We are Mathijs and Femke. We were born in the Netherlands and we love nature.
We are active nature lovers and seek peace and quiet
Mathijs first visited the Binntal (Valais) in Switzerland as a child during a holiday in 1993. He stayed at a campsite there with his family and went on walking and cycling trips in the countryside. Mathijs and his family enjoyed it so much that they returned almost every year. They regularly found minerals during their trips.
Mathijs and Femke met in 2012. Femke had never been to Switzerland before then. It was through Mathijs that Femke discovered Switzerland.
Discovering a little slice of paradise on earth
In 2015, we went on holiday to Switzerland together for the first time. There, we rented a holiday studio in Ernen at Feriensiedlung Aragon. It was just perfect. We enjoyed walking and cycling in the area. Mathijs loves birdwatching here. At one point, Mathijs took Femke on a walk to a spot that the locals said was a place of power. To her, this place felt like paradise on earth :). Femke fell in love with the area. We regularly returned during our holidays to enjoy the beautiful nature and mountain air.
Recharging in the fairytale-like mountains
Gradually, the dream emerged of one day owning our own holiday home in the Binntal Nature Park, so that we could recharge even more amidst all this beauty. It took years of searching to find something that suited us. On our wish list was the ability to cycle and walk straight from the holiday home to the supermarket and Femke’s favourite spot, and to easily reach the cross-country ski trails by public transport. We looked at all sorts of options, but each time what we saw just wasn’t quite right.
Centrally located in an authentic, small Swiss Alpine village
In 2025, we came across this studio in Switzerland. We immediately felt that this studio was just right for us. Our dream became a reality. We are very grateful for this. Everything we had hoped for came together. It felt like everything had come full circle. For us, this studio is the perfect base from which to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings and set off straight away on walks and bike rides. Ernen’s central location is ideal for us, as public transport links to other places we like to visit (such as for cross-country skiing) are easily accessible.
We find Ernen to be a special, authentic little Swiss village with lovely cultural activities. When we first saw the local folk dancers performing together, we were both moved, independently of one another. For us, it feels just right to spend our holidays here. Ernen is known as a music village. Mathijs loves classical music and plays the piano. We have heard various musicians playing in Ernen. If you also love this kind of music, you’ll be right at home here!
We’d love to share our studio with you. We hope you’ll enjoy this area just as much as we do.
About the name of Ferienstudio Heidi
Ferien is German for holiday. The previous Swiss owners had hung a sign saying ‘Heidi’ on the balcony. We thought it would be nice to keep this name. In the Ferienstudio, we’ll share various Heidi books by Johanna Spyri (the original Swiss author) with you.
Renovation of Ferienstudio Heidi
The studio was built in 1980. We are currently carrying out a renovation. We expect this to be completed sometime in 2026.
We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to our holiday studio in the future! We’d be happy to share hidden gems and our favourite spots with you if you ask.
Warm regards,
Mathijs and Femke