At Kempinski Palace Engelberg, I step out onto my Belle Epoque balcony, its rim edged in Art Nouveau iron curlicues, gaze at prodigious Mount Titlis, and take a deep breath. I inhale gulps of fresh mountain air with gusto, letting it flow into every cell of my body. The healing, whether imagined or mystically real, happens immediately. I relax. I awaken. I fuse with the surrounding mountain scape and unspoiled central Swiss village that dominates my eyeshot. I vow to never be stressed again. Indeed, I’m not the first person to stand here and greedily gobble up the air. In the late 19th century, travelers from around the world labored up steep, untrammeled mountain paths, sometimes having to be carried, just to partake of what they perceived as curative air in this valley-ensconced, peak-encircled, high-as-the-sky oasis. They believed then, as I do now, that high altitude air — especially Engleberg’s unique mountain blend of pine trees, wildflowers, and herbs — activates the body’s healing properties. Purportedly, the air could (and can) bolster the immune system and reset the spirit. Those early wellness travelers came for lung problems, anemia, heart disease, neuroses — even “hysteria.” They didn’t venture from far-flung homes for a long weekend as I have done. Instead, they came from afar for the winter, checking into the tiny village’s handful of Kur hotels for long-term stays.
The grandest of these hotels opened in 1905 as Grandhotel Winterhaus — and was the genesis of today’s refurbished and re-imagined Kempinski Palace Engelberg, which occupies the Winterhaus’ former footprint. With views of the valley’s captivating mountains, indulgent central heating (for the time), a concert hall, and a spa that offered goat milk treatments, contrast bathing, and breathing exercises, Grandhotel Winterhaus edged a lake that drew tourists for the sport of ice skating, long before skiing became a trend. Today, wellness travelers (as well as epicureans, athletes, and those simply needing to relax) gaze upon the same view from the cleverly renovated hotel by Kempinski to proffer its original spirit, but with zeitgeisty flourishes.
Thoroughly modern, while retaining a welcome old-school gravitas, Kempinski Palace Engelberg is the sleepy village of Engelberg’s showpiece, a place to wallow in refined luxury, while breathing all that fresh mountain air. A match for the village’s unpretentious and quintessentially Swiss traits, the hotel’s true gift may be the way it allows nature to dominate — and heal.
More About Kempinski Engelberg Palace
It’s the Palace’s Lobby Bar that wins my heart upon arrival — and not just because a friend meets me there with glasses of Champagne and decadent truffle fries. We sit by the window in alpine-inspired, felt-upholstered seats, peering at the snow-blanketed terrain through immense windows. For me, this room, part of the original structure, oozes with Belle Epoque personality. Vintage, clearly inspirited with stories from the past, brightened with pops of color, and replete with Art Nouveau shapes and features, it distills what I sense is the essence of the Palace. This mood continues in the extremely spacious rooms upstairs — especially in the older part of the hotel. Though redone with contemporary elan, these rooms have a profundity that sets them apart. Book the corner Belle Epoque room, a circular wonder with windows and balconies in four places, even the copious bathroom. Each of the Palace’s 129 rooms and suites manages to be oversized with junior-suite vibes.
Rooftop, the tranquil spa awaits. With so much to do outdoors, I wonder if its 24-hour gym gets used, but I applaud that it exists. A glorious indoor infinity pool, long enough for laps, flows along a window wall and a sauna haven with an array of classic Swiss hot boxes heats things up. Top-notch services utilize Swiss brands and ingredients.
Don’t miss dinner at Cattani, named after the local hotelier who envisioned and executed — along with his brother, an architect — the original hotel. A sexy spot, with intimate table nooks and the hotel’s signature windows that embrace the vista, it features a glittery chandelier that suggests icicles evoking Titlis in wintertime and perhaps sunlight in the summer. A superb breakfast, awash in options, deserves hours to try everything, while dinner awakens the inner hedonist with dishes such as a filet mignon served atop brioche, then capped with seared foie gras and truffles. Oh yes. I ate that — and drank Champagne too.
Fondue lovers can get their fix at the Palace’s seasonal Chalet Ruinart, a characteristic hut set apart from the hotel, while afternoon tea, a treat, can be enjoyed in the sun-dappled Wintergarden. Have children? Bring them along for the Beauty and the Beast kid-focused dishes. This reigns as the ultimate tea party.
More About the Location
While Zermatt, Davos, Gstaad, Verbier, and St. Moritz get all the swanky headlines, Engleberg has long been Switzerland’s hidden gem for winter (and summer) mountain travel. In-the-know travelers relish its more than 50 miles of skiable runs that zigzag across interconnected ski areas. In the small town, anchored by its tour de force 12th-century Benedictine monastery, showing up in a Moncler ski suit is less important than whooshing down a sheer, spraying your fellow skiers with the region’s light-as-a-feather snow. Nature simply trumps pomp and ostentation in Engelberg — in the village, on the slopes, and at the Palace. To wit, you may drink Ruinart Champagne in a Brunello Cucinelli jacket on your balcony, but you’re not going to brag about it. In Engelberg, you’ll wear it for yourself.
Just 40 minutes from Lucerne and just over one hour from Zurich, the Engelberg-Titlis offers a variety of terrain, ideal for all levels of skiers. Best known as a free-riders paradise, however, the resort rewards avid skiers and boarders with some of the best vertical off-piste in the Alps. Ride the revolving Titlis Rotair gondola lift to the summit, where you’ll find the daunting Titlis Cliff Walk suspension bridge and a glacial park. In the summer, its mountains and flower-brimming meadows open to hikers, climbers, and bikers, and the particularly intrepid can get an adrenaline rush on the Graustock Via Ferrata.
Quirky fun fact? Don’t be surprised to find life-size cut outs of Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, who filmed a movie here, atop the mountain. As compelling as the Eiffel Tower in Paris for throngs of tourists from India, the cut outs attract Instagram fiends galore.
Featured image courtesy of Kempinski Palace Engelberg.
