A breath of fresh air
Gstaad offers twinkling lights, winter wellness and celebrity glamour, finds Bernadette Fallon
Here in the Alpine mountains the air is so fresh it hits your lungs like an explosion of pure energy. “There is something very special about the energy here,” say the people I meet in Gstaad. And this is presumably what draws the rich and famous to be revived. Very discreetly.
Located in southwestern Switzerland, Gstaad is famous for its world-class skiing, luxury hotels, beautiful mountains and, of course, its celebrity guests. But Gstaad is not bling, Gstaad is not ostentatious. Which is probably what attracted Madonna, Julie Andrews, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly to buy homes here. George Clooney holidays locally. Princess Diana went to finishing school in the area. As did Madonna’s daughter Lourdes.
Yes you will find Prada, Vuitton and Ralph Lauren on Gstaad’s high street Promenade, but all housed in unshowy timber chalets. And at Christmas in high season, you will see the likes of Claudia Schiffer, Anne Hathaway and Elizabeth Hurley, all celebrating ‘discreetly’.
So don’t come to celeb spot. Do come for the air and the breathtaking beauty of the Alps, for spectacular scenery and nature. Come for hiking in summer, skiing in winter and the age-old tradition of the spa all year round. Come for wellness and revival.
Of course there’s nothing like being revived with a little luxury. And you’re almost guaranteed to feel ‘well’ if a Bentley turns up at Gstaad’s tiny train station to take you to the town’s most centrally-placed five-star hotel, Le Grand Bellevue. Back in the day, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Brigitte Bardot and Roger Moore all put Gstaad on the map. So it’s fitting that Moore’s 1960s Bentley now belongs to the hotel.
Le Grand Bellevue is a centuryold, fully refurbished luxury hotel, a grand palace given a very contemporary makeover. Elegant and charming, it boasts distinctive design features that are both eye-catching – the multi-level entrance chandeliers – and surprising – the huge tweedcovered camel in the foyer, rescued from a roadside market.
Bulging bookcases around the big open fire in the lounge make it feel homely, with books to browse from Mark Twain and Virginia Woolf, Ian Rankin and Marian Keyes, as well as beautiful coffee table tomes on art, architecture, fashion and design.
Despite the fact the hotel is located just a five minute drive from the ski slopes, less than half of its guests come here to ski. Most come to spa in – as the hotel brochure reminds us – ‘the rejuvenating energy of the ancient Alps’.
I find it hugely rejuvenating to pad about the suite of steam rooms, salt grotto, sauna and laconium – a ‘dry sweating room’, trust me, it’s more glamorous than it sounds. And once I’m suitably heated, it’s a treat to wander out into the cool sharp mountain air on the terrace to lie on a sunlounger. There’s also a wet area with swimming pool, Jacuzzi and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the spectacular snowy mountains.
The spa menu is an international affair, with a variety of Swiss, Alpine, Finnish and Turkish treatments; there are regular yoga and Pilates sessions, exercise classes, couples’ treatments and a private suite designed for two. My Finnish therapist has 25 years of experience in the industry and deftly eases out the knots in my very cramped back, with muscles so tight, the knots have knots.
Given Gstaad’s celebrity ranking, it is fitting that the hotel has two Michelin star restaurants where you can feast like an A-lister on the best local produce, from Simmental chops to local beef fillet with foie gras and veal tongue.
With the proliferation of cows in the region, it’s not surprising to find
Clockwise from main: Gstaad is a centre of winter sports; Le Grand Bellevue hotel; the lounge
signature burgers on the menu but if you are here for a health kick, maybe stick to the health booster salad or tuna tartare. And definitely avoid Le Petit Chalet at the bottom of the garden – a Hobbit-sized wooden cottage with just four tables.
Not being on a health kick myself, I feast gloriously at the Chalet on melted cheese and melted chocolate, pretty much all they serve here, with luxury trimmings such as truffles, and lashings of potatoes on the side. I feel it would be a mistake to leave Gstaad without tasting the fondue for which the region – and the chalet – is famous.
If you’re treating your wellbeing to a drink, sit back and lap up the expertise of the exceptional staff in The Bar. If Cheers was a luxury five-star bar where everybody knew your name, it would be The Bar at Le Grand Bellevue. ■ Bernadette Fallon is a journalist and travel writer and publishes her stories on Travellingwell.net
The hotel has two Michelin star restaurants where you can feast like an A-lister
Swiss Air flies daily from the UK to Geneva, Swiss.com; from there it’s just under an hour and a half by train to Gstaad, change at Montreux for the scenic ride up the mountain on the Golden Pass Railway, tickets from 46 CHF/£36.50. Winter stays at Le Grand Vellevue start from 650 CHF/£516 half board per room per night, based on two sharing, Bellevue-gstaad.ch