HOTELS

GRAND HOTEL PARK, GSTAAD SWITZERLAND

Exhausted by the London rat race, Town Mouse left the big city 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!
www.gstaad.ch


HOME HOTEL, PALERMO BUENOS AIRES


Located in the ultra cool Palermo area of Buenos Aires, Home Hotel is right in the middle of one of the most sought after neighbourhoods in the city. Surrounded by achingly hip boutiques, design shops and cafes, and with nearby restaurants and bars that wouldn’t be out of place in London, Paris or New York, the hotel is an iconic part of the stylish lifestyle here.
Home Hotel is the brainchild of UK record producer Tom Rixon and Argentine PR Patricia O’Shea and opened in 2005. It is truly a boutique hotel in every sense and the owners’ clear design vision has helped create the intimate 20 room space. Using plenty of glass to let in the beautiful Argentinian sunshine, as well as quirky retro pieces such as the 1950’s vintage Scandinavia chairs and sofas in the lobby, the hotel mixes old and new just like the city of Buenos Aires seems to do so well as a whole.
However, the different elements of the hotel means that it never feels small. On arrival, I was whisked to their basement spa and offered cucumber infused water and a glorious hour long massage, which made my jet lag vanish in a second.
Taking brunch by the pool was a fabulous treat – brioche with sweet dulce de leche butter, a shot glass of scrambled eggs, fresh strawberries, juices and homemade yoghurt. And the outdoor space is truly a garden with a riot of grasses, wild flowers, native ‘palo borrachos’ trees that provide some welcome shade, as well as fruit trees and climbing plants. Lounging by the pool you feel truly secluded, as if you’re in some private secret space.

The fabulous garden pool at Home Hotel
The cocktail bar which is in the restaurant and overlooking the lush garden, is also worth mentioning. The award-winning barman, Daniel Biber, created a bespoke cocktail for me which I would happily travel back for – a honey, peach and jalepeno martini. I named it the Bee Sting and hope it’s now officially on the menu!
Bed time doesn’t come until the early hours in Buenos Aires as the city parties hard and late – clubs don’t even start getting busy til 1am. But when I did finally sink in to bed, I had a wonderfully uninterrupted sleep. As well as being light and airy, the room had the hotel’s signature quirks with a strong patterned wallpaper and bright lime green adorning the room, which was designed with a mixture of wood and polished cement. Custom made natural products in the bathroom and a huge monsoon shower made the stay comfortable.
But the genius of Home Hotel is in the small touches – a bespoke guidebook with the owners’ personal recommendations to the local areas, customised maps, cosy llama wool blankets – all these add up to make a truly memorable stay.
 I hope I’ll be coming Home again soon…
 www.homebuenosaires.com




THE STAFFORD HOTEL, MAYFAIR LONDON



The Courtyard in winter at The Stafford
The Stafford Hotel is one of London’s quintessentially British luxury hotels. Situated in the heart of Mayfair, the hotel  has the wonderfully relaxing atmosphere  of a private country house with antique charm. With a fascinating heritage, the hotel has long established itself as one of the capital’s iconic destinations but with all the contemporary amenities and modern touches.
We visited for a weekend of indulgent Bond Street shopping and stayed in the newest addition to the hotel, The Stafford Mews. Overlooking a picture-perfect cobbled courtyard, our suite in the Mews perfectly combined cutting edge design with classic English elegance.  With the luxury of underfloor heating, a huge marble bath tub, walk in wardrobe and dressing room and decadently fluffy robes, we had to drag ourselves out of the room to go and explore the rest of the hotel…
The American Bar on the hotel’s ground floor has an amazing heritage. Covered from floor to ceiling in photos and memorabilia from the hotel’s colourful patrons that has been built up over the years, I could spend hours just browsing the pictures with a well mixed martini in hand. Charles Guano, the former head barman of the American Bar worked at The Stafford for 42 years. His legacy and that of the first head barman Louis Crozet still remain. Now overseen by Charles' young protege, Benoit Provost, a visit to the American Bar is mandatory and also has a great laid back menu if you don’t want the formality of dining in the restaurant.
However, if you’d prefer to be in the gym than in the bar, there is a state-of-the-art workout studio within the Stafford Mews with all the latest gym equipment. Accommodation at The Stafford also includes membership to luxury fitness club and pool 'The Third Space', which is a short walk away.
But for me, the most impressive part of The Stafford is located deep underground in the 350 year old vaulted stone wine cellars. A tremendous hidden gem, the cellars were originally built in the 17th century and are still used by the hotel today to house around 800 labels. If you stay, be sure to request a candlelit tour, where you will not only see the incredible wine collection but also part of the cellars that were used as air raid shelters in WWII and still have remnants of that time remaining, such as gas masks and wartime posters. The cellars have a wonderful space for private dining and the hotel can also arrange wine tastings there – well worth a visit.
 www.kempinski.com/es/london



THE VARSITY HOTEL & SPA, CAMBRIDGE


Penthouse suite at The Varsity

The beautiful university town of Cambridge has long needed a decent hotel.  The Crowne Plaza just doesn’t cut it anymore and there really wasn’t any decent alternatives in the town centre until The Varsity Hotel & Spa opened in September last year.  An independently owned 48 room boutique hotel and spa in the hub of the Cambridge’s buzzing Quayside area, I couldn’t wait to try it out.
From the moment of arrival, the friendly and helpful Varsity staff made our stay an utter delight, organising and attending to our every whim and request. Showing us to our vast penthouse suite, we surveyed the modern British interior concept, which tastefully juxtaposes the traditional with cutting-edge  design elements.

Although each room is individual, there is a theme with strong patterned wallpapers from 19th Century English cotton print, botanical influences, solid oak flooring throughout each room, sandstone bathrooms with monsoon showers and some with  free standing Victorian baths.

The top two floors of the hotel are made entirely from glass allowing breath-taking views of the surrounding area from the comfort of the room, making you feel truly amongst the lofty St John’s spires and heady heights of King’s College chapel. In fact, we almost didn’t want to leave our room – and probably wouldn’t were it not for the lure of the spa.
Located in the adjoining warehouse building, the fitness centre provides a cutting-edge health club with state-of-the-art gym equipment and yoga, pilates, aerobics, spinning classes on site.  The spa itself comprises of a beautiful Jacuzzi that overlooks the river, a sauna and steam room and eight private rooms offering Aveda treatments. I opted for a relaxing full body massage which had me feeling de-stressed and entirely rejuvenated after the 60 minutes were up.
But the most stunning part of the hotel, which has just newly opened in 2011 is The Varsity Rooftops. It is one of the highest vantage points in the town centre and is entered through a James Bond style automated glass hatch. The Rooftops are surrounded by glass panels, allowing a perfectly clear view for miles from all angles.
Open during the day for afternoon tea, drinks and refreshments, it is set to be the hottest place in Cambridge for private parties – and I imagine a sunbathing hotspot too for hotel guests during the summer months.

Additional complimentary amenities include wireless internet access throughout the hotel, a DVD and music library with an iPod dock in every room, sparkling and still water and fruit on arrival and papers and magazines in communal guest areas.
Bedrooms are available for check in from 3pm and check out is by 11.30am the following morning.

BOOKING INFORMATION
ADDRESS
The Varsity Hotel and Spa
24 Thompson's Lane
Cambridge
CB5 8AQ
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