Gstaad, welcome at the Hermitage

This region, we found it in Switzerland, in the Bernese Oberland. It is there, in the posh village of Gstaad, that Johnny Halliday bought a chalet. It is therefore that the place is well chosen! Our hotel in the hamlet of Schönried fully deserves its five stars. Four large traditional chalets form a discreetly elegant hotel complex which welcomes both a select clientele and simple tourists in search of well-being. The Ermitage hotel has a generous and luxurious space dedicated to the well-being of body and mind.

Rooms, suites, common areas: everything is cosy, comfortable, with bay windows opening onto the mountain. The temptation not to move from the hotel is strong! But we didn't come all this way so as not to enjoy the scenery.

During the day, we therefore leave with the guides of the hotel. Depending on the mood of the day, it will be a sports outing on skis with Christian, or a snowshoe outing with Ruth. Both are charming and incredibly kind! If Christian knows the best refuges to eat, Ruth gives a taste of fruit from her orchard that she has dried herself.
A beautiful path leads to Gstaad and its luxury boutiques. We have a hot chocolate in one of the tea rooms while watching a few furs pass by. To go back to Schönried, we take the train. As everywhere in Switzerland, public transport works well!

Back at the hotel, it was impossible to pass the pastries buffet (luckily we lost a few calories in the mountains.....). But then we head straight for the wellness area. To loosen the muscles, swim a little in the saltwater pool and its massage jets, followed by a few lengths in the pool reserved for swimming.

After this effort, head to the sauna area. Few hotels offer such a vast choice. No less than ten different saunas and three steam baths allow you to vary the pleasures, not to mention the aquadome and its giant Jacuzzi. Small clarification: in Switzerland, as in Austria and Germany, you go naked to the sauna, but you don't forget to bring towels to put your buttocks and feet on! And we keep quiet so as not to incur the wrath of others. If there are people who come in swimming shorts and who speak loudly, they are either Italians or French... So, let's make a good impression for once!

Then comes the difficult choice of the rest room and we decide to try them all. Just as difficult, choosing a massage from the wide range of treatments offered. As we are in the mountains, we opt for a “luxury Alpienne” treatment, with natural products: foot bath, whirlpool bath, private hammam, rest with a glass of champagne, massage. We leave the small room like on a cloud!

The evening at the Ermitage must begin at the fabulous bar where a million small Swarowski stones shine, a surprising touch of modernity in the traditional environment. While sipping our cocktail, we discreetly detail the other customers: but, tonight, there is no show star among the guests. Never mind. Anyway, it's time to join our table in one of the Ermitage restaurants for a little gourmet dinner.