A luxurious alpine adventure awaits you in two major Swiss hotels
Do you miss the Swiss? Don’t be neutral. Ski season may be over, but this spring and summer there are new old reasons to yodel across the Alps.
Timing is everything, so start in the northern clock tower city of Zurich.
In the hills above the medieval town along the Limmat, the Dolder Grandone of the most traditional castle hotels in Switzerland, boasts state-of-the-art design and contemporary art.
Originally built in 1899 by architect Jacques Gros, known for his romantic chalet-style buildings, the hotel’s old facade is large in 19th-century style. But in 2004, fairytale fun was combined with James Bond-esque sophistication.
The hotel’s owner, UK-based Swiss financier Urs Schwarzenbach commissioned British architect and Baron of the Thames Bank, Lord Norman Foster, to build a modern extension of the hotel, which now has 175 apartment-sized rooms and suites. Rates start at $744 per night.
The new wings incorporate minimalist materials such as steel, iPhone-like black gloss finishes and die-cut aluminum with an organic, fluid geometry and forest motifs.
Circumferential floating catwalks lead through the airy hotel to an amenities wing that includes a 43,000-square-foot spa with a massive pool, a stunning meditation room with a reflective mosaic dome, and saunas.
Only at one point do the Gros and Foster buildings kiss.
For Americans used to seeing idiotically executed old-meets-new renovations, fear not. No crimes against art or beauty were committed here.
Speaking of art, the Dolder sucks at it. The hotel’s historic potions are brought to life with originals by Salvador Dalí, Jani Leinonen and Takashi Murakami, to name a few.
Art tends to rotate here as pieces are bought, sold, or moved to other properties, giving the hotel an ever-evolving je ne sais quoi.
Even when it’s time to check out, the wonders never stop. The next palace on the program is reached via Switzerland’s famous Rhaetian Railway, a journey that winds through tunnels and valleys through a UNESCO World Heritage Site to arrive in the legendary resort town of St. Mortiz. You could fly private but you would be missing out.
Spring’s slush is known for breaking the knees of intrepid skiers in St. Moritz. So after the winter peak season, leave the slopes behind and enjoy luxurious hotel living at 6,000 feet.
The view is just as good.
Badrutt’s palace — the historic hotel known for hosting polo games on its frozen lake and hosting generations of who’s who — opens fresh for the season on June 24 and its hottest suite is on the market for the first time in recent memory.
The hotel’s iconic wooden tower, which looms large on the city’s skyline, has been occupied by a well-heeled but regrettably anonymous individual for the last 30 years, and this season marked the first time the multi-bedroom, multi-storey palace has been in a palace was built within reach.
According to the hotel, the summer prices for the baller pad in Switzerland’s richest city are negotiable, but the last charge was $30,000 per night.
But if that’s a little rich for your taste, there are plenty of other options, with 157 rooms including 43 suites to snag. Summer rates start at $485 per night.
The hotel’s main draw in summer is its social scene, which rivals the outpost of Le Bilboquet in Sag Harbor on a Saturday night.
The massive old-world lobby brims with champagne sippers. In the cigar room and in the cocktail lounge, people with turtlenecks ponder the art market. Couples sneak into the hotel’s massive 50,000-bottle wine cellar, which houses the hidden restaurant Krug Stübli.
There are 10 lively restaurants in the hotel, all flowing with Burgundy and Beluga caviar, but in the evenings, ballers over Dom and funky beats let off steam at the hotel’s King’s Social House, Switzerland’s premier nightclub.
Another new addition to the hotel this season was the Paradiso, the mountain’s most picturesque fondue and champagne après-ski retreat.
It’s a chairlift ride away but all the more beautiful in the green months without skis.
After all, summer in St. Mortiz is all about bargains, schnapps and the view.