The Alpina Gstaad

Opened in 2012 on a hillside above Gstaad, The Alpina was the first new hotel built in the village for a century, and it was built as though it had always been there — reclaimed alpine timber, hand-carved panelling, local stone and traditional Saanenland craft techniques, wrapped around thoroughly contemporary bones.

There are only 56 rooms and suites, which for a property of this scale means a lot of space per guest: a 2,000-square-metre Six Senses Spa, the first in Switzerland, with an indoor-outdoor pool, hammam, salt grotto and a full Ayurvedic programme. Most rooms face south across the valley to the Bernese peaks, with balconies angled at the view.

The kitchens punch above the room count, with several restaurants including a Japanese room and an alpine grill. Gstaad's slopes, the Glacier 3000 skiing and some of the best summer hiking in the Oberland are all a few minutes away, and the hotel runs its own ski butler service, cigar lounge and private cinema for the days you'd rather not.