Family ski holidays in Toggenburg: ski-in/out from the front door

Family ski holidays rarely fall apart because of the snow. They fall apart on the way there: the car park that sits far from the lift, the ski school at the other end of the village, the walk back to the flat when someone suddenly needs the toilet or a glove has gone missing. We are Isa and Sandro, and we rent out two apartments in the historic SutterSport house at Hauptstrasse 36 in Alt St. Johann. Every winter we see the same thing: families visibly settle on day two, because everything sits close together. That is what this post is about. Not a list of outings, but what a place to stay must do so that skiing with small children stays easy.

The walk to the slope is half the ski day

In winter you have ski-in/out from the front door here. In daily life that mostly means one thing: you are not carrying. No skis across a car park, no children in ski boots clumping over tarmac, no repacking the boot in freezing cold. Anyone who has hauled two pairs of children’s skis, poles and helmets through a village knows how much that costs before anyone has skied a metre.

Everything else is within walking distance too. The ski school is 200 metres away, close enough for short legs in a snowsuit. The cross-country track starts 10 metres from the house, in case one of you would rather ski the flat. The village shop and the bus stop are a two minute walk, which matters when the milk runs out and nobody wants to get back in the car. How the ski area itself works is covered in our post about skiing at the Chäserrugg.

Lunch at home instead of a mountain restaurant

With small children this is the part that changes the most. Instead of hunting for a table in a busy mountain restaurant, you simply come home for lunch. Pasta from your own kitchen, dry socks, half an hour of sleep for the youngest, and in the afternoon the older ones head back out. Both apartments have a fully equipped kitchen, plus a travel cot and a high chair, so you do not have to pack half the nursery.

And if the afternoon does not happen, that is fine too. Inside there is a children’s play corner, table football and a smart TV with Netflix, Disney+ and replay. Half a ski day is not a lost day when the rest of the day is good anyway.

Wet gear has a place to go

Ski clothing produces a surprising amount of water. Without a ski room it ends up over chair backs and radiators, still damp the next morning. Here there is space for skis, poles and boots inside the house, so the kit stays where it belongs and the living room stays dry.

On top of that, each apartment has a washing machine and a tumble dryer. It sounds unremarkable, but it changes a whole week: you pack less, you wash as you go, and Tuesday’s tumble in the snow does not decide what is still wearable on Wednesday.

Warm water at the end of the day

Once the skis are standing in the corner, the quiet part begins. Each apartment has its own outdoor whirlpool, and warm water after a cold day works on adults and children alike: legs go soft, voices go quieter, and bedtime arrives without a debate. Louisa’s Gallery also has a bathtub in the bathroom, which is useful with very young children.

For dinner you do not need to call anyone. A fondue and raclette set are there, and the rest comes from the village shop two minutes away. An evening where everyone sits at the table in wool socks is worth more, with children, than any reservation.

Which apartment suits which family

Louisa’s Loft is on the ground floor, around 85 square metres, and sleeps up to 6 guests: two bedrooms, a sofa bed, one bathroom, plus the extra Schafberg-Chalet room upstairs, which gives children a retreat of their own. Ground floor also means no stairs with ski boots and a toddler. From CHF 110 per night, plus final cleaning and visitor’s tax.

Louisa’s Gallery is the apartment with a gallery level, around 106 square metres for up to 6 guests, with two bedrooms, a sofa bed, one bathroom with a tub, and a gallery floor with table tennis and a work space. The outdoor whirlpool here is the larger one and takes up to 5 people. From CHF 130 per night, plus final cleaning and visitor’s tax.

When grandparents, siblings and cousins all come along, you can take the whole house: up to 12 guests, two whirlpools, two kitchens, two terraces. From CHF 280 per night, plus final cleaning and visitor’s tax. Everyone is under one roof, and still each family has its own door, its own rhythm and its own bathroom.

Arriving without a handover or a hunt for keys

From Zurich you are here in about an hour. Check-in is self service with a number code, so you do not have to wait for us if you arrive later than planned. Each apartment comes with a parking space, and the high speed WiFi carries video calls if someone has to work a day.

Your dog is welcome: CHF 40 in Louisa’s Loft, CHF 50 in Louisa’s Gallery. More on that in our post about holidays with a dog in Toggenburg. Our own mini Australian shepherd is called Lou, and the house is named after her.

On Airbnb we sit at 5.0 out of 5 from 16 reviews and hold Guest Favourite status. The nicest part is what families write most often: that they organised less and had more of a holiday. That is exactly what this house was built for.