All tagged Switzerland

Review - Gstaad Palace

Review - Gstaad Palace

Traveller
Hotels

The Gstaad Palace has that rare quality you can’t “design” into a hotel: legend. It’s the kind of place that feels right in every season—summer garden glamour, winter fireside theatre—and it carries itself with total ease. The mood is classic Swiss palace hotel, but never stiff. Warm, lived-in, confident.

Last summer I stayed for two nights to give you a full review of this Alpine gem.

One line that kept looping in my head: be it winter or summer, rain or snow - Paris - I mean: the Gstaad Palace - is always a good idea.

Grindelwald: Hotel Glacier vs Bergwelt — Which One Should You Book?

Grindelwald: Hotel Glacier vs Bergwelt — Which One Should You Book?

Traveller
Hotels

Grindelwald is all about contrast: crisp mountain air and cosy interiors, big scenery and small-village rhythm. It’s a also a perfect base for a few of Switzerlands most stunning natural wonders: Lauterbrunnental, Eiger and Jungfrau including some man-made wonders like the highest train station in Europe.

I stayed at Hotel Glacier in summer and Bergwelt in winter. Here’s the clean decision guide—plus the two Michelin-starred dinner addresses in Grindelwald that are worth planning around.

Gstaad - Top 1% Hotels

Gstaad - Top 1% Hotels

Traveller
Top 1% Hotels

Starting this year’s winter season in Gstaad with a hotel tour of the top 1% hotels in this pretty and quaint Swiss mountain village. It’s a wonderful time here right before Christmas with all the decorations, snow and cozy fire places in these amazing hotels. Even after the Festive Season you can expect the charm of Gstaad to take you over.

Geneva - Top 1% Hotels

Geneva - Top 1% Hotels

Traveller
Top 1% Hotels

Geneva, where the Rhône gracefully meets Lake Geneva, is a city synonymous with luxury and elegance. Recently, I embarked on a site inspection tour of four of its most prestigious hotels. Each offers a unique blend of style, service, and ambiance that caters to the most discerning travellers. Here’s my insider’s take on the Four Seasons Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Geneva, Ritz-Carlton Geneva, and The Woodward by Oetker Collection.

First Look: Mandarin Oriental Zurich

First Look: Mandarin Oriental Zurich

Traveller
Hotels

After undergoing a comprehensive makeover, the Mandarin Oriental Savoy in Zurich has reopened its doors this winter. Established in 1838, this historic gem, recognized as the city's earliest grand hotel, has newly joined the lineup of Mandarin Oriental's high-end luxury hotels.

Review - Grand Resort Bad Ragaz - Switzerland

Review - Grand Resort Bad Ragaz - Switzerland

Traveller
Hotels

Swiss author Johanna Spyri was inspired to write her world-famous children’s book in 1879 after going on spa visits in Bad Ragaz. Just like you and me, her famous heroine Heidi was enchanted by the mountains and didn't want to go back to the dirty city she came from.

Well, to me this town in the Swiss canton St. Gallen at the gate to the Alps was put on the map by the Leading Hotels of the World group. The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is one of the oldest hotels of its kind and wants to adhere to the highest standards of the business to this day. Let’s see if we want to stay with Heidi or rather go back to the big city...

Review - Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski - Festive Season in St. Moritz

Review - Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski - Festive Season in St. Moritz

Traveller
Hotels

If you want to have a White Christmas™ in continental Europe, you either need to go up north to the country of reindeers or climb the snowy mountains of the Swiss alps. Especially in the first ski resort ever, St. Moritz, you are quite sure to have snow over the holidays with its 1800 m altitude. For this occasion I tested the Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski. It’s located near the mineral springs in the lower part of St. Moritz where the alpine spa history of the town originated in 1831.

Review - Crystal (SLH) - St. Moritz

Review - Crystal (SLH) - St. Moritz

Traveller
Hotels

St. Moritz - a name of glamour and prestige regarding winter holidays since 1864, where Shahs, playboys and all the other jet set of the 60s and 70s reigned supreme and today mingle with the newly rich and wannabe riches. Located in the always sunny, but high-altitudinal, Engadin county of Switzerland it really delivered on the clearest air I have experienced at -4° F (-20° C) in mid-December. Similar to the heat of Dubai, it was a dry cold that felt slightly more bearable than elsewhere.

The Crystal hotel is part of the SLH network, and, uncommon for them, only has 4 stars. This doesn’t have to be bad - I stayed at wonderful 4 or 3 star hotels - but does the Crystal surprise with unsuspected wonder?

Review - Waldhaus Flims - Forever Young in Switzerland

Review - Waldhaus Flims - Forever Young in Switzerland

Traveller
Hotels

Founded in 1877 the Waldhaus Flims since had a long and moving history. Today it’s a modern 5 star luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps and member of the Leading Hotels of the World. I visited this winter hotel on a summer weekend this year.

Parts of the 2010 movie Youth with Michael Caine were filmed at the Waldhaus while the whole cast was living there. Let’s see whether I came back younger after a night in the Waldhaus…

Silver 7132 - Fine Dining in the Swiss Alps

Silver 7132 - Fine Dining in the Swiss Alps

Traveller
Food

People travel to the little mountain village of Vals deep in the Alps of Switzerland for the thermal baths: 7132 Therme & Spa designed by famed Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. But to that you should add another reason to visit: Sven Wassmer and his two Michelin stars and 18 Gault&Millau points that he and his team are showing off in the Silver, the restaurant of the thermal baths hotel 7132.

Olympic Jazz in Switzerland

Olympic Jazz in Switzerland

Traveller
Hotels, Events

What does Olympia have to do with Jazz?

I made that connection when I stayed in Lausanne next to the Olympic Museum at the IOC headquarters and visited the famous Montreux Jazz Festival not far from there.

The pristine location directly at Lake Geneva, the world's best names in Jazz and some Pop, Rock and R&B stars in the middle make up for a fun and diverse event.