Christmas comes early…

Christmas came early for both Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Pontresina (www.kronenhof.com) and The Cambrian Adelboden (www.thecambrianadelboden.com), with both properties gaining industry recognition in the last couple of weeks.

Kronenstübli, Grand Hotel Kronenhof’s charming and historic wood-panelled restaurant, was awarded its first Michelin star, making the hotel a “must go to” destination for those wishing to sample some of today’s very best Swiss cuisine.

Meanwhile, The Cambrian won the inaugural “Best International Spa with a View “award from The Spa Traveller (www.thespatraveller.com), thanks to its awe-inspiring panoramic Alpine vistas.  Earlier in the year, The Cambrian’s outdoor pool, part of the spa, made TripAdvisor’s list of “Ten Amazing Hotel Pools” with one reviewer declaring that “The outdoor heated infinity pool is worth the trip alone”.  In May 2010,
The Times also included The Cambrian pool in a list of “The world’s 20 best hotel pools”, writing, “The outdoor pool here has a bubbling massage bed, but best of all is the view of the mountains”.  Not one to be missed.

Happiness is a £10 note!

On Saturday, The Telegraph ran an article in which it claimed that going on holiday came second in a survey of the top 50 things that make people happy, while booking a holiday came 14th.  Sounds about right to me.  I’ve spent the last week to 10 days thinking about where I can go on holiday in January; it’s certainly lifted my spirits, as the clocks have gone back and the nights draw in.  This is my conundrum: should I go for rum cocktails and a sun-soaked beach or pristine mountain air and schussing down sparkling white Alpine slopes?  Answers on a post card please!

By the way, finding a £10 note in an old pair of jeans was top of the list that make people happy.  I found a £20 note in the back pocket of my jeans, before I put them in the wash this weekend, I’m feeling doubly happy

Have a good week!

The Tuscan island of Elba is a little beauty

I was lucky enough to spend last weekend on the Tuscan island of Elba…  Flying into Pisa, it was a mini adventure from there to my final destination, involving two trains, a bus, a ferry and a car ride, but it was well worth it.

Elba has close to 150 beaches and it was still warm enough to  swim, but I headed for the hills instead and hiked up from Marciana to the sanctuary of the Madonna of the Mountain, to which Napoleon used to retreat on his horse.  At the start of the path, a few locals were hunting for chestnuts, but by the time I had walked a couple of hundred metres, I had the place to myself.

It was Napoloen, of course, who made the island famous and I felt compelled to visit his residence in the island’s unofficial capital Portoferraio.  The house is quite modest, but has wonderful views across to the mainland.

More interesting was a wander round Portoferraio, with its cobbled back streets, and pretty-coloured buildings on the harbour front.  I stopped for a coffee to idle away some time, people watching, as visitors stepped off huge private yachts, and then popped into Acqua dell’Elba, which has really cornered the souvenir market with its elegant turquoise-boxed scents.

I stayed at the far end of the island from Portoferraio, in the pretty resort village of Sant’Andrea.  Here, the family-run Hotel Ilio (www.hotelilio.com) offers simple but stylish rooms in a peaceful setting, just a few steps from a sandy beach.  The evening meals, created by chef Giancarlo Pollidini, are mouth-wateringly good – the delicious pasta and puddings meant I came home a couple of pounds heavier!

For more details on going to Elba, visit www.visitelba.com.

Switzerland’s a Winner

Congratulations to Switzerland, awarded the “Favourite European Country” title at the recent Guardian/Observer Travel Awards 2011!

In my eyes, Switzerland’s been a winner ever since I first visited as a 15-year-old school girl and vowed that one day I would live in Switzerland; I’ve since fulfilled that aim and am grateful that a clutch of Swiss clients still enables me to visit on a regular basis.

All of these clients are now busy preparing for the 2011/12 ski season and, with snow having already fallen in the Alps last weekend, it looks like it good be a great winter.

Here’s a quick rundown of my Swiss clients:

Kulm Hotel St Moritz (www.kulmhotel-stmoritz.ch) is the oldest hotel in St Moritz, having opened its doors in 1856, and remains a haven for old-fashioned glamour on a grand scale, frequented by both the European jet set and Hollywood A-listers.  It is also responsible for starting the trend for winter sports holidays, the result of a bet laid by the then owner in 1864.  Some of the first British guests to winter at the hotel created the Cresta Run to entertain themselves and the Kulm Hotel is home to the Cresta Run crew to this day; when they’re not throwing themselves down their icy shute, they can be found in their “clubhouse”, the hotel’s Sunny Bar.

Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Pontresina (www.kronenhof.com) is a sister hotel to the Kulm in St Moritz, both being owned by the Niarchos family of Greek shipping fame.  Located just 6kms from St Moritz, the Kronenhof offers the best of both worlds: the chance to enjoy the glitz of St Moritz while staying in the tranquillity of a peaceful mountain village.  The hotel has “the best Alpine spa” (according to Tyler Brule, writing in the Financial Times) and it is certainly a highlight, including a 20m indoor infinity pool, a hydrotherapy pool, a flotation room, a luxurious private suite for couples and a crackling log fire in the relaxation room.  In fact, half of the hotel’s winter guests come purely to spa, ignoring winter sports altogether.  The hotel also has fantastic family facilities, including a play room zoned for different ages, a children’s dining room, an old wooden bowling alley for all-round family entertainment and, in winter, a natural private ice rink.

The Cambrian, Adelboden (www.thecambrianadelboden.com), a member of Design Hotels, is the only Mr&Mrs Smith hotel in Switzerland with chic contemporary interiors housed in a characterful early 20th century building.  This 71-room property is perfect for couples outside peak times and families during school holidays; think outdoor breaks in summer and ski holidays in winter, with the added bonus of a fantastic spa that has great Alpine views.  Proof of its active holiday credentials comes from the fact that The Cambrian has just been independently voted among the ‘50 Best Luxury Adventure Holidays in the World’ for 2012 by AdventureTemples™, an exciting new luxury adventure travel service and online community, with members worldwide.  As a four-star-superior hotel, The Cambrian represents great value for money, with rates starting from around £210 per night, for two people sharing a double room, including breakfast.

Adelboden, for which I also do the UK PR, is the most picture perfect mountain resort, filled to the rafters with traditional wooden chalets.  It was one of the resorts name-checked in The Guardian as a reason for falling for Switzerland.  Rupert Mellor wrote, “ If you like your pistes crowd-free and your powder plentiful, the inexplicably under-celebrated resort cluster of Adelboden (adelboden.ch), Andermatt and Val D’Anniviers  in the Bernese Oberland is where you should point your ski tips. Quaint weathered chalets and barns are the norm here, rather than shiny hotels and busy bars, and while the marked runs are mainly in the intermediate range, there’s a wealth of off-piste action in trees, powder fields and long, north-facing valleys which hold their snow beautifully”.   See the full article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/oct/07/switzerland-hotels-culture-architecture-zermatt.

This season, Adelboden is more accessible than ever, with Swiss airline Skywork (www.flyskywork.com) flying from London City to Berne-Belp, just a 45-minute drive from The Cambrian, one-way tickets cost from Euros 59 (approx £52); this is one of the fastest commercial routes into a Swiss ski resort and even makes a weekend break possible.

La Maison du Frene – remember the name

Last weekend, I popped over to the south of France, care of bmi baby from Birmingham to Nice and headed for the hills to stay at La Maison du Frene www.lamaisondufrene.com in Vence. Now, aside from the old town, Vence is not the prettiest town in the world, but it’s worth going there to stay at La Maison du Frene, which describes itself as a Guest-Art’House and has just four rooms. Despite booking well in advance, the only room free was the Pop Art Suite, which I loved, but I would have loved Suite Vallauris more… Many thanks to our consummate host Guy for looking after us so well…

An added bonus of staying at La Maison du Frene is that it’s only a hop, skip and a jump away from La Colombe d’Or, to which we retreated on Sunday for a long leisurely lunch.  The food isn’t the best, but the service and setting are fabulous, not to mention the original art in the dining room.

Brilliant Autumn Foliage in the Engadine

New England may be famous for the brilliance of its autumn foliage, but it’s not essential to cross the Atlantic to enjoy this annual phenomenon.  Switzerland’s Engadine, protected by high Alpine mountains on all sides, is heavily wooded, as well as being famous for its sunny climate and beautiful landscapes (Engadine in local Romantsch dialect means The Garden of the Inn River, as the valley is a veritable treasure trove of greenery), making it the perfect European destination to witness autumn colours set
against clear blue skies.

Visits to the Engadine at this time of year are particularly popular among hikers and artists; the light in the valley is so magical it led the 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to believe that he had found “the cradle of all silver tones”.  But for those who want to get out on the road and explore, guests of Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Pontresina can take out the hotel’s brand new Audi A3 convertible, which is available for all to use free of charge; the hotel simply asks that guests re-fill the car’s tank prior to return.

Grand Hotel Kronenhof’s autumn foliage package, offered until 15 October, includes dinner, bed and breakfast, complimentary use of the hotel’s stunning spa facilities, a 10% discount on spa treatments and unlimited use of all the mountain railways in the Engadine/St Moritz area.  Prices start from CHF 415 (approx £315) per night for two people sharing a beautiful double room; guests must stay a minimum of two nights.

For more details and to book, please visit the Grand Hotel Kronenhof website www.kronenhof.com.

Golf Mountain, the world’s only pop-up golf course, returns for a second round

The world’s first ever pop-up golf course, Golf Mountain, located on the pretty meadow plateau of Engstligenalp in Adelboden launched last year and was such a success that it’s back this year for a second round.

News of the pop-up golf course spread far and wide last year, resulting in one American tourist – who was on a 10-city, 14-day tour of Europe with his wife – leaving her to do the sights of Frankfurt alone, while he took a 1,000km round trip to Adelboden by taxi, simply so he could experience Golf Mountain for himself.

The pop up course is open for a limited period only; it closes on 16 October 2011.  So, if you want to secure your chance to play the world’s only natural pop-up golf course, book now.

The Cambrian, Adelboden (www.thecambrianadelboden.com), a member of Design Hotels and the only Mr&Mrs Smith hotel in Switzerland, has created a package that includes two nights’ B&B accommodation in a deluxe room, plus a four-course dinner on one night, two green fees, transfers to and from the hotel to the cable car that will take golfers up to the Engstligenalp, a sports massage and a small golf present.

Prices start from CHF 689 (approx £430) per person single occupancy and from CHF 509 (approx £315) per person for those sharing a double room.  To make a reservation, call +41 (0) 33 673 83 83 or e-mail info@thecambrianadelboden.com.  Skywork (www.flyskywork.com) now flies daily from London City Airport to Bern, prices start from Euros 59 each way (approx £50).