18 of the best hotels in Switzerland, from city stays to Alpine escapes

For a healthier take on the endless rounds of raclette and sinfully thick hot chocolate, Six Senses knows how to keep things lavishly light (and conveniently just above Crans Montana’s Cry d’Er Gondola, with balconies hovering above the slopes). True to the group’s form, this ski-in-ski-out hotel teases traditional chalet notions into a resolutely contemporary structure and interior, while keeping wellness, in its various iterations, front and centre. The spa has been known to lure the powder hounds back to base with its glossy outdoor pool, winking in the sunlight, a sensational indoor pool rippling below a MOMA-worthy wooden art installation and an invigorating, shoulder-lowering thermal circuit. It’s worth noting the hotel’s year-round appeal, with spring and summer peak hiking time, where the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc glow an ethereal green, and guests can slip into their riding boots for epic canters through the valleys.

Address: Six Senses Crans-Montana, Rte des Téléphériques 60, 3963 Crans-Montana, Switzerland

Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne

In plum position on the banks of Lake Geneva with the Swiss Alps jutting ahead, Beau-Rivage Palace is Lausanne’s comfortingly old-school grande dame, where heritage bedspreads and canopy fabrics are synchronised and chandeliers glitter like opulent disco balls in the morning light. Split across two buildings (both with Haussmann good looks), suites in the Beau Rivage side lean confidently into the traditionalism, while the Palace buildings bear the fancy-but-fresh hallmark of French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. A marble lobby, vast dome (La Rotonde) overlooking the gardens and its perfect slice of swimming pool, and Anne-Sophie Pic restaurant continue to thrum with the same European elite chitter chatter as all those years ago… it’s potentially less erudite, and slack on the dress codes, but it still buzzes with bourgeois energy. A small but significant techy feature in the Palace rooms is the ability to open blinds from the bed, revealing the lake in all its aquamarine glory and snow-capped mountains (a detail Coco Chanel would have almost certainly enjoyed during her decade-long stint as a resident of the Beau-Rivage Palace).

Address: Beau-Rivage Palace, Chem. de Beau-Rivage 21, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland