Tag Archives: verbier

City Guide: 72 Hours in Verbier

January 21, 2015City Guide72 hours in Verbier, best hotels in Switzerland, best hotels in Verbier, Switzerland, The Lodge Verbier, The W Verbier, verbier, Verbier City GuideStefanie

If you want to have a cozy yet posh getaway, Verbier is right up your alley. Known for it’s abundance of superstar vacationers, Verbier is more of a quaint town that happens to be located in the top of the mountain. There is no other place quite like Verbier, it is an exclusive town that combines grade-A skiing with some of the highest hospitality standards you’ve ever seen in a ski-town. Scroll down to the bottom to see some of our must-have items in Verbier.

Thursday:

9:00 am- Check into The W Verbier. The W Hotel is only 2 years old, and from the looks if it, the service seems like it has been established for decades, and the design like it was open yesterday. The typical Swiss chalet with modern yet cozy interiors is perfectly executed. Everything is built with light reclaimed wood and earth tones with a few pops of color.

If the W is not your style, The Lodge‘s architecture is as typical as it gets; Wooden chalet, wooden shutters, flowers in every balcony and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog guarding the entrance. However, once you step in, the large fire place, gigantic sofas, fur throws and candles adorn the lodge in a casual yet chic way.

11:00 am- Grab your ski gear and head to the slopes! Remember you’re only here for 72 hours, you can’t miss one minute of that new fluffy powdered snow.

3:00 pm- Head to Chez Dany from some mid-day grub at one of the most picturesque spots on the mountain. The perfect place to have a drink while watching the sunset before skiing straight down to your chalet.

7:00 pm- Rub shoulders with fashionistas and Swiss elite at Carve, the perfect place for a little dancing and pre-dinner drinks.

8:30 pm- Get your party outfit on and dine at one of the trendiest restaurants in Verbier, Le Nevai.

11:00 pm- Head to the Crock Bar, one of the only lounges in Verbier, to listen to some tunes while wrapped up in the warmest of furs on the terrace.

Friday:

10:00 am- Breakfast at W Cafe, be sure to order the omelet and almond croissant, their coffee is also fabulous.

11:00 am- Hit the slopes! To see what Posh Voyage’s favorite ski trends are, check out our Travel Tip.

4:30 pm- Apres-ski drinks at Le Montfort. This place is an institution, with it’s exlcusive location, you’ll have to know someone who knows it whereabouts to get to it. It’s known for having sold the largest volume of beer in all of Switzerland!

9:30 pm- Dinner at La table d’Adrien for an expensive night out. It is also the only currently rated Michelin-starred restaurant in Verbier.

Or, for something a little livelier, eat at Eat-Hola Tapas Bar, located in the W Verbier. Fun tapas plates and wine pairings from all over the world will make this an unforgettable meal.

11:30 pm- Le Farinet is the place to be on a Friday night. Voted the best apres-ski IN THE WORLD, this is a must-stop location.

Saturday:

11:00 am- Cure that hangover at Le Rouge, at the base of the piste ‘Le Rouge’, grab brunch on their sunny terrace. Recommend: the mimosa, Bloody Mary, and the crepes.

1:00 pm- Take a break from all that skiing and go shopping! Check out shops such as Hot Air, Place Blanche, or Place Centrale.

4:30pm- More apres-ski drinks (even if you didn’t ski) at Verbier’s first altitude champagne bar, Plus de Bulles. Pair it with some caviar and you have yourself a true luxury experience.

8:30pm- Dinner at Arola, located in the W Verbier, Arola is composed of local and organic produce that are presented in an array of sharing plates perfect for the global palette.

12:00am- Finally, you get to Le Farm, the premier club in all of the Swiss Alps. A mix of glamours and good-times, you can dance the night away Verbier-style.

Sunday:

12:00 pm- La Marlenaz is a beautiful swiss restaurant that sits 2,000 meters high above Verbier. The best place to have brunch after a crazy night out at Le Farm.

3:00pm- Time to say good-bye to Verbier, but you’ll have loved it so much you’ll be sure to come back. In the end you might think you partied more thank you skiied!

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Travel Tip: Getting to the Best Slopes in Europe

January 14, 2015Travel Tipsalpine express, courchevel, european skiing, european slopes, Gstaad, high-end ski europe, Megeve, meribel, ski europe, trois vallées, verbierStefanie

Traveling around Europe last year in order to find the best ski slopes in the area proved to be more confusing and challenging than anticipated. The fact that you can get to any mountain by train, car or helicopter confuses you more than you think, so in order to make your life easier and help you decide quicker which slope you will ski next, we created a short table to simplify the information out there:

Switzerland

Verbier from Geneva is 2hrs by car and 3hrs by train

Verbier from Zurich is 3hrs by car and 3hrs by train

Stay: The Lodge and W Verbier

Gstaad from Geneva is 2 hrs by car and 2.50hrs by train

Gstaad from Zurich is 2.50hrs by car and 3.15hrs by train

Stay: Alpina Hotel and Gstaad Palace

St Moritz from Zurich is 3hrs by car and train

St Moritz from Milan is 3hrs by car and 4.5hrs by train

Stay: The Carlton Hotel

Andermatt from Geneva is 2hrs by car or train

Andermatt from Zurich is 3.5hrs by car

Stay: The Chedi Residences

France

Courchevel from Geneva is 2hrs by car or shuttle

Courchevel from Lyon is 3 hrs by car or shuttle

Stay: Le Mélézin, Edelweiss Chalet and Le Petit Palais

Megève from Geneva is 1hr by car

Megève from Lyon is 2.5hrs by car

Stay: Fermes de Marie

Méribel from Geneva is 2hrs by car

Méribel from Grenoble is 2.5hrs by car or 3 hrs from Lyon

Stay: Le Kaila

The Lodge. Verbier, Switzerland

November 21, 2014Hotel of the Weekbest apres-ski, best ski chalets in Switzerland, best skiing Switzerland, The Lodge, verbierStefanie

I have to say, I was most excited about The Lodge in Verbier more than anything else in my entire Swiss Voyage. After ten days of traveling non-stop around the country, it was finally time to visit Richard Branson’s baby.

Two bus rides, three trains, one gondola ride and a mile walk after, I was there, in front of what is considered to be the most expensive and high-end ski lodge in the world (Of course there are faster ways to get to The Lodge, however I was on the company’s budget).

As I looked up admiring the divine Swiss chalet, my heels slipped and I fell on my face, scraping both of my knees and hands. To my dismay, the super-friendly staff was waiting at the entrance to greet me and witnessed the whole thing! They didn’t even bat an eyelash and pretended the whole thing never happened, very gracious of them. Note to self: Hiking or snow boots are a must in this town, even on the warmer days.

Although I visited the property one day before the Summer opening, Ashley Crook, the Deputy Manager, welcomed me with a big Swiss smile and pretended she didn’t have three-thousand things to do before the opening.

The architecture is as typical as it gets; Wooden chalet, wooden shutters, flowers in every balcony and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog guarding the entrance. However, once you step in, the large fire place, gigantic sofas, fur throws and candles adorn the lodge in a casual yet chic way. The colors are light, with a few pops of color here and there.

Contrary to what I thought, The Lodge is ideal for a group of friends or family. The cozy lodge has a communal environment, or should I say a VERY high-end communal environment. Everyone shares a large table for meals, a family room and even an awesome playroom. If you do not feel like mingling, dinner in your private terrace or in the hotel’s terrace can be arranged.

The lodge has 8 rooms and one amazing bunk room for the kiddos. They also have 14 staff members and 3 in-house Chefs. Upon booking, you can either let them surprise you with the menu (it is a set menu), or you can choose the menu before you get there. Either way, whatever you choose, please be sure to strap yourself in because you are going to be blown away.

All in all, Richard Branson made the right choice with this 7-year-old lodge. The location is secluded, unassuming, has spectacular views and it is located in one of the best mountains in the world. Bravo! Bravo!

Photographs courtesy of the property.

W Hotel. Verbier, Switzerland

November 18, 2014Hotel of the Weekbest hotels verbier, luxury swiss hotels, luxury verbier hotel, Starwood hotels, swiss voyage, Switzerland, top swiss lodge, verbier, w hotels, w verbierStefanie

Have you ever wondered what it feels to travel like a celeb? Well stop wondering and just follow this month’s Hotels of the Week on Posh Voyage for a glimpse.

Half way through my Swiss Voyage this Summer, I never thought I was going to discover yet another gem in Switzerland. After visiting Gruyere, Montreux, Geneva, Lucern, Appenzell, Arosa and Gstaad, I thought the best had passed.

It was not easy to getting to Verbier, let me just start by saying that. I took the train from Gstaad to Lausanne, changed trains in Martigni and got off at Le Chable. I then took the amazing gondola ride from Le Chable to Verbier and a quick bus ride to what I consider the swankiest most fun lodge I have ever been to, the W Hotel. *(Keep in mind that this is the most economical way to get to Verbier, if money isn’t a concern, a private car from Geneva is the best way to get there, and it only takes 2 hours).

The W Hotel is only 11 months old, and from the looks if it, the service seems like it has been established for decades, yet the design like it opened just yesterday. The typical Swiss chalet with modern yet cozy interiors is perfectly executed. Everything is built with light reclaimed wood and earth tones with a few pops of color.

The hotel is divided in 4 buildings: Energy, Infuse, Recharge and Escape. The Recharge building is home to the lobby and main living room which is adorned with fur blankets, fur pillows and fur chairs. So warm yet modern!

After a long day traveling, I ordered the crispy shrimp for a quick bite before I started my meetings at the hotel. Oh my God! My quick bite turned into the most delicious meal of the trip. The ginger and soy infused crispy shrimp were so good that I ordered it twice. Hey, I was alone, no one to judge!

Next to it was the monumental staircase with seating incorporated to soak up the views of the Valais region.

After, I made my way down to the spa. It is a gigantic 8,000sqf setup, the largest in Verbier. The style is sleek and modern unlike the rest of the hotel, which is warm, cozy and charming.

The main restaurant is the creation of Chef Sergio Arola, a Michelin awarded Chef from Spain. My favorite part of the whole restaurant was the back part. A hidden tapas bar with 10 chairs overlooking the kitchen. The Chef just keeps sending plates over until to you until you wave your arm due to the food coma you are experiencing.

The last part of my tour, and my personal favorite, were the rooms. They all have a Swiss theme with the flag decorating the room, and exposed wooden beams to give it a rustic feel. The Wow Suite was my personal favorite if traveling with your better half. However, if you want to make this a family or friend vacay, they have fabulous residences ranging from 2-4 bedrooms (I think I just decided where my next ski trip with my husband and friends will be).

Photographs courtesy of the property.