GSTAAD PALACE HOTEL, SWITZERLAND

picture yourself snuggled under a blanket on a horse-drawn carriage, clip-clopping through the snow. it beats running yourself ragged trying to prepare dinner for your extended family, doesn’t it? this is just one of the delightful festive experiences you can enjoy when you stay at the gstaad palace Hotel, in Switzerland’s breathtaking Bernese oberland region. With designer boutiques and snowy beauty, Gstaad is just made for family or romantic indulgence. If you’re not a skier, you can ice-skate, try tobogganing or take a ride in a husky-sleigh. and when dusk falls and all the twinkling lights illuminate the valley, you’ll feel like you’re on the cover of a Christmas card…

there are 104 beautifully designed rooms, four restaurants and a modern spa, pool and gym. the staff can arrange anything from helicopter expeditions around the Matterhorn, complete with Champagne, and lunch on Glacier 3000.

How to do it Double rooms start from £395 per night half-board; palace.ch

“Its snowy beauty makes you feel like you’re on the cover of a Christmas card”