Located in the heart of Gstaad amid the Swiss Alps, Le Grand Bellevue makes for an idyllic winter escape, from hot chocolates by a roaring fire to a newly revamped 3000-square-metre spa for easing aching muscles after a day on the slopes. In celebration of its fifth winter season, the hotel is introducing a range of new winter experiences. Owners Daniel and Davia Koetser are opening up their little black book of contacts to organise special-access and money-can’t-buy experiences, including a range of high-octane adventures, culinary experiences and private viewings at some of Gstaad’s most glamorous designer boutiques.
Lovebirds seeking a romantic escape can climb aboard a traditional horse-drawn carriage for a ride through the snowfields to a farmhouse for a private candlelit dinner of fondue and champagne, accompanied by the sound of hoofbeats and gently falling snow.
Active types can push themselves on a guided hike through the Rougemont region before a mountainside meal at the Les Ouges mountain hut, or enjoy an après-ski experience of a private slopeside mulled wine station to celebrate the final run of the day. Guests with a head for heights can take to the skies for a private hot air balloon flight above the mountains, complete with a champagne picnic.
Back at the hotel, winter will see the opening of the cosy four-seater wooden Krug Carnotzet — or ‘sauna barrel’ — in the hotel’s gardens, where guests can settle into blankets and tuck into a decadent private dinner of truffled fondue or fresh sushi, accompanied by Krug champagne. Guests can also try their hand at a range of masterclasses and workshops, from floristry and cooking classes in Le Grand Bellevue’s Michelin-starred restaurant, LEONARDs, to molecular mixology cocktail classes in the hotel’s cocktail lounge bouquet and sushi-making masterclasses alongside resident sushi master, Takehiko Yoshikawa.
Party animals are in good hands, as Le Grand Bellevue can organise private access to Gstaad’s ever-popular Wasserngrat and Eggli mountain restaurants for private parties and gatherings, including bespoke menus and private chairlift access for party guests.
Gstaad’s boutiques and designer shops draw in fashion-lovers year after year, and Le Grand Bellevue can now arrange private viewings for guests at a range of outlets, including Dolce & Gabbana, Adler, Chopard and Graff.
