The 'Grande Dame' of Swiss hotels... Badrutt's Palace

The guests dining at the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St Moritz, nestled in amongst Switzerland's Engadine Valley, aren’t the only noteworthy subjects in the room. The walls of Le Restaurant's 100-year old dining room are adorned with an historic and valuable wallpaper known as ‘Eldorado’.

Eldorado is made by world famous wallpaper factory Zuber et Cie – which rose to fame thanks to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who decorated the reception room in the White House with the scenic mural ‘Vue de l'Amérique Nord’ and has since been gracing the homes of celebrities and politicians the world over.

At Le Restaurant, Eldorado has graced the walls of the prestigious dining room since 1913 and features a world utopia with four continents: South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. These are represented by the city of Vera Cruz, a Southern Alpine lake, the Bosporus strait, and the Pyramids and Sphinx, respectively.

Highly valuable... 'Eldorado' wallpaper

But to catch a glimpse of Eldorado’s creative landscapes and floral artistry, you’ll need to suit up. Dining at Le Restaurant is a very formal affair and the dress code demands a jacket and tie.

Le Restaurant serves a daily menu of French haute cuisine in a classical, candlelit setting with a live music ensemble and is also open for breakfast, where a harpist accompanies the expansive buffet.

History buffs will be keen to know that Zuber et Cie is the last remaining international factory to print wallpaper using woodblocks. The French manufacturer has an archive of 100,000 carved woodblocks from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Zuber et Cie wallpaper is considered the most expensive in the world (a scenic mural known as 'Les guerres d’indépendence' is 15m wide and valued at USD $40,500) and the antique woodblocks used to create it are classified as French national treasures.

www.badruttspalace.com

Fantastic winter deal ... Kulm Hotel

If you’re thinking of a ski holiday this European winter, now is a pretty good time to book as many hotels offer severely reduced rates on pre-Christmas skiing packages, when the slopes are relatively quiet and – if the last few years are any indication – some of the best snow is to be enjoyed.

To be sure of finding snow early in the season, it makes sense to look for resorts at higher altitude, such as the world-renowned St. Moritz high up in the Engadine Valley at over 1800 metres. An added bonus is the great weather of the Engadine; it’s virtually guaranteed, given that the sun shines on 322 days of the year.

Two of the finest award-winning properties in the region have special ski deals that are valid for the first weeks of December and towards the end of the season.

Book a two to five-night “Ski Special” at the legendary Kulm Hotel St. Moritz (www.kulmhotel-stmoritz.ch) from November 30 to December 21 2011, or March 18 to March 31 2012, and rates start at CHF 640 (approx £500) per person for two nights, including all services, tax and VAT, a saving of up to 30 per cent on a holiday in the peak months of January through March.

The “Ski Special” includes two to five nights’ half-board accommodation, a ski pass for the entire Upper Engadine ski region for the duration of the package, transfers to and from the train station, a sea salt bath of your choice and complimentary use of the hotel’s stunning Panorama SPA & Health Club.

Just six kilometres away, sister property Grand Hotel Kronenhof (www.kronenhof.com) in nearby Pontresina, also has a great package.

This peaceful mountain resort provides easy access to the more famous St. Moritz but a refreshing tranquillity at the end of a hard day’s skiing; relax with a walk through the charming streets lined with old Engadine houses dating to the 17th and 18th centuries or retreat to the hotel’s modern spa with its indoor pools, steam rooms, saunas and treatment rooms.

The Grand Hotel Kronenhof’s “Winter Special” Package includes half-board accommodation and complimentary use of the hotel’s 2000 square metre Spa. Prices start from CHF 395 (approx £310) per person, per night; this package is valid from December 2 to December 18 2011, as well as from January 9 to January 19 2012.

To book either of these great packages you can call the Kulm Hotel St Moritz on +41 81 836 8000 or email reservations@kulmhotel-stmoritz.ch

Alternatively, call the Grand Hotel Kronenhof on +41 81 830 3030 or email reservations@kronenhof.com

High calorie kiss ... a fondue at altitude

OK I’m not going to lie to you. I drink a fair bit. Which is how I got into a spot of bother in St Moritz.

Nothing to do with the hotel I’m reviewing mind, which is fantastic by the way and I spent many, many happy hours ensconced in the Piano Bar telling yarns about my skiing prowess, each tale taller than the last. Wait a minute: you two swap places.

No how it happened was this.

I like to ski in places below the tree line. Australia is especially great for that.

To duck behind a gum tree at an opportune time and ski away, leaving nothing but a hole in the snow is one of the supreme pleasures of being in God’s chintzy outdoors in the first place.

Sadly on this particular hungover morn I was miles up, having caught a vernicular up to the tippy tippy top on the Swiss Alps.

After a while hydraulic pressure caught up with me, and, there being no trees in the vicinity I decided to ski under the rope and over a small ridge, off-piste as it were.

As I was minding my own business doing what men have been doing for thousands of years, there was an ominous crack. The snow beneath me gave way and I fell about 2m into a creek bed.

There I was, in an ice cave, up to my waist in frozen running water my 176cm Rossignol carvers crunching on jagged subterranean rocks.

Needless to say, when I finally dug myself out I needed a beer like no tongue can tell.

A sauna at the Crystal after a day’s skiing in soaked gear is the best cure for incipient frostbite that I know.

The Crystal is part of the Small Luxury Hotel’s of the World brand, is in the heart of town and a very short walk to all the best hangouts.

Or you can do as I did, and after drying off, giving my hair a going over with a bug rake and some minor detailing, head to the piano bar.

I go to the Crystal for its five-star service at a four star-price, and I keep coming back for the food, friendly staff and authentic ski-lodge feel.

My first day on the slopes and two cable car rides gets me to over 3000m to the top of Piz Corvatsch. From there, there are plenty of choices on a mountain that frankly flatters my skiing abilities. I ski down a red run on the mighty Corvatsch glacier.
The first thing I notice is how much easier the turns are in my light powder  Rossignols (this is before the rock crunching incident).

Either all the work I did in the sweating place (gymnasium ) paid off, or there have been some changes to skiing technology.

Maybe it’s the altitude, but all too soon it’s time to find a bar, a beer and a bowl of steaming fondue. I ski to a restaurant near Corvatsch Mittelstation and order an icy cold litre of Swiss Calanda beer to take the edge off my thirst. And a bottle of Primitivo Italian red to go with the fondue. I insist on some cured meats and a hot dog or two to dip into the fondue – like I’m going to sit there and eat bread and cheese without meat.

At the next table, a happy loving couple is sharing a high calorie kiss with their fondue. I take a photo of them without them noticing.

Some more skiing on some of the finest runs in Europe (always strangely drawn back to the restaurant at Corvatsch for more refreshments) and it’s time to make my tired but sated way back to the Crystal for a shower, sauna, spa, rubdown and a lie down, and another shower and dinner in Crystal’s own restaurant.

Herr Marc Kilchenmann, Crystal’s general manager, urges me to order the line-caught sea bass. The restaurant has a different theme every night, and tonight it’s Italian. Executive chef Paolo Platin personally rubs the sea bass with lemon thyme. It’s baked, and so am I by this time, and served with asparagus and potatoes (the fish I mean, not me).

Italy is just to the south, and the hotel buys all its Mediterranean foods there.
I wash the sea bass down with a 2005 Venica sauvignon blanc, which is dry but fruity enough to take on the sea bass. Then it’s off to the hotel’s bar, where an Italian singer on the piano is happy to take my requests.

I share stories of my exploits on the slopes with my fellow guests, each tale more hair-raising than the last.

The Crystal has the friendliest staff you can find in St Moritz and the best location. They are also happy to organise transfers from the station if you choose to come on the train up from Chur.
My room has plenty of exposed timber, again for that ski lodge feel, a monster timber bed, heated towel rails and a huge balcony, with a view over the village, the slopes above, and it’s where I rest my beer (the forecast is for -5C tonight). There is also a dressing room in my room and a huge bath you could do laps in.

Barry Walker

Crystal St Moritz

Switzerland

Via Traunter Plazzas 1

7500 St. Moritz – SwitzerlandPhone : +41 – 81 836 26 26

Email: stay@crystalhotel.ch

www.crystalhotel.ch