Perched majestically over the village of Gsteig like a fairytale castle is the Gstaad Palace Hotel, a favourite among the European elite as a winter ski resort. To promote itself and the region as a great summer destination, the Hotel has put together special packages to entice visitors. Among their summer offerings, is a true one-of-a-kind experience: guests can now host a private meal or stay overnight at the hotel’s Walig Hut.
Hidden away on a mountainside, 1700 m above the Gstaad Palace Hotel, is the 135-year-old Walig Hut. Here old-world rustic rural charm meets modern luxury hospitality to create the ultimate private getaway; surrounded by breath-taking views of Swiss Alps, and by its crisp, clear mountain air.
The Walig Hut can accommodate two adults and two children, on an overnight stay which includes a three-course dinner for CHF 1,600. Guests have two options on how to reach the hut. They can opt for a chauffeur driven service or go for a three-hour hike from the Hotel via pastoral Swiss villages and steep woodland.
The hut comes with its own butler to serve drinks, meals and to cater to any other requirements the guests may have. However, since the hut is meant to recreate an authentic rural experience, modern luxuries have been kept to a minimum. Candle lit dinners as the sun sets in between the Alps, lunch on the open terrace and to sit back and take in the splendour of the surroundings is what the stay at the Walig Hut is all about.
Alternatively, guests can also hire the hut as a venue for private lunches or dinners catering to between four and fourteen people.
For those who prefer availing the comforts of modern luxuries within the same environs, they can stay at the opulent five-star Gstaad Palace. Serving guests since 1913, it has been owned for three generations by the Scherz family. Its plush décor recalls the royal opulence of old while catering to the needs of modern royals and celebrities.
The hotel offers 95 rooms and suites with exceptional panoramic views of the Swiss Alps. It boasts five restaurants serving Swiss, Italian, international specialities, and a gourmet cuisine awarded 15 Gault-Millau points.
In summer, four tennis courts are available along with an Olympic outdoor swimming pool. It also has an indoor swimming pool; the surroundings of which turn into the hotel’s nightclub GreenGo, known for legendary parties and its illustrious clientele.
Despite being a renowned tourist destination for over 100 years, the locale of Gstaad, located in the valley below the hotel, has managed to maintain its cultural identity, its old-world charm and its pedestrian streets which guests of the hotel can explore at their leisure. Guests can also go on hikes or biking in the countryside. The more adventurous ones can opt for hot-air balloon rides over the Bernese Oberland region.
The hotel’s spa, spread over 1800 square metres, is centred around an open fire, with views out over the hillside. It offers a comprehensive array of beauty treatments, massages, hot water, and steam treatments to recharge the mind and body.
Gstaad is in the German-speaking canton of Bern, about a two-hour drive from Geneva airport. Guests with private jets can use the private airport at Saanen, which is at just a ten-minute drive from the Gstaad Palace Hotel.
