Media Information

 

For further information, contact:

Sue Lowry / Melanie Childs

Magellan Public Relations

Tel:  020 8875 2850; Fax:  020 8875 2851

Email:  [email protected]

Website:  www.magellan-pr.com

 

 

From A to Z – A Five-Star Experience

Gstaad Saanenland: For Great Holiday Enjoyment

 

March 2002 * * * When God created the Earth, He must have spent some time with Saanenland.  As they say in the valley, weary from His labours, He rested His hand on the landscape and thus created the five valleys around Gstaad.  From the culinary aspect, the journey ranges from the homely menu to the five-star dinner in acclaimed gourmet restaurants. The three five-star hotels offer a wide variety of wellness, beauty and fitness programmes and shopping in the traffic-free promenade provides for exclusive encounters. 

Wander around Gstaad. A stroll in the traffic-free pedestrian zone – paved in traditional art with Guber-natural stone – with its stylish lanterns and numerous trees is an absolute “must”. The cosy atmosphere of the street cafes entices one to stay and shop in Gstaad with its select boutiques and art galleries fulfilling every conceivable wish. 

Progress and Growth

The Palace Hotel, which overlooks the village, is the icon of the tourism success story of Gstaad. The ideally located five-star property came into family hands with the construction of the Montreux-Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB). Today, the region has two other five-star hotels – the Grand Hotel Park in Gstaad and the Hotel Ermitage in Schönried. With an exclusive spectrum of services in the interest of wellness, fitness and beauty, these three hotels offer rest and recuperation for its guests.

Culinary Summit

Select menus and superb wines are served in the first-class restaurants.

 

Ø                  With a new, proud rating of 18 Gault Millau-points, Robert Speth guarantees extra special delicacies at his Chesery restaurant in the village centre of Gstaad.

 

Restaurant Chesery

Lauenenstrasse

CH-3780 Gstaad

Tel. +41 (0)33-744 24 51

 

Ø  The restaurant Sonnenhof, which is situated in a peaceful spot overlooking Saanen and the valley, extends an invitation to wine and dine from the host – the renowned Bernese Uplands chef, Erich Baumer.  Erich captivates his guests from near and far with the finest dishes and his restaurant has been honoured with 15 Gault Millau points.

 

Restaurant Sonnenhof

Unterbort

CH-3792 Saanen

Tel. +41 (0)33-744 10 23

Fax +41 (0)33-744 10 37

 

Ø                  An ascent to a height of 6350 feet over sea level also ensures some magnificent views from the mountain restaurant Wasserngrat, Michael Kneubühler spoils adventurous guests in winter with a high-level, homely cuisine (13 Gault Millau-points).

 

Berg Restaurant Wasserngrat

Chalet Central

CH-3780 Gstaad

Tel. +41 (0)33-748 96 22

Fax +41 (0)33-748 96 23

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.wasserngrat.ch

 

Ø                  The Gstaad Gourmet Week “Saveurs”, (which takes place at the beginning of July every year), also promises five-star delights of every type. Top-class, celebrated chefs from all over Switzerland seduce visitors into a land of new sensations - for example, herbal rambles, a „dejeuner sur l’Herbe“ or a lavish dinner.  This culinary flight of fancy culminates in an exhilarating balloon flight from Pilatus-Porter to the Wildhorn, with an obligatory glass of champagne after touch down.

 

Golf for the Demanding

The alpine 18-hole golf course is located in the midst of a natural glade in a forest on the edge of a flat moor. Irrespective of whether one is a novice, a progressive or a handicapped player, everyone finds their form on the golf course that was created at the beginning of the 1960s. The course is playable from late May to the end of October. The driving range, putting and pitching greens, as well as the practice bunker are open to the public and to all golf players.

 

Golden Times in the Train

The spectacular journey with the legendary Montreux-Oberland Bernois Railway from Gstaad to Montreux in the historic Pullman coaches ensures a deluxe-railway excursion across the linguistic border to the French-speaking town-ships on the Lake of Geneva (Lake Leman). The exclusive “Golden Pass Panoramic Express” has a panoramic coach and an ingenious high-tech, board-information system.

 

Every String Top Class

Lord Menuhin, who died in 1999, was admired worldwide as a musician, humanist and freeman of Gstaad, and the founder of the Classical Music Festival bearing his name in 1957. Every year, from July to September, internationally known stars, as well as up-and coming talent, honour the classical world of music. The 40 or more concerts that are held in the Menuhin marquee in the middle of Gstaad or in one of the nearby churches enable the audiences to forget the chores of everyday life.

 

Lovers of cultured chamber music visit the “Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad” in the second half of February, where international stars fulfil the stringent requests of the multi-cultural audiences.

 

Very British: Tennis and Polo

Fans of top-class sporting events are not neglected in Saanenland either with the International Gstaad Tennis Tournament and the “Alliance Swiss Open” in mid-July. Players from all over the world compete for game, set and match in the first clay-court tournament after Wimbledon.

 

There is a particular English feel to the “Polo Silver Cup”. Saddled on their horses, jockeys from all over the world chase the little white ball on the green matting along the perimeter of the Saanen airport. The spectators find it not only entertaining to watch – but also a place „to be seen“. 

Contact point in Gstaad:

Eduardo Zywssig

Manager Marketing & PR Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Promenade, CH-3780 Gstaad

Tel. 0041 33-748 81 81

Fax 0041 33 748 81 83

E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.gstaad.ch