A Stay at The Alpina Gstaad, Switzerland

Best known for luxury ski lodges, billionaire clientele and designer boutiques, Gstaad attracts an understated crowd of wealthy jet setters. Whilst the majority of them visit during the winter months, a new wave of savvy, luxury travellers are embracing Gstaad in the summer. With the high end crowd comes the high end hotels, and I was lucky enough to be staying in one of Gstaad’s newest 5* hotels, The Alpina Gstaad.

 First Impressions

The discreet entrance of The Alpina Gstaad is something I’ve never seen before in a hotel. A drive down the unassuming tunnel brings you to an underground main entrance, with a sweeping ramp for pick up and drop offs and a beautiful central fountain. The private entrance has a very private and VIP feel and it becomes no surprise that The Alpina Gstaad is favored by Madonna when she comes to town. We were greeted by the hotel’s Managing Director Eric Favre, who gave me and my fellow press-trippers a warm welcome. Our bags were whisked away up to our room and I began to feel myself relax immediately.

Inside, the interior design perfectly combines stylish luxury with alpine cosiness. With beautiful wooden beams, furnishings of the highest quality and indulgent little extras, the Alpina Gstaad is the epitome of Alpine Chic. Despite visiting in Summer, I could just imagine how The Alpina Gstaad would provide the perfect luxury retreat for a ski holiday.

 The Room

One of my favourite moments when visiting a new hotel is stepping into the room for the first time, and The Alpina Gstaad certainly didn’t disappoint. The junior suite was huge with lounge area,  original wooding beams, a sumptuous bed, quirky art work and luxurious Acqua di Parma toiletries (which may have possibly made a trip back to London with me) .

A plate of delicious swiss chocolates and macaroons awaited me in the lounge area, and as I looked out onto the balcony, I took in the amazing green and mountainous views.

A central electronic control panel controlled everything in the entire room, from lighting the fireplace to closing the black out blinds (just in case it’s too strenuous to do manually). Like many others, I always think the bed is a true hallmark of a hotel and a great way to measure the level of luxury. My king size bed was dressed in incredible Egyptian cotton sheets decorated with the Alpina Gstaad logo, an example of immaculate attention to detail that runs throughout the whole hotel. It really was a bed of dreams.

The Food

When it came to the food offerings, The Alpina Gstaad was second to none. Firstly, let me start with the Breakfast buffet. I have never seen such an incredible breakfast in all my years of hotel stays! What made it so incredible? The huge choice of healthy foods including seeds, nuts, museli and yoghurts on the buffet . This was, of course, along side a cooked breakfast and the freshest and most butteriest pain croissants you’ve ever smelt, just in case you felt like being bad.

The three main restaurants at The Alpina Gtaad are Michelin Starred restaurant Sommet, trendy Japanese eatery MEGU and traditional Swiss alpine restaurant Swiss Stubli. Swiss Stubli is only open during the winter seasons, but I was lucky enough to experience the other two. The six course tasting menu at Sommet featured  fresh local produce and creative food pairing combinations such as pigeon breast with blueberry risotto. Werid and wonderful but utterly amazing!

My favourite, however, was MEGU. Our 5 course tasting feast included Carpaccio of Yellowtail with Kanzuri Sauce, Carpaccio of red tuna with spicy miso, crispy Kanzuri shrimps, a sushi selection and Kagero Wagyu beef. The sushi was delicious but my personal favourites were the curried shrimp tempura and the beautifully presented Wagu Beef sizzling on a hot plate.

 The Spa

Last, but by NO means least, comes the hotel’s very own Six Senses Spa. As an international spa chain with an outstanding reputation world wide, I have to admit I had pretty high standards, but boy did they deliver. I’ve experienced quite a few spas during my travels, but The Six Senses Spa Gstaad was probably up there in the top 2. I was treated to 2 treatments during my stay, The Divine Facial and the Signature Six Senses Massage .

The signature massage was a full body experience like no other, incorporating blissful stretches and pressure points within the massage. The facial was the most sensual treatment I’d ever had, with my holistic therapist going much more than just skin-deep. You could tell the therapists loved what they did, which made the experiences all the more enjoyable. I was totally blown away by the facilities too, which include a beautiful (and huge!) indoor pool, jaccuzis, fab gym, juice bar, salt room, steam room, relaxation water bed rooms, hot and cold plunge pools and more. I could have stayed for days.

The Verdict

So the verdict, I think you can guess, is a resounding thumbs up. My stay at The Alpina Gstaad was absolutely flawless from start to finish. My treatments combined with the fresh mountain air, yoga, workout and deep sleeps meant I left feeling totally relaxed and rejuvenated. The service, hospitality, facilities, food and rooms bring you the ultimate in Alpine luxury and I would recommend The Alpina Gstaad to anyone looking for a unique luxury mountain retreat that is equally as beautiful in Summer as in Winter.

Thank you to the team at The Alpina Gstaad for your outstanding hospitality.

My stay at The Alpina Gstaad was part of a Press Trip with PRCoUK for a freelance travel feature. 

What did you think of my Alpina Gstaad review? Are you thinking of visiting yourself? If you enjoyed my post or have any more questions about the hotel, please leave me a comment in the box below. 

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