Badrutt's Palace, St Moritz: Inside a 'Top 50' hotel winner
Not many properties get their name on The World’s 50 Best Hotels, but Badrutt's Palace made the grade (see our review on No.1 here...). It is the only hotel in Switzerland - and the only mountain hotel anywhere - to make it on the list (which includes industry-defining hotels from 35 different locations across six continents worldwide). If you're on the lookout for a beautiful ski hotel, this one truly makes the grade. So what makes it so special? We sent writer Georgie D'Arcy to find out...
Arriving at St Moritz train station to a waiting, chauffeur-driven, shiny black Rolls Royce Phantom (worth a casual £500,000), was not an experience I was expecting when I accepted the invitation to visit St Moritz, but I soon realised this was just the beginning and would set the standard for the rest of the weekend. Upon arriving at the stunning hotel which is situated in the middle of the snowy town on a street lined with designer stores (Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Giorgio Armani to name a few), I am shown to my room by a very happy member of staff dressed in the iconic uniform of black gold and red tails, complete with a top hat.
The room itself is larger than my 500sq ft London flat, consisting of a large hallway, Italian marble drenched bathroom with a separate rainfall shower, bath, and his and hers sinks. There are signature toiletries and fluffy white robes, towels and slippers that are discreetly refreshed as soon as they are used. The bedroom is full of exquisite mahogany furniture, a super king-sized bed, 6 large wardrobes, a large TV, desk and French doors leading onto a balcony with a direct view of the frozen St Moritz Lake and the snowy mountains behind.
Later I’m given a tour of some of the suites which have been host to many famous guests, such as suite 501, now aptly named the Hitchcock suite after Sir Alfred Hitchcock, who wrote his cinematic masterpiece ‘The Birds’ while staying here. Many of the suites contain walk in wardrobes, separate living rooms, free standing baths, rare antique furniture and famous paintings that look like they belong in a gallery rather than a hotel. Upon asking about the furniture and paintings (my dad is an art and antique dealer, specialising in 18th century English furniture and modern art) I am informed they have their own full-time in-house antique and furniture restoration team which sounds about right with this calibre of interiors! I was also lucky enough to be able to view the incredibly exclusive three-storey private Tower Penthouse Apartment which has been occupied by a top-secret guest (undisclosed to anyone!) for 30 years, but is now available to book. Complete with 3,412 square feet of space, four bedrooms each with en-suite bathrooms, a living room, and two tower balconies with magnificent views, guests are able to be left to their own devices or use the hotels facilities as they wish.
Though a prime location for skiing, Badrutt’s Palace is not a standard ski resort hotel and you definitely don’t have to step into skis to enjoy yourself here. When the lake freezes over in winter it is used as an arena for car shows and the snow polo world cup bringing a glamorous audience along with it, think fur coats and old school glamour. And in the summer, even though it’s 1800 metres above sea level, the lake is used for sailing as the Maloja winds ensure great wind conditions.
But if you are a keen skier, you won’t find a more luxurious way to experience it. The hotel’s ski room is the most efficient and glamorous I’ve ever seen. You can buy ski wear from brands like Cordova, Goldbergh and Fusalp (which is definitely the style of fashion on the mountain). I’m pleased I fit into the aesthetic as I bought a new white jumpsuit from ‘My Sunday Ski’ specially for the trip, so I only need to rent boots and skis. They simply look at my feet and bring me the right pair of very comfortable boots, putting them on for me (a new and welcome experience!) and I’m in and out within 5 minutes. We are then chauffeured to the base of the lifts where we are directed by our guide who takes us exploring the best slopes. There is a huge ski area, with 190 acres of terrain and 88 pistes, ranging from easy blue slopes to more challenging unpisted blacks. For people wanting to take it easy and roll into a long leisurely lunch, Paradiso is Badrutt’s private members après restaurant on the side of the mountain overlooking the slopes where you are greeted with full length faux fur coats to wear, crisp rosé and black truffled freshly shaved over many of the main courses.
The hotel also has a jaw-dropping spa with Aesop products, endless fluffy towels, 2 steam rooms (one salt scented and one eucalyptus), an ice room and 2 saunas. Following that is the pool area with huge glass windows overlooking the mountains, and an indoor-outdoor jacuzzi separated by a glass wall, opened by the press of a button, very James Bond. You can of course also have a range of treatments from classic massage and facials to more advanced body treatments.
The food is equally as impressive as the rest of the hotel, with 12 restaurants and the oldest nightclub in Switzerland, The Kings Social House. These range from Chesa Veglia which serve indulgent black truffle fondue, smoked fish and pizza, to La Coupole, the signature Japanese-Peruvian restaurant from world-famous chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. And new for 2024 is a residency from 2 Michelin starred chef Chef Eric Kragh Vildgaard and his wife Tina Kragh Vildgaard.
Every meal I ate was truly exceptional and breakfast was no different. Served in the ball room it is a buffet like you’ve never seen before. Silver champagne buckets filled with bottles of Dom Perignon which guests can help themselves to and a selection of food from all the cuisines you could wish for, from Miso soup and dim sum to classic French croissants. You can also order from the menu, on one of the mornings I ordered eggs Florentine, which to my surprise and delight came with a generous shaving of black truffle which wasn’t even mentioned on the menu.
Spending a long weekend at Badrutt’s Palace was an unforgettable experience, one I can’t quite believed happened if I’m honest, and it opened my eyes to levels of luxury I didn’t even know existed. Hopefully one day I’ll be lucky enough to come back!
BOOK A STAY AT BADRUTT'S PALACE
Looking for more winter holiday inspo? Check out our pick of the prettiest places to visit for a winter snow holiday, then stock up on the coolest ski gear too.
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