We left the big city recently to visit The Grand Hotel Park in Gstaad, a stunningly beautiful oasis in the Swiss Alps. A short, pain-free flight of just over an hour to Geneva, followed by a train ride on the purpose built panoramic Golden Pass allows travellers to see the dramatic scenery in all its spectacular glory as they pass through the snow-topped peaks.
Recently celebrating its 100 year anniversary, the Hotel has had an extensive refurbishment in honour of the centenary. South facing, looking across to the mountains, forests and the Diablerets Glacier, the Hotel follows the picture-postcard guidelines that govern the design of all buildings in Gstaad – meaning that the exterior looks like one huge luxury chalet in the traditional wooden style with gabled roof.
Inside, however, the Hotel combines the typical warmth of the region with a more contemporary design using natural materials such as wool, wood and stone sourced locally. It is deeply luxurious and chic, while still managing to retain an effortless air of comfortable relaxation. With memorably friendly staff that greeted us on arrival and a large welcoming lounge area to rest weary feet, we certainly felt the strains of city living melting away as soon as we checked in.
Most of the 84 rooms have a balcony or terrace, and ours was no exception. The fresh mountain air, although cold, was very welcome and the in-room furnishings continued the main hotel theme with typical chalet pieces in a slate grey and light wood throughout. With an impressive audio system and a Bang & Olufsen screen with more than 120 international channels, it could be tempting to not leave the room.
But, a tight schedule and a desire to see more of what Gstaad has to offer, means that we soon dragged ourselves out to explore. Skiing is one of many activities for guests here and the extensive and varied ski area in Gstaad is popular with bon-vivants and families alike. Expertly fitted with skis, boots and poles from the shop in the basement of The Grand Hotel Park, we were then whisked over to the slopes by the Hotel car service, which is literally door to door service. Not a natural snow bunny, I headed to the gentle Eggli slopes where I snow-ploughed slowly down the mountain as seasoned skiers (embarrassingly including tiny tots that whizzed past!) overtook me gracefully to head up to higher vantage points. My slow descent allowed me to appreciate the breath-taking scenery, with the town below, the fir-tree forests and surrounding mountain ranges.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a monumental Sunday brunch, which is well worth travelling for - even if not staying at The Grand Park. With a ridiculously extensive buffet, we sampled a range of delights starting with traditional bircher muesli and fruits, delicious Alpine cheeses, hams, oysters, salmon and seabass sashimi and salads, all washed down with some divine Swiss wines. The dessert buffet, piled high with Apple Strudel, Tiramisu, Pineapple & Star Anise Carpaccio, Champagne Jelly and Berries, Chocolate Truffles, biscuits and cakes was truly a work of art. It’s no surprise that Gstaad has been named as a ‘culinary powerhouse’.
After lunch, we headed down to the Hotel spa. With a saltwater pool (and in-built Jacuzzi area), Turkish Baths, saunas and a gym – its aim is to provide relaxation and wellbeing for both mind and body. There are also ten large treatment rooms with British brand Aromatherapy Associates that use natural essential oils to help revive, refresh or rebalance tired guests. I decided an energy boost was definitely in order and booked myself in for the ‘Detoxification’ treatment which included a scrub, followed by hydrating oils and a head massage – making me feel fresh and unknotted for the rest of my stay.
After my initial attempt at skiing, we decided to not go back to the slopes but explore the other activities Gstaad has to offer. And we discovered there were many, many things to see and do! Our stay luckily coincided with the annual Hot Air Balloon festival and we’d already seen a great many of the colourful balloons flying high above the Alps on our train journey the day before. Balloon trips are available all year round with Alpine Ballooning and although a little apprehensive at first, the ‘flight’ was so smooth (moving gently upwards with the wind), I soon lost all nervousness and just enjoyed the wonderful views of the mountains, valleys, rivers and farms from the safety of the basket.
Having seen the gorgeous countryside from high in the sky, we decided to take a closer look and were advised that the best way to see what the region had to offer was from a horse drawn sleigh ride. A family business called Kutscherei Reichenbach offers fabulous guided tours, setting off from the nearby village of Lauenen. The magnificent horses are fitted with delicate bells that tinkle musically and they took us through the forests and along the river, driven by our rustic looking host who smoked a pipe as he travelled and provided us with delicious warm gluhwein and dried Alpine cheese in a clearing as we stopped to give the horses some sugar cubes. The delicious whiff of sweet tobacco combined with the warm furs that we wrapped ourselves in and the Narnia-esque scenery made the trip fairytale perfect.
And I suppose ‘fairytale’ is what sums up Gstaad in a single word. It is a breathtakingly beautiful part of the world, proudly combining age old traditions with a touch of exclusivity and an array of activities for the adventurous, the spa seeker, the gourmand or the culture vulture. There really is something for everyone – and I urge you to go there, it’s good for the soul!
