Oozing with Swiss style

Hotel Bella Tola has been heralded as Small Hotel of the Year by Peter and Felice Hardy in the highly acclaimed Hardy’s Skiing & Snowboarding Guide 2009. The Bella Tola oozes Swiss style with its traditionally chic interiors, intimate and luxurious spa, an indoor pool which overlooks the stunning mountains, food to impress the most discerning gourmet and roaring fires throughout, as befits a hotel of this calibre.

A family-run hotel, Bella Tola is tucked away in the tiny mountain retreat of St Luc, a gem of a village with breathtaking views of the distant Matterhorn and Grimentz, the surrounding ski area. Owners Anne-Francoise and Claude Buchs-Favre run the hotel with their three daughters while traditionally-clad, utterly charming staff will attend to your every need.

Each of the hotel’s stylish yet cosy rooms are individually designed to make guests quickly feel totally at home, padding about the hotel in their sumptuous bath robes. Hours can be spent in the spa, swimming, basking in the heat of the steam room or enjoying a world class treatment given by highly trained therapists.

Claude is in charge of the unmissable raclette, the staple Swiss mountain dish. Cooked to perfection and accompanied by one of the stunning wines from the hotel’s extensive cellar, you won’t want to leave - seriously. After dinner liqueurs by the salon’s roaring fire is the perfect way to relax and to appreciate what is truly one of Europe’s best hotels, in both the winter and summer months.

Basking in winter sunshine on the hotel’s large south-facing terrace, wrapped in a luxurious cashmere rug and sipping on vin chaud, it is easy to imagine returning to this piece of heaven year after year.

Made to Measure Ski (mtmhols.co.uk) has 7 nights from £699 including flights and transfers.