked forward to the most during our entire stay in Soller.
decorated, and had a mini fridge, radio, flatscreen TV, safe, hairdryer, and nespresso maker in it. The tub was AMAZING
and made me seriously reconsider my stance on baths (I’m not normally a fan) 😉 However, the best part of the room was again, hands down, the balcony. The balcony was a great size and boasted lots of room, along with a set of balcony chairs and ottomans to relax on. The hotel is situated smack dab in the middle of the port, so your view is a straight shot of the harbor clear through to the ocean, and is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I honestly don’t think any other hotel in town could beat this view, which is probably a big factor in the hotel being one of the top ranked Soller hotels on TripAdvisor (see it 
and absolutely BREATHTAKING! This 1,405 square-mile island is situated in the western Mediterranean Sea and is a popular tourist destination for Europeans, especially Germans in particular. We visited in September 2017 and the good news for us is that since tourism is the island’s greatest source of revenue, almost everyone on the island speaks multiple languages, with a universal language being English! While not many Americans visit Mallorca, many Europeans speak English as a second language, so it is a pretty universal language with which to communicate with….lucky us! Mallorca is a beautiful island that can provide just about any type of 
terrain that can thrive in a Mediterranean climate that you can think of…it has gorgeous sand beaches, pebble beaches, coves, caves, limestone cliffs, and rugged mountains. The island is a well-known travel destination for rock climbers due to its mountain peaks, limestone cliffs, and coves. Many famous climbers venture to Mallorca for its deep-water soloing locations, and the famous Es Pontas. Mallorca offers lots to do for adventurers and relaxers alike, and is one of the most beautiful islands we’ve ever visited! Keep reading to find out more about this amazing island, our favorite spots, and our best advice!
we were able to see so many different parts of this amazing island, and all on our own time and schedule! Pro Tip: if you’re planning on renting a car, DON’T rent from Gold Car. They are the cheapest option online, but have a bunch of hidden fees that you don’t know about until after it’s too late. The $15 insurance is not optional, and even if you purchased it online like we did they still make you purchase it in person from them. They also require a surprise $100 gas deposit, that, even if you return the car with a full tank of gas you only get $75 of that deposit back. Everyone in front of us in line was having the same issue with these surprise fees, which made the process long and tedious…it took forever to get our car, and they did not negotiate or compromise with us or anyone else in line at all. In the end, we ended up only renting this car for 2 days, and then we returned it and rented a car from Avis for the rest of our trip. We paid about $140 for 2 days at Gold Car, and $160 for 3 days with Avis and a lot less fuss. HIGHLY recommend getting a rental car for the freedom it offers, but don’t bother wasting your time with Gold Car 🙂
days. While they were traditionally appetizers or snacks, every restaurant does them differently, so it is a little tricky to figure out. Sometimes they really are appetizers and snacks, other times they are sides that are ordered alongside an entree, and other times you order several tapas to share and create a customized 
full meal on your own. The only thing that really seems consistent from restaurant to restaurant is the fact that they are small(ish), shareable portions. Our favorite tapas came from the restaurants that did them as mini entrees, so we created a full meal by ordering 5-6 tapas plates and sharing them all. This way allowed us to really try a lot of different Spanish specialties at one sitting without a.) getting too full, and b.) spending a ton of money! We didn’t have to make decisions about what to try or not try, we could try it all!
to try it! Its half espresso and half condensed milk that you mix together and drink, but I’ve only ever seen it on the menu in Cala d’Or, so definitely give it a try if you can find it! I know it sounds gross, but don’t knock it ‘till you try it 🙂 We also did dinner in that main hub every night too, it’s a super fun little area where you just walk around and read menus that are displayed until you see something you like, or hop around and get drinks and tapas. Definitely don’t forget to stop for gelato….that became a nightly tradition for us 🙂 (Pro Tip: tipping isn’t a thing in Mallorca, in fact, when you pay by credit card there isn’t even a tipping option available, however, it does mean that concierge services like bellhops and valets aren’t a thing either).
majority of the coastline is made up of limestone cliffs, so sand beaches are a hot commodity and fill up pretty quickly. The good news is that if you aren’t a fan of crowded beaches, you can almost always adventure along the limestone rock coves until you find a more secluded 
area. A lot of the coves have ladders that go right into the water so you don’t even have to jump if you don’t want to! Just make sure you have shoes with you, as the limestone can be pretty sharp. I was mostly fine in flip flops, it just requires some concentration. We checked out the coves at Cala d’Or Beach, and Cala Gran and were not disappointed! Absolutely STUNNING!
other beaches and coves that we had visited where the beach is small and crowded, but if you do a little hiking you can find your own spot free of other beachgoers! This one in particular had a super small parking area, so most people (including us) parked on the road and walked the 1 mile down the gravel road until we got to a large chained gate at the end of the road with an opening just big enough to squeeze through. From there you have to walk another 1/3 of a mile down a rock path through the woods to get to the beach. Once there, we did an additional ¼ mile walk around the beach up to the rocks that led to a secret cove on the other side of the beach that was basically empty. 
I think this ended up being our favorite cove that we visited due to it’s exclusivity and it’s cliff jumping! Andrew used to be a rock climber, so he loved trying the climbing spots and jumping off the cliffs. There were a few other climbers there who were deep water soloing around the caves and such. Word of caution though, there are jellyfish in the water that we were unaware of until it was too late…we realized they were there the hard way when I got surprised by one that left a 3-inch long rash for several weeks. As long as you’re looking for them though you should be fine! Other than the jellyfish, this was probably our favorite cove that we visited on this trip, so we highly recommend it!
happens to be the hardest deep water solo climb in the world, first ascended by Chris Sharma. The structure is absolutely breathtaking and pictures really don’t do it justice. It is pretty difficult to find if you don’t do your research ahead of time. We didn’t, and used a combination of road signs, a sometimes-working GPS, prayer, and lucky guesses until we miraculously found it. It 
probably isn’t that difficult to find if you know ahead of time to research it, and should only take about 30 minutes driving from Cala d’Or if you don’t get lost. Even getting lost thought it was still worth the trip; we stopped at a few other coves to explore along the way… sometimes getting lost isn’t a bad thing 🙂 (For those wondering, Es Pontas is located between Cala Santanyi and Cala Llombards. You’ll park outside what looks like a national park with a dirt path that you will walk along until you see the arch. You should see a sign or two along the way – it’s only a few minutes’ walk, not a hike). We ended up climbing straight down the cliff so that we could get in the water and swim to the arch, which was UNREAL! We didn’t fare too well on the climb, but there is a pretty sweet rope swing tied to the arch that is available to anyone who can get out there!
the hard way, is a military base that is blocked off and closed to visitors (we didn’t find that out until we had walked over there to get in). The other one has a paved road that you can drive up or walk up to get to the top. The lighthouse itself is not accessible to the public, but there is a great view from the top and a restaurant up there if you’re interested. On the way down, I’d recommend stopping at the little café at the bottom of the path…the owner always has a great stash of Spanish wine 🙂 Soller’s main pedestrian road is car-free and runs right along the harbor with houses, shops, and restaurants, and is a great place to stroll and get drinks, tapas, and gelato. There is also a small rocky beach for the beach bums as well, although, to be honest, it was our least favorite beach and we didn’t spend any time on it. We DID spend a lot of time on our hotel balcony which had an absolutely MAGNIFICENT view…I mean, can you GET much better?! To see where we stayed in Soller with this view stay tuned for a post coming soon!
mountains. You can take a tunnel that goes through the mountains, but obviously, you miss out on the best part – the view! Winding through the mountain is absolutely incredible, and allows you to get the full Mallorcan experience…beach, coves, and cliffs!
runs through the incredible little Spanish town of Deia. The town looks like a picture from a magazine of a traditional Spanish town with its stone walls, shingled roofs, overflowing flowers, and Spanish homes. 
Even better is the cove with its small pebble beach and rock cliffs. I would suggest going early as the parking lot supposedly fills up and it gets trickier to drive down there once it gets crowded. The road down to the cove is a long narrow road with lots of switchbacks and tight turns that make it a little difficult if there’s a car coming the other way. Parking is only 2 euros for the day, which isn’t bad at all! We chose to forgo the small pebble beach and opted to follow a path through the woods that led to a rock cliff that we were able to climb all over and explore. It was only a 5 minute hike through the cliffs and woods to get to our secluded spot on the rocks…totally worth it!
airport. The city is thriving with culture and life and you definitely need to check it out! We aren’t big on cities, but this was a fun one….especially since there happens to be gelato on every street corner 😉 There are tons of shops and restaurants and cafes all over the main plaza, where you can find anything you want, it’s kind of like a mini NYC, but older and prettier. Plus, there are tons of little bonus alleys that you can explore and adventure all through the city, and really cool doors around every corner!
It was only a 15-20 minute walk from our hostel (again, post on where we stayed coming soon
) and is totally worth it for the view of this magnificent building. You can tour the inside of the cathedral for about 7 euros per person, but we didn’t end up opting into the tour based on our limited amount of time. If you have time to I’d recommend trying it, but even without the inside tour the outside view is outstanding and definitely worth a trip!
we had on our trip. Paella is a traditional dish made up of rice, spices, veggies, and meat. Most restaurants will have several different versions to choose from, usually they offer a traditional paella with chicken or beef, seafood, or a vegetarian option. Even if you try nothing else authentic, DEFINITELY try this one!
originated from Italy I can’t classify it as an authentic Spanish specialty, but I definitely think it should be on your list to try! What’s not to love?!
Pilot Life for Me 