The Chedi Andermatt Hotel opens Europe’s highest Japanese restaurant
The Chedi Andermatt Hotel opens Europe’s highest Japanese restaurant
In just a few years, the Chedi Andermatt has been able to place itself amongst the most emblematic hotels of the world. And if that weren’t enough in and of itself, the hotel has helped to position Andermatt –a formerly militarized Swiss commune located in the Urseren Valley (which almost became a dam)– as a first-class destination for ski lovers and advocates of a savoir vivre lifestyle. With a grand name like The Chedi, expectations are certainly high, and we at BASQUE LUXURY can surely guarantee that this establishment will not disappoint.
Perhaps the best way to get to Andermatt while enjoying the mountain scenery is by train; especially in the Glacier Express – the famous scenic train that connects St. Moritz and Zermatt. Andermatt is located halfway, and The Chedi is just next to the village’s train station. The elegant and lively atmosphere of the establishment’s lobby –a mixture of Alpine chic (the hotel has more than 200 fireplaces) and Asian elements (remember that the name Chedi is Thai, meaning ‘temple’)– greets and surprises guests when they check in. The other great surprise is the complex’s size, designed by the renowned architect Jean-Michel Gathy and consisting of several connected buildings that house 123 rooms and suites, 119 apartments (for sale starting at €15,000/m2), three restaurants, a bar, and a spa.
The spa is, precisely, one of the hotel’s most important aspects: it is comprised of 2,400 m2 of pure wellbeing and includes a 35-meter indoor pool, saunas, hydrotherapy area, steam baths, hair salon, massage and treatment rooms, gym, Tibetan relaxation lounges, and an outdoor pool with mountain views, among other features.
After giving into temptation with this full range of wellness services, there is nothing better than to succumb to the pleasures of good food and great drinks. The establishment’s extensive dining options include ‘The Restaurant,’ which features four open kitchens in diners’ view where European cooking is fused with Asian cooking; ‘The Japanese,’ a restaurant which has earned a much-deserved Michelin Star; ‘The Chalet,’ a rustic cabin that only opens in the winter and specializes in Swiss cuisine; ‘The Courtyard,’ the hotel’s courtyard, where cocktails are served in the summer and which is turned into an ice rink in the winter; ‘The Bar,’ the ideal place to have an après-ski snack; ‘The Wine Library,’ a winery where you can enjoy a wine list featuring 2,000 varieties, and ‘The Cigar Library,’ which has the greatest range of cigars of all of Switzerland. It is also recommendable to do a cheese and wine tasting event at the impressive Wine and Cheese Tower, a five-meter-high glass tower that keeps the most famous Swiss chesses at a perfect 5ºC. The latest culinary delight that has just been opened by The Chedi is not actually in the hotel complex; instead, it’s higher up –at 2,300 meters above sea level– and it’s called ‘The Japanese by The Chedi Andermatt.’ There is only one way to access this new restaurant on Mount Gütsch: you have to take the cable car. Run by Chef Dietmar Sawyere and recognized by the Michelin Guide, this restaurant has become known as Europe’s highest Japanese restaurant.
In addition to lunch at Gütsch, The Chedi offers a host of other activities that can be done in the summer (golf, cheese-making at a dairy, etc.) and in the winter (skiing, carriage rides, etc.); in fact, there is even a butler –the Ski & Sports Butler– whose sole job is to organize all the outdoor sporting activities.
Little more can be said about this emblematic establishment, other than to simply repeat our recommendation to make the pilgrimage to this temple known as The Chedi Andermatt.
Andermatt
