by Alessandra Busacca @alessandra_busacca

Bored of shabby chic furnished chalets but still haven’t got over for snow and champagne en plein air? Gourmode takes you back to the Belle Époque, that time suspended between purity and progress, poised between Paris and fascinating holiday destinations!

The shadows of the First World War were far away when Hotel Victoria opened in 1865, a state-of-the-art residence with a telephone system (cou-cou!) and electric light in every room! Winged victory and Art Nouveau spiral staircases lead to a spa with a 5500-square-meter pool, round pendant lamps, vaulted ceilings, and huge windows overlooking a panorama of perpetual snow. Titanic mood: hit and sank!

GRAND HOTEL VICTORIA JUNGFRAU  – Interlaken

Welcome to The Top of the World. The Engadin, a tiny land so rich in well-being! Here, the Belle Époque of Orient Express and luxury carriages have been replaced by the red Bernina train, but here you breathe 19th-century air again at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, a rough diamond on the frozen lake water. Photos testify how waiters served glasses of sublime champagne between a rocker and a toe-loop. Sports lovers this is for you.

BADRUTT´S PALACE HOTEL – St. Moritz

Nicknamed The Grande Dame of the Engadine, the Pontresina hotel has been welcoming guests since 1848. With its 19th-century neo-baroque architecture, the Grand Hotel Kronenhof is unique for its exquisite gourmet experiences and its idyllic mountain village. Perfect for an epicurean Valentine’s Day dinner in the pine room, where masterpieces of Italian-Mediterranean and French cuisine are served.  

KRONENHOF – Pontresina

Human, too human? Or should we say, too divine? Nestled in the woods, this historic hotel owned by the Dietrich family is just a stone’s throw away from Nietzsche’s museum house. Here, Art Nouveau, Empire, and Art Deco styles merge into a unique work. The central staircase “is one of the most valuable Belle Époque staircases in the Swiss hotel industry”. Tea time is sacred in the Reading Room, a treasure of poetry and old-world beauty, with original furnishings from 1908 and a precious, seductive bookcase. Chapeau. 

HOTEL WALDHAUS – Sils

Digital detox? On the horizon, the green ray of the emerald shutters of the Hotel Bellevue Des Alpes stands out brightly in the Alpine beauty of the Bernese Oberland. The hotel has been run by the Family von Almen since 1840 and is unique in not even having a TV in its 1920s rooms. The only sound you can hear is the live music in the bar – a little journey through time. Celebrities here have never been shot by paparazzi.  

HOTEL BELLEVUE DES ALPES – Kleine Scheidegg, Wengen

Red Riding Hood Gourmode, don’t talk to strangers in the woods! This hotel is in the middle of the Films Waldhaus forest from which you can glimpse the Art Nouveau turrets. Dominant color palette today? Pastel pink, of course. So romantic. The story of its birth is also rather curious: it seems that it all started with winning a game of cards. A royal flush of hearts?

HOTEL SCHWEIZERHOF – Films 

Art Nouveau style towering over the hilltop, view of Lake Sarnen and the Obwaldner montange! This curious yellow-red wooden hotel, resembling a fairytale castle, is known for its panoramic veranda and sophisticated interiors, as well as being a destination on the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago. What? A visit to the high mountain dairy on the Fluonalp is recommended, however. Definitely more gourmode.

HOTEL PAXMONTANA – Flüeli-Ranft

A bit of magic. On the long, pleasant terrace, there is a cushioned deckchair. Stretch out to your full length. Rely on its healing power while savoring the beauty of nature! We call this delight “The Rest Cure”. The Schatzalp was in fact created as a luxury sanatorium by Willem Jan Holsboer, who had picked up on the extraordinarily positive energy of the place. As did Thomas Mann, in his novel “The Magic Mountain” transports us beyond the iron gates of the hotel into a magical world on the trail of young Castorp or Madame Chauchat.  

BERGHOTEL SCHATZALP – Davos

A dive into the blue! In the UNESCO heritage town of Bergün, the dining room of the Kurhaus Bergün still shines in its former glory, but if you prefer a gourmode-style picnic, then get ready for the experience of fondue en plein neige, thanks to a special sleigh carrying the caquelon to melt the cheese, crockery, bread, and of course the champagne.

KURHAUS BERGÜN – Bergün

Bibbidi bobbidi bu.   

We enter the fairy house at the top of the mountains, but still in view of the lake.   

Here the roar of the water becomes intense, the fireflies light up the night and the waterfalls make the day mystical, especially if you pass through them on long, invigorating walks.

GRAND HOTEL GIESSBACH – Brienz

Iconic and perfect. Nobody believed Johannes Badrutt when he also described the winter in St.Moritz as a paradise on earth of sunshine and peace. This led to a legendary bet: Badrutt proposed to four friends to return in the winter and if they did not enjoy it, he would reimburse their travel expenses. The English returned and stayed until Easter. Badrutt won his bet and winter tourism was launched and the Kulm is now a true tradition.

KULM HOTEL – St.Moritz