About us

The Maya Guesthouse is the first hotel built with straw bales.  Situated on 1300 meters
in the Swiss Alps it exceeds passive house standards and needs no
heating. The Maya Guesthouse opened its doors in October 2012.

54 Responses to About us

  1. Ria says:
    March 12, 2011 at 10:45 am

    About 40 years ago I had a holiday with my parents in Nax. Now I would like to go back there since it is a great place to be : fresh air, immense beautiful views … and with this project it becomes inevitable. Can we bring our (small) dog with us ? Please reserve a room for us beginning of June 2012 !

    Reply
    • Maya Guesthouse says:
      March 12, 2011 at 8:30 pm

      Hey,

      great to hear that!

      Of course we keep a room reserved for you June 2012. Your little dog is welcome as well.
      As soon as we have a definitive opening date we will send you a reservation form.
      Is this your email address at pandora.be?
      Where are you from in Belgium?

      Here things are getting on now. As soon as the snow will melt, works will start.

      Greetings from Valais

      4L

      Reply
  2. seekraz says:
    January 10, 2012 at 4:15 am

    Hello there – I saw that you stopped-by my blog today…thank you for visiting and letting me know you were there.

    I don’t know when I might get back to Switzerland, but your site makes it look all the more inviting!

    Reply
  3. Anna says:
    January 11, 2012 at 12:25 am

    Hi. This project sounds really exciting and I will keep you in mind if I ever go to Switzerland.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

    Reply
  4. applecrosslifeattheedge says:
    January 12, 2012 at 1:01 am

    Great project. Like the thought put into the sustainable side of it. Bit harder work being green in a convenience society but it’s worth it. Do not travel much but promise if ever in your area will stop off. Thanks for the blog visit, its new and well we will see…..
    Ali

    Reply
  5. John Faber @ Tri-f fotografie says:
    January 25, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    Thanks for liking my blog today (John Faber). I’m very interested in the final result. As of July 1st I will be moving to Switzerland and be living in Meggen on the other side of the Bernese Oberland.
    As I will not be so far away, we might come over and stay with you a coulpe of nights.

    Succes

    John

    Reply
    • Maya Guesthouse Project says:
      January 25, 2012 at 7:41 pm

      Hi John,

      good choice to come and stay in Switzerland. Standard of living is pretty high over here.

      We are looking forward to welcoming you at the Maya Guesthouse. We think to be ready by October this year.

      Greetings

      Louis

      Reply
  6. Bouesso says:
    January 31, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Thank you for visit my blog frieds readers Switzerland…I am glad for your congratulations for my novel titled: L’autre moment du bonheur…
    Sincerly yours !
    Bernard NKOUNKOU

    Reply
  7. Indhu says:
    February 5, 2012 at 11:09 am

    hello….its real pleasure seeing u at my blog.
    have been to switzerland 5 months back ; The Alps are real beauty; your blog just refreshed my memories ;-) .

    Reply
  8. kraftoosia says:
    February 5, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    Hi, thanks for visiting my blog! Your hotel sounds fantastic. I wish you a lot of satisfaction with your project in the year 2012!

    Reply
  9. lidipiri says:
    February 9, 2012 at 12:05 am

    Couldn’t find a way to “like” but what a commendable project this is!
    Hmmm, may be my next destination. :)

    Reply
  10. elsgoos says:
    February 9, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    Hi, thanks for liking my blog :-) I don’t know if you understand flemisch but the pictures also will give you a taste of Brazil. I wanted to know if there are places nearby for practicing parapente, if so who knows we pass by one day :-)
    good luck with the project!!

    Reply
  11. hobosinfrance says:
    February 12, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    Hi, what a fascinating project. I watched a television programme, set in Britain, where a couple built a house using the same materials. But, their environment couldn’t touch yours for beauty!

    I’m now going to read the rest of your blog, and am looking forward to that.

    Kindest regards,
    Chrissie

    Reply
  12. Gernot S says:
    February 17, 2012 at 9:02 am

    very interesting project … I guess I have to visit Wallis this sommer.

    Reply
  13. thalia3 says:
    February 18, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Amazing! And what a fantastic location! I’m glad you found my blog this morning so I could find out about your project. Best of luck!

    Reply
  14. gigoid says:
    February 18, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    Folks….I saw you stopped by and “Liked” my post, so I came by to check out your site,and to say thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it; I post every day, so feel free to come back by….

    Your hotel sounds very interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing more about it; I’ve clicked to follow your blog, so I’ll be notified when you post. I recently retired, and starting later this year, I plan to travel as much as I can, and France is near the top of the list (I’m a chef, and gourmand, and want to see Provence, the Cote du Rhone, and the Loire Valley to check out the wineries) Having a place to stay there in France would be good to have, so I’m glad I came across your site.

    Y’all take care out there…..

    Reply
    • Maya Guesthouse Project says:
      February 18, 2012 at 7:33 pm

      Hello Ned,

      is it your dog on the surfboard?

      Now you’re retired, time is yours.

      Nax is just one hour from the French border in Switzerland. This province, the Valais, is both German speaking and French speaking. We are just at the linguistic border on the French speaking side.

      You will like all those places in France. I spent there four years.
      I hope our cuisine will be good enough for a chef like you. We will serve lots of local specialities.

      Hope to see you soon.

      Louis

      Reply
      • gigoid says:
        February 18, 2012 at 8:23 pm

        Very cool part of France; I look forward to my visit…I studied some German in college, and speak kitchen French, having trained as a chef by a Cordon Bleu school franchise here in California, so with those 3 languages, I shouldn’t have much trouble finding my way around….

        No, it’s not my dog, though I wish it were. His name is Dozer, and he has a couple of YouTube videos of him riding waves, and his other hobby, riding a skateboard….He just looks like me, and has that nonchalant, hipster look to him…take care out there….

      • Maya Guesthouse Project says:
        February 19, 2012 at 8:01 am

        I did not see the resemblance right away, but now that you mention it… I’ll have a close look.
        Take care

        Louis

  15. A Rambling Poet says:
    February 18, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    Thank you so very much for visiting 20 Lines a Day blog and for your “like” of my photos.

    I will definitely take time to browse your blog and get familiar with your project.
    All the best
    Lori

    Reply
  16. Francesca - MammeSbt says:
    February 21, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    Hello! Congratulations for the project, it’s great! I had never seen the building with straw bales … I do lots of good wishes! And thanks for visiting my blog ;-) ! I will recommend your blog to a friend fond of this type of construction… Bye!

    Reply
  17. Michelle Gillies says:
    February 21, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    I wanted you to know that I nominated you for a Kreativ Blogger Award. To find out more about this please check out the post I nominated you in http://silkpurseproductions.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/its-an-honour-just-to-be-nominated/
    Talk soon,
    M

    Reply
  18. Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    February 24, 2012 at 4:26 am

    I’ve read about houses made of straw. Saw one in rural China once. I’ve also read of houses made of worn out tires where the tires are stacked on top of each other in an interlocking pattern and the empty space is filled with dirt and then the inside has something like chicken wire fastened to the tires and then that is plastered. It’s amazing what we can do if we set our mind to it.

    Reply
  19. carmenhavensdesigns says:
    February 26, 2012 at 11:20 pm

    Now I know where I am going next visit to Switzerland!!!! This is so cool!

    Reply
  20. bouzou says:
    February 28, 2012 at 11:37 am

    Merci de votre intérêt pour mon Blog !
    http://bouzou.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  21. Harvey . Bejarano says:
    March 12, 2012 at 9:49 pm

    I wish you the best in this project and I’m sure it will turn out amazing.

    Reply
  22. babso2you says:
    March 17, 2012 at 4:56 pm

    Good luck with the project! Intriguing! I just wanted to thank you for the like on my blog! Come back and visit again!

    Reply
  23. designchickee says:
    March 22, 2012 at 2:56 pm

    I’m excited to see how your hotel turns out! Love the idea!
    Olga

    Reply
  24. myportugalapfg says:
    March 26, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    Hi,
    thanks for stopping by my blog “Memories of Portugal”. I was reading about your project and would like to say that is quite an interesting project. I will recommend your guesthouse to friends traveling to that area. I would just like to ask you why is the project called “Mayan Project”? I do know that in the Yucatan and other areas of Mexico and also Central America they use roofs made of straw (Palapas), but I do not remember seeing homes completely built with bales of straw.

    Good luck with the completion of this guesthouse and all the success in the future.

    Ana

    Reply
  25. diaryofahousehusband says:
    March 29, 2012 at 8:30 pm

    Thank you ever so much for your ‘like’ on my Port Sunlight post!
    Yours looks like an interesting blog, and I love that you have French and German versions :-)

    Reply
  26. The Wanderlust Gene says:
    March 30, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    Bravo and congratulations – and best wishes for successful completion. Will be following your blog with great interest.

    Reply
  27. sustainabilitea says:
    March 31, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    What a great idea! I worked in Switzerland many years ago at the jungendherberge in Grindelwald, http://www.booking.com/hotel/ch/youthostel-grindelwald.html?aid=311092;label=youthostel-grindelwald-IwHNrCL4WXES*LnPqJFOigS8238251964;sid=914206501c6b196cadbb099fdbc04a6f;dcid=1&lang=en-us&ppcref=1, where I viewed the Eiger out my window every morning! Beautiful! If I get back to Switzerland one of these days, I would love to stop by and see you. Best of luck.

    Reply
  28. polyval says:
    April 1, 2012 at 1:23 am

    Good luck for the challenge…!
    That’s a great idea for the continuous development!

    Reply
  29. CJ says:
    April 5, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    This is a really cool concept … and BEAUTIFUL views! If I ever make it back to Switzerland I will have to make this a stop!

    Reply
  30. godshealingplants says:
    April 6, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    Fantastic project, beautiful location! Thanks for visiting my blog (God’s Healing Plants) and for your support. Blessings.

    Reply
  31. Josh says:
    April 10, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    This looks awesome! Would love to come visit and stay here when we finally travel to this part of the world. Please keep us all updated when it will be opening. Best.

    Reply
  32. Barb Drummond says:
    April 12, 2012 at 8:06 pm

    Hi, Am very impressed by your project. Apparently its virtually impossible to get planning for haybale houses in the UK. Too dangerous. Pathetic. cheers.

    Reply
  33. leblogdemarie says:
    April 15, 2012 at 1:10 am

    Your project is quite amazing!

    Reply
  34. Bloem says:
    April 15, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    What an interesting project. Good luck.

    Reply
  35. sjbkk says:
    April 16, 2012 at 7:16 am

    You have a really interesting project, all the best! Thank you, too for dropping by my blog :) Cheers!

    Reply
  36. Brenda says:
    April 19, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Thanks for reading my article on Akron Bicycle Club’ blog. I have heard of straw bale houses but not anything on this scale. Looking forward to following your project and your success! All the best:)

    Reply

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