This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
A room with a view has long been an everyday luxury in the Alps; it’s easy to take those mighty mountainous vistas beyond the windowpanes for granted. New hotels are making even more use of the natural world on their doorsteps, with wood-and-stone designs inspired by the local landscapes and restaurants celebrating the earth’s larder through foraged ingredients and high-altitude edible gardens. And for travellers, innovative experiences await: you can join raclette tasting sessions, visit a local farmer’s mountain pasture or simply kick back after a day on the trails with a homemade schnapps.
1. Straubinger Grand Hotel
Best for: old-world romantics
No stone was left unturned in the transformation of this landmark address dating to 1840, which reopened in late 2023 following a two-year renovation. Set in the spa town of Bad Gastein, between a thundering waterfall and the rocky peaks of Austria’s Salzburg Alps, it’s retained a classic, grand-dame facade. But it’s the inside that dazzles most: period frescoes, wall panelling and oak parquet flooring are paired with a modern palette of green, amber and spa blue. Haute cuisine is served in the grandiose former ballroom beneath a Viennese cut-glass chandelier, or more intimately around the chef’s private table. From €449 (£389).
2. Grace La Margna St Moritz
Best for: night owls
Taking over a 20th-century building, this is St Moritz’s first luxury boutique hotel, as well as one of the few options in the Swiss resort that stays open year-round. The 74 rooms are split between two wings: La Margna, which is set in the original structure and retains some of its art nouveau elements; and new, adjacent Grace, where every bed comes with floor-to-ceiling windows. There are restaurants serving Mediterranean and brasserie-style dishes, plus a lounge for afternoon tea. Most exciting is N/5 — The Bar, where mixologists serve luxury cocktails such as the trinidad (Havana Paraiso rum, chinotto liqueur and dandelion bitters). Stay for late nights of dancing with DJs. From CHF 410 (£368).
Grace La Margna St Moritz is one of the few properties which stays open year-round.
Photograph by Brechenmacher Baumann
3. Krone Säumerei am Inn
Best for: intrepid gourmets
In Switzerland’s Engadin region, American gooseberry, Szechuan pepper, Japanese myoga ginger and sea buckthorn grow at altitudes of up to 5,577 feet. This is the edible garden of well-travelled Brit James Baron, hotel manager and head chef at Krone Säumerei am Inn, housed in a 16th-century former farmhouse in La Punt Chamues-ch. His restaurant La Chavallera (Romansch for ‘trading merchant’), named after the pedlars who once stayed here while crossing the Alps on foot, landed a Michelin star for its modern Alpine cuisine just three months after opening in 2022. Four- to eight-course dinners surprise with unusual pairings such as cucumber, melon and caviar, or sturgeon with dried pear. From CHF 250 (£228).
4. Refuge Le Nant Brun
Best for: adventurers
It doesn’t get more grassroots than spending a night in a refuge sur l’alpage — a traditional mountain hut shepherds live in when summering with their flocks. Try it in the remote hamlet of Deux Nants, in the French Alps’ Belleville Valley. Since 2023, friends Violaine Regazzoni and Amandine Besson have welcomed hikers in four pinewood rooms sleeping two to six, with wine-red throws and weather-beaten window shutters. Dining is convivial and on the hearty side: sit around shared wooden tables and feast on saucissons (air-dried pork and wild boar sausages), Savoyard crozets (tiny buckwheat pasta squares) and valley-brewed Brâva Vela craft beer. From €70 (£60).
5. Armancette
Best for: a family trip
Set in the compact resort of St Nicolas de Véroce, five-star hotel-restaurant Armancette is prime real estate for families keen to tumble out of bed and onto grassy slopes. It has four new self-catering timber chalets sleeping eight to 14, with log fireplaces and spellbinding mountain views. Guests can arrange to receive a breakfast of baguettes and buttery croissants, freshly baked in Armancette’s on-site boulangerie. To experience the Haute-Savoyard village’s pastoral heartbeat, ask reception to direct you along hiking trails to Alpage de Porcherey, the summer pastures of third-generation farmer Julien Rigole; he milks his cows twice-daily, at 6am and 6pm, and makes cheese at 8am. Chalets from €1,200 (£950).
6. MILKA
Best for: active travellers
The joy of each season is felt keenly at this boutique hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking Lake Jasna, in Slovenia’s Julian Alps. Its six minimalist rooms reflect the nature outside, using logs as accent tables and rugged rock formations as showpieces. Head chef and owner David Žefran sources his ingredients from farmers, producers and artisans within a 60-mile radius. On warm summer days, swim in the lake’s emerald-green waters, then return to the hotel for a dessert combining peaches with freshly cut hay, meadowsweet blossom and creamy yoghurt made at a nearby goat farm. From €375 (£325).
Boutique hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant MILKA overlooks Lake Jasna, in Slovenia’s Julian Alps.
Photograph by Claudio Parada Nunez
7. Stearawirt’s Hauserei
Best for: curious learners
Spruce, pine and silver fir lie at the hand-crafted heart of this self-styled ‘herb hotel’ in the Austrian Tyrol’s Lech Nature Park. The property’s been run by the same family since it was founded as a farmer’s inn in 1960; in late 2022, four generations later, Tanja and Guntram Hauser refurbished it into the valley’s first design hotel. One of Europe’s last wild rivers, the Lech gushes past the building, which has 15 wood-clad rooms in the original inn and 12 ones in a new wing. Summer workshops explore the world of herbs; herbal educators share tips and tinctures with guests; and a shot of Tanja’s herbal schnapps is the only way to end a dinner. From €200 (£173).
8. Hotel Bergeblick
Best for: wellness lovers
Locals boast about the crisp air in the German spa town of Bad Tölz, where the tradition of beer brewing dates back to the 15th century. Sipping a local Bavarian pint in Hotel Bergeblick’s rooftop lounge, entirely surrounded by nature and overlooking the foothills of the Alps, it’s easy to understand why. Opened in 2023, this contemporary, wood-and-glass hotel pays homage to the local wellness tradition with dedicated spaces for contemplation and meditation. Rooms have calming cream and taupe palettes, and the spa’s plunge and outdoor pools are heated with wood chips to soothe aching muscles after a long day’s exploring. From €278 (£241).
9. Odles Lodge
Best for: peace-seekers
Unveiled in 2023 at an altitude of 5,905 feet, deep in Italy’s South Tyrolean Alps, these four two-guest, adults-only lodges have a kitchen and stocked fridge on arrival. Visitors wake up to a wooden breakfast box on their doorstep— homemade jams, fresh bread, local smoked salmon and trout — and have access to the restaurant at Forestis Dolomites, the lodges’ sister hotel a mile down the mountainside. Here, chef Roland Lamprecht’s ‘forest cuisine’ celebrates foraged herbs and local vegetables in ever-changing, multi-course tasting menus. From €550 (£477).
The Six Sense’s Swiss debut opened in 2023 and aptly includes one of the Alps largest spas.
Photograph by Six Senses Crans-Montana
10. Six Senses Crans-Montana
Best for: jet-setters
Opened in 2023, Six Sense’s Swiss debut lives up to the expectations set by the luxury chain. The 78-room hotel has a rooftop pool and one of the Alps’ largest spas, but for gourmets, the local cuisine is a particular highlight. In the rustic Wild Cabin restaurant, lunches feature raclette-filled croque monsieurs and pine-needle ice cream. Meanwhile, a ‘guest experience maker’ can arrange cheese-making sessions with shepherds and raclette tastings in a nearby, 16th-century château. From CHF 1,000 (£912).
Published in the Alps guide 2024, distributed with the May 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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