In the Swiss ski resort of Saas-Fee, the video for the song "Last Christmas" was filmed in 1984. Following in the footsteps of Wham in a luxurious youth hostel.
At what point does one become too old to stay in a youth hostel? Chantal Anthamatten dispels all doubts, saying, "Our oldest regular guest was 94 – he traveled from Japan every year and slept in a shared room." The hotel manager oversees one of the most luxurious youth hostels in Switzerland. The location alone is a hit: The Wellness Hostel 4000 is situated on a high plateau at 1,800 meters in Saas-Fee, offering views of the majestic mountain panorama with 18 peaks above four thousand meters and 150 kilometers of ski slopes, reaching up to 3,600 meters.
The facilities also contradict the common perception of a youth hostel: The wellness area impresses with huge glass fronts and modern design. In the sauna, we are amazed as we spot chamois in the snow on the mountainside opposite, foraging for food. An indoor pool with a 25-meter pool is also part of the integrated wellness complex Aqua Allalin.
The clientele is diverse as well: a school group from England, couples with children, older travelers who have booked a single or double room. Prices range, depending on whether one wants to use the wellness area, from 66 euros for a 6-bed room to a single room with wellness starting at 150 euros (with a membership card, there's about a seven-euro discount). For Swiss standards, this is affordable, especially in the winter and hiking paradise of Saas-Fee, which may not be as glamorous as Zermatt but is unbeatable in terms of location. Many houses are still in the traditional chalet style. The old sheds made of larch wood stand on complex stone structures to prevent mice from climbing in.
Saas-Fee is also famous for a coincidence: When the British band Wham wanted to shoot their video for "Last Christmas" in 1984, there was no snow anywhere. Only in Saas-Fee was the weather stable, and there was a special permit for filming in the already car-free village, allowing them to drive a Jeep to the lift. Today, a small Last Christmas monument stands in the center, and the locals are a bit tired of telling the same stories about how George Michael arrived in unsuitable shoes, the wild parties in the Walliserhof pool with drugs, and the meager tips.
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