Anakolodge - Swiss Farm Buildings Reimagined for Alpine Escapes

On a picturesque hillside in the Swiss Alps, Anakolodge stands out as something different. The seven traditional cabins scattered across two hectares of wilderness are the vision of architect and manager Olivier Cheseaux, who wanted to create a place where people could completely disconnect from the modern world.

The philosophy behind Olivier's anako architecture is the restoration of heritage architecture and giving a second life to buildings deemed ripe for demolition. Conserving original materials, like the wooden beams and boards, was a challenging endeavor to make builders and carpenters appreciate old architecture. Some of these structures are 300 years old!

Getting to Anakolodge involves a four-hour drive from Zürich through Evolène until the tiny village of La Forclaz.

Anakolodge uses traditional farm buildings as unique mountain accommodations.

Among them are former raccards (wooden grain stores built on stone pillars), barns (where hay and livestock were stored), and granaries (made of larch logs with granite stone tops). Saved from destruction, they are now part of a heritage showcase of Valais block construction.

These distinctive structures, originally designed to keep rodents away from stored crops, maintain their weathered larch exteriors and unique elevated profiles.

The converted farm houses are now called "mayens", and each has a unique layout and name: Olivier, Etienne, Jean, Madeleine, Pierre, Joseph, and Henri.

Inside, the spaces have been opened up with minimal modern touches, preserving the hand-crafted timber frameworks that used no nails.

What makes Anakolodge interesting is how it embraces limitations. The "mayen" cabins run entirely off-grid – solar panels for basic electricity, spring water for the bathrooms, and wood-burning stoves for heat.

There's no WiFi, no TV, and mobile signals don't reach this far into the mountains.

The interiors are simple – just beds, tables, some board games, and woolen blankets – but the floor-to-ceiling windows frame views that no design magazine could improve upon. Guests often report sleeping better than they have in years. No wonder!

Anakolodge employs locals and sources food from nearby farms. Seasonal vegetables, cheeses (fondue!), and freshly baked bread make up most meals, brought to your doorstep.

As travel trends come and go, Anakolodge has something increasingly valuable – simplicity, gorgeous natural surroundings, and a chance to remember what life feels like without constant digital intrusion. In a world of luxury defined by excess, this Alpine experiment suggests another path: less stuff, more mountains.