What we love:

The feeling of staying at a private chalet, due to the small number of suites and high amount of staff
The luxurious complimentary shuttle bus wherever you want to go, including lots of San Pellegrino bottles
The super exclusive La Prairie spa area with a an amazing indoor pool and a hot outdoor jacuzzi
The plenty Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte toiletries
The spacious layout of the suites, the expensive furniture and the surround-sound system
Complimentary minibar including a bottle of Bollinger, two wines and edible gold

Best for:

Spa, Luxury, Gourmet and Wintersport

Points:

9.5 out of 10

The perfect song:
Can't Let You Go -
Calmani & Grey

I love to read selected newspapers and magazines, especially (how can it be different) travel magazines. Well, I am frequently reading Conde Nast Traveller and Sunday Times Travel - they are simply the best on the market beside the cool Sleeper magazine and I have a subscription of the Hideaways magazine. Last one is a german high gloss magazine generally presenting always the same hotels and resorts, and I already considered cancelling this one but as luck may have it, it got me this dazzling hotel stay. I strolled through the magazine for future trips and there it was a brand new five star luxury hotel in Switzerland I have never heard of before: The Ultima Gstaad. It did not take long until I could convince the most glamorous women in my life to join me on this weekend getaway and a two months later we found ourselves in the car with blue sky on the windy road from Aigle (near Montreux) to Gstaad-Saanen. Being such an impressive road, we were slightly disappointed that the drive from Lausanne was just an hour. However we were super excited to finally see the recently opened Ultima Gstaad (they opened in December 2016). We have seen amazing pictures already and news were going crazy about this property - thanks to Instagram-celebrity Gianluca Vacchi who is frequenting this property and made their Great Gatsby New Year's eve to the number one event to be in Switzerland.

So I needed to see this place on my own. We finally arrived, parked the car and were surprised about the understated entrance. As the most expensive hotel in the country, I had a slightly different impression, but the today's trend goes towards unobtrusive luxury so it was absolutely fine when we entered the lobby and were welcomed by an array of staff and one of the biggest crystal chandeliers I have ever seen in my life. The Concierge greeted us in a friendly way, offered us a welcome drink in the bar while he brought over the check-in papers. While the staff took care of the car, ski equipment and our luggage, we were served two amazing raspberry mojitos. I can say the vibes of the hotel were truly amazing, including elegant music, perfect atmosphere and the right amount of staff members - I hate when there as too much staff members at small hotels. Once we finished the drink, the receptionist showed us our way to the Suite. What I did not expect was a generous upgrade to their Signature Suite - the one that is being showcased on every feature and picture of the Ultima Gstaad. With just 11 suites, it felt like a true pleasure to stay in their second most amazing room.

The door opened and I cannot say which feeling was more overwhelming: The wow effect of the vast suite or the fact that this will be our place for two nights. I guess it was a mix of just amazingness. Well, there was an entree and a walk-in wardrobe that could also be in the Royal Suite of the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. OMG were the only words to say, followed by no breath once we stepped into the open living- and bedroom of the Signature Suite. An oversized sofa, two armchairs, a luxurious working desk, an electronic fire place as well as a super big king size bed were the main highlights of this area. We moved forward to explore the bathroom and I can say it was also amazing! With a big tub, walk-in shower, separated toilet and double vanities and a sofa next to the tub as well as a window onto the bedroom this bath was just heaven. The last time I was so impressed of a bath was at the Raffles Istanbul. Did I also mention the PLENTY toiletries by Hermes? Well, I would say the amount of toiletries at the world's most expensive ski hotel (the Aurelio Lech) was a joke compared to the Ultima! They had 2 sets of shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, body lotion and bath foam next to the bathtub, two sets in the shower and another one next to the sinks with lib balm, Eau de Toilette and aftershave - and really all of them were in the famous scent of Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermes. Plus there was even the famous soap bar in the green plastic box (a unique piece in today's toiletries business :) ).

Still being impressed by the suite, it turned out that the entire minibar was free. This meant a bottle of Bollinger was due to be killed and two bottles of wine ready for the next day. What is better matching a good champagne than edible gold? Well, at the Ultima Gstaad even the welcome amenities are ultra-luxurious. Handmade pastries came along with it as a handwritten letter. That's how I love to be welcomed - it's the guest that is being appreciated not his wallet. In general the suite was flawless, even the details were perfect: I had the right pillows, there were enough towels per person, enough drinks in the complimentary minibar plus snacks (also free), the room had the right temperature, perfectly comfortable seating area as well as the possibility to listen to your own music via the own sound system located in the wardrobe - this was the absolute highlight! On the other hand I have to admit that the technology inside the room went beyond too far and even I was a little bit overstrained. Well, we have to get used to it sooner or later.

Back to business, we had the pleasure to dine at the gorgeous hotel restaurant thats to the half board arrangement. While prices were record high for the food, I have to admit that it was such an outstanding experience, but due to the long hotel review I decided to let the pictures speak about this. It felt like having our own team of chefs and service staff with being served the finest food in the world. Their menu was very selective with famous dishes such as lobster, beef tenderloin, tuna tartare and fresh fish grilled in a piece as well as chicken fillet for two with truffles. While we enjoyed the bar and the suite slightly too long on the first night, we overslept breakfast in a certain way, however staff knew that we did not arrive on time and since nobody ordered breakfast in room, they kept our table and were still serving breakfast at 11.30am for us. I found this to be super amazing and thank the two kind ladies of the restaurant for providing us with this special service. Breakfast is generally only a la carte, so it does not really matter whether you have it at the restaurant or en-suite what we did on the last day - and we did not regret it, it's still luxury to have breakfast in bed.

Another highlight of The Ultima Gstaad is the La Prairie Spa on the basement. I have really seen nice spas but this one remains one of the most beautiful once. Everything is just super luxurious and all materials feel extremely expensive, might it be the marble, the wooden floor or the pool tiles. The entire spa looked just perfect and everybody who knows me knows that I am in love with the Spa at the Corinthia London. Well, this one was very similar and therefore can definitely make it on the list! We also had the pleasure to enjoy a 30-minute treatment. While I went for a classic neck massage, my better half had one of the La Prairie Signature facial treatments and looked even better than she normally does. Beside the perfectly heated indoor pool (not too hot so you can do lengths, but not too cold to not enjoy it), there is an indoor jacuzzi, cozy cocoons with fur cushions and an oversized outdoor jacuzzi which was amazing. The temperature was more than perfect and we stayed there for nearly 30 minutes. It is just wow! I really wanted to use their perfectly equipped gym by TechnoGym, however we were short in time and also had to use their complimentary shuttle service (with plenty of San Pellegrino - in case you should run out of it in the minibar) to wherever you want - we chose to go to the town centre which is nice idea for the ladies but definitely not for a mens credit card.

All in all, the Ultima Gstaad is an AMAZING property and definitely fit for the most discerning travellers out there. While I did not stay at the other three luxury hotels in Gstaad, I am sure that the Ultima Gstaad (and now with an official rating of 5-stars-superior) is the most outstanding one - also in terms of staff to guest ratio with it's small amount of just 11 suites! I loved it and if there is ever the chance to come back, I will immediately use it without any second to hesitate - even considering the price tag.

I was generously invited by the Ultima Gstaad for editorial purposes. However all above written expresses our own opinion and has not been influenced.