Gstaad Palace in Winter, Switzerland

The Gstaad Palace sure lives up to its name. The white-pink building complete with towers and crenellations is not your typical modern Disney clone. On the contrary, this is the ‘grande dame’ of luxury hotels in Switzerland. The construction of the railway line to Montreux in 1904 was the start of tourism in Gstaad and ever since building the hotel in 1913, Gstaad Palace has been the meeting point for the international jet set looking for sporty and other sorts of entertainment. The hotel lobby is completely decorated with stunning black-and-white pictures that refer to its illustrious past. Celebrities like Louis Armstrong, Marlene Dietrich and Roger Moore were frequent visitors.

The concierges and the guest relations team charmed us with a warm welcome. The special attention they give our girls, shows that this is a place where they highly prioritise family life. That probably has to do with the hotel being run by the same family for three generations. During our stay, we frequently hear the staff say that they feel like being part of a big family.

When we later ‘inspect’ our room, our classic junior suite turns out to be perfect. The Gstaad Palace doesn’t use plastic room keys, but a beautiful old-fashioned key with a substantial tassel. Our suite comes with sitting area, a bathroom with a giant bath and a steam cabin and the most delightful fluffy bed for us and a sofa bed for the kids. Moreover, the walk-in closet is so big that you can easily swirl around in here for a waltz. The suite has French doors opening out onto a huge terrace; a wonderful place to soak up the Alpine sun.

One of the Classic Junior Suites, “our” home these days

Evidently, our suite has enough space for the four of us, but if you really want to feel like a royal, then book the Tower suite. This suite measures no less than 200 m2, divided over two bedrooms, several walk-in closets, a private sauna and jacuzzi and a giant terrace. In case your extended family decides to join you, the Tower suite can even be combined with other suites. Although every room has a splendid view, there is always – so to speak –a king of the castle. The happy few who are lucky enough to stay in the Penthouse suite, are bound to enjoy some uninterrupted mountain views. You can fully enjoy the 150 m2 roof terrace. Just as a spacious living and dining area and three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms guarantee a comfortable stay for large families. Not to forget the whirlpool and private sauna.

Gstaad Palace knows how to create an interesting balance between classic, heritage and innovation. The best example of this innovation is the beautifully designed Spa. The 60 m long back wall is made of local granite, the most beautiful wood species and marble. Spread over nearly 2,000 m2, there is a spacious lounge with a fireplace, eight treatment rooms, several saunas and steam baths and a very special hammam. This unique experience takes you on a 2-hour journey through seven different rooms, each with their own treatment or experience. After a foot ritual, steam bath, oil massage and an almost weightless session in the floating pool, you feel reborn. Then get into the oversized jacuzzi that, via a sluice, gives access to a small heated outdoor pool where you have the most magnificent view over the surrounding mountains. If you want to treat someone special to a really unique experience, then book the private Spa where you can undisturbedly enjoy some quality time with your loved one.

Our whole family is treated to all this pampering. The girls experience a relaxing massage as we are surprised with a facial. An hour of total blissfulness passes in what seems just a few minutes. Probably someone fell asleep.

If you have younger children why not leave them in the hands of a qualified nanny while you enjoy the spa? They will for sure have a great time in the kids den with the wide range of toys and an enormous dolls’ house or, when they are older, having a blast with the gaming consols. If weather permits, there is a large playground outside.

For us a large part of our visit to Gstaad revolves around skiing. And for sure we have come to the right place. It is not without reason that Gstaad Palace has been awarded one of the world’s best winter sports hotels on numerous occasions. To begin with, the hotel has got its own in-house ski shop. The kind staff will and get you geared up in a fitting ski outfit that is stored until we need it for our skiing trip the following day. With the same ease, if you wish so, the hotel organizes a private instructor. Ski passes, transport to the skiing lifts, a packed lunch, really nothing is too much and makes for a perfect day on the slopes. Our daughters just need a few hours to again get the hang of it, but we are taken by surprise how well they are doing. Luckily, it is not crowded on the ski slopes and, unhindered, we can slide down the mountain.

For the experienced skier who has seen and done it all, there is the possibility to have a helicopter drop you off on a high remote alpine slope. It goes without saying that a local guide is highly recommended. A more relaxed means of transport is a balloon flight. The view over the mountains and valleys is breathtaking.

Tired yet fulfilled, we return to the hotel where we are warmly welcomed by the staff and by the heated indoor swimming pool with a constant temperature of 29 degrees Celsius. We also peek into the neighbouring, internationally renowned GreenGo nightclub. Nothing seems to have changed since the start in 1971; the complete decoration exudes the 1970’s. This is in contradiction to the music which is up-to-date with guest performances by world-famous DJs.

Maybe in a few years our daughters will be on the dance floor, for now we go for our bit of fun elsewhere. We start with some delicious cocktails and mocktails in the Lobby. Afterwards we are welcomed at the Restaurant “Le Grill”. The first time we visit this more formal venue. The place to be for a romantic dinner where guests are expected in formal attire. And of course renowned for its grilled fish and meat. Well deserved as we discover; we eat probably the best steaks we ever had. And again we experience the high quality of the staff.

Something else we highly recommend is a dinner in the fondue restaurant “La Fromagerie”. In the laidback atmosphere of an authentic Swiss mountain hut. Do not miss out on the the legendary Truffle & Champagne cheese fondue while bonus points will be scored with the kids on the chocolate fondue with fruit.

Both restaurants are perfect for a family dinner. The same applies to “Le Grand Restaurant”. Although each restaurant has its own cuisine and atmosphere, they are not far away from each other. This gives the feeling of a lively village square where there’s something to everyone’s liking.

As soon as the sun peeps out, the large terrace in front of the hotel is set up, even in Winter. A great place to have breakfast. This is just as much a culinary feast with fresh fruit, the most delicious cappuccinos, local cheeses and meat, pancakes, waffles, eggs every way you want them, and so on.

After all these culinary highlights and skiing and snowboarding, it’s time for a bit of ice skating on the ice rink in the centre of Gstaad. Here, you can put on your skates for a nice spin on the ice or maybe a game of ice hockey with some other ice lovers. Or, if you want to go up into the mountains: close to the hotel, there is the possibility to whizz down the mountain on a traditional wooden sledge. There are various sledge runs each with their own level of difficulty. An extra dimension is the night sledging descent on the Wispille where the sledge run is led by torches. True adrenaline junkies can fly down the slopes on an airboard and reach the valley in no time. All great fun but not without risk; so be sure to wear a helmet and take it easy by starting at the beginners run.

At the hotel, you can go for a round of squash or hit the ball on one of the three indoor tennis courts nearby. Yet, Gstaad Palace is not only the place to be for winter sports. The hotel’s outdoor Olympic swimming pool is very much in demand – apparently the first one ever with such dimensions in Europe. In the summer, there are no less than four outdoor tennis courts. Children who love to play tennis, can work on their tennis skills under professional guidance during the ‘Roy Emersion Tennis Weeks’. Bike enthusiasts, and in particular mountain bikers, can also test their limits in this mecca for outdoor sports. And what about fishing, rafting or canyoning – all in close proximity to the hotel.

Golf lovers are lucky: just a stone’s throw from the hotel is one of the most beautiful golf courses in the Alps: the Gstaad-Saanenland 18-hole golf course. Hikers have the choice of over 300 marked trails. En route, you will find various small cafés for a cup of coffee or a wholesome meal. Real mountain die-hards have the whole of the Alps mountain range to pick from.

Another very fun activity is a tour with the ‘Fondue-Kutsche’; a horse-drawn carriage that takes us trough the picturesque Saanenland while we indulge ourselves with a hearty cheese fondue. During a break we have the opportunity to interact with the horse and for the remainder of the tour the girls sit on the buck to stire the horses back home.

And if your activities turn out to be too strenuous after all, there is always a cable car nearby to take you back to the valley in the blink of an eye. Prefer a day of sightseeing? Then we highly recommend the Castle of Gruyères, the Cailler chocolate factory, the city of Montreux and Chillon Castle on the banks of Lake Geneva.

WOW

# You really feel like a royal at Gstaad Palace. There is nothing the staff wouldn’t do for you. They are all very friendly without being submissive. A true family business where they all put their hearts into their jobs.

# It is the perfect place for ski and other winter sports lovers. The hotel is happy to organise everything for you – down to even the smallest detail. And after a fun day out in the snow, it is always good to enter the lobby for a hot drink or possibly something stronger.

# Make sure to visit the hotel in summertime as well. The setting is then completely different which makes it a whole new experience. Also during summer, there is a whole range of activities. Check our review in summer by clicking here.

This hotel can be booked through The Leading Hotels of the World and Little Guest Hotels Collection.