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Luxury hotel breaks in Switzerland

7th July 2010 Print
Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina

Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina, an award-winning hotel set in the heart of Switzerland’s picturesque Engadine Valley, has put together a selection of packages to suit every taste this summer: there are short breaks for two, week-long breaks for the family, long weekends away for avid golfers, a week’s holiday for hikers and spa packages for those in search of pure relaxation.

The “Time for Two” package offers a great opportunity for couples, sisters, mothers and daughters or best friends to escape for three nights to enjoy welcome Champagne, half-board accommodation, a private horse-drawn carriage to Val Roseg and, the pièce de la resistance, exclusive use of the hotel’s private spa suite for two hours, with its double hydrojet bath and king-size waterbed, where guests receive a simultaneous 25-minute aroma massage and a rasul ceremony in the steam bath, as well as exquisite small snacks. Prices start from CHF1,040 (approx £630) per person.

“Fun for Kids & Co” gives families a full week to explore all that the Engadine has to offer. In addition to half-board accommodation, this package includes breakfast at the Morteratsch demonstration cheese dairy, one 25-minute partial body massage for the parents, as well as unlimited use of the Kronenhof Spa, and for the kids, supervised games and sports, their own restaurant and the hotel’s own supervised Krönchen Club for children aged three or over. Prices start from CHF 1,775 (approx £1,075) per adult; from CHF 1,330 (approx £805) for two children up to the age of 14, not including half-board.

For keen golfers, “Golfissimo” provides golfers with the chance to spend three nights discovering the golf courses of the Engadine. The package includes half-board accommodation, green fees at sister hotel the Kulm Hotel St Moritz’s 9-hole golf course, the oldest course in Switzerland, and either the Zuoz or Samedan 18-hole golf courses, with a 20-minute bath designed for aching muscles and a 25-minute back and neck massage to aid relaxation in the evening. Prices start from CHF 950 (approx £575) per person.

For those who love hiking up mountains, breathing in the crisp mountain air and simply admiring the stunning Alpine vistas, the “Mountain Trekking Week” is the perfect package. Included in the price is half-board accommodation, with a romantic candle-lit dinner in the gourmet restaurant Kronenstübli on one night, a half-day guided tour, one breakfast on the Alp Languard or the Morteratsch demonstration cheese dairy and a host of spa treatments designed to re-energise at the end of the day (one relaxing 20-minute hydrojet massage bath, one 25-minute sport-revitalising leg wrap, one 25-minute sports massage). Prices start at CHF 2,255 (approx £1,365) per person.

For spa lovers, Grand Hotel Kronenhof has created the “Break Away Relaxation Package” to help guests gain maximum benefit from its impressive 2,000 square metre spa. In addition to three nights’ half-board accommodation, guests will enjoy one 20-minute relaxing Alpine wild herb bath, one 25-minute regenerating body wrap, one 50-minute Kronenhof anti-stress massage and one 60-minute Carita Express facial for ladies/one 60-minute personal training session for men. Prices start from CHF 1,075 (approx £650) per person.

All of Grand Hotel Kronenhof’s summer packages are available until 17 October 2010; in addition to the inclusions specific to each package, summer guests can look forward to unlimited access to the Kronenhof Spa, the Fit & Fun programme offering different activities daily and unlimited access to all the mountain railways that are open in the Engadine/St Moritz region, providing ample opportunity for various excursions.

Grand Hotel Kronenhof, located in Pontresina, six miles from St Moritz, offers the best of both worlds: the chance to enjoy the glitz of St Moritz, while staying in a peaceful mountain village.

Grand Hotel Kronenhof has a rich and interesting history, having first opened its doors in the first half of the 19th century as a guesthouse. However, the main part of the current building, which is a registered historical landmark, was built at the very end of the 19th century in neo-Baroque style. The latest addition, completed in November 2007 and costing CHF 50 million (approximately £30 million), consists of 28 new guest rooms and a stunning spa complex covering more than 2000 square metres.

The spa is certainly one of the hotel’s highlights and has been described as “the best Alpine spa”. Facilities include a 20m indoor infinity pool with counter-current system, a flotation pool with underwater music, a wide range of saunas and steam rooms, a luxurious private suite for couples to enjoy wraps and massages together, and – for the perfect final touch – a crackling log fire in the relaxation room.

Gourmet cuisine is also a speciality at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof. Awarded the title of GaultMillau Hotel of the Year in 2009, it has four restaurants (the formal Grand dining room in an elegant Rococo vaulted room, Kronenstübli with 16 GaultMillau points serving local Engadine specialities, the traditional bowling lanes where Swiss raclette is served and an informal pavillion for light lunches).

Grand Hotel Kronenhof is also renowned for its extensive children’s activities and facilities (a kids’ playroom and Rondelle, a restaurant just for younger members of the family).

For more information and reservations, visit: Kronenhof.com

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Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina