Netjets US Winter 2023

STAR TURN
A newly renovated three-star hotel
in the Bernese highlands is already
building a stellar reputation for
understated luxury.
DANILO SCARPATI
Those searching for serenity at
high altitude should look no further
than the village of Mürren, a carfree
settlement in the Bernese
Oberland where they’ll find the newly
renovated HOTEL DREI BERGE
(dreibergehotel.ch). Travelers are
greeted by a postcard-perfect façade
with shutters painted red and white
in homage to the Swiss flag. The
pine-clad interior mixes vintage
and custom furnishings with a crisp
graphic design dreamed up by the
property’s owner, French-Moroccan
entrepreneur Ramdane Touhami.
Touhami, who breathed new life into
perfume brand Officine Universelle
Buly 1803 before selling it to LVMH,
aims to transform the modest
19-room hotel built in 1907 into a
must-see spot by channeling midcentury
cool. Japanese chef Ryutaro
Kobayashi helms the kitchen—don’t
expect fondue on the menu—and
there’s a pâtisserie-bakery on site.
Bespoke beds with luxury Italian
linens cradle guests to sleep after
a day’s hike admiring the dramatic
peaks of the Jungfrau and Eiger.
Menu favorites include pappa al pomodoro with clams, a twist
on the Tuscan classic, and a frittura of red shrimp, langoustines,
and squid served with a delicious wasabi mayonnaise dip.
For gourmands whose appetite requires something more
serious, there’s Cà d’Oro restaurant, newly crowned with
a Michelin star, which is inside the Grand Hotel des Bains
Kempinski (kempinski.com). While the dining room is decidedly
classic, decorated with stucco and opulent chandeliers, head
chef Leopold Ott, now in his second season in the kitchen here,
tempts palates with a creative, modern Mediterranean cuisine.
There are elegantly executed plates such as head cheese of pork
paired with plum vinaigrette and a tempered organic egg yolk
garnished with Périgord truffle and stracciatella cheese.
For retail therapy, those in search of chic garments from
beyond the universe of mainstream luxury fashion houses can
venture to the boutique of Italian label Sease (sease.it). Started by
Franco and Giacomo Loro Piana, scions of the popular cashmere
brand, the pair have created a clever collection of activewear for
the mountain that mixes natural fibers and high-tech textiles.
Peruse their tasteful selection of ski jackets, vests, and pants
that eschews the lurid color palette of the competition.
Should a culture fix be required, there is good news
in the form of the town’s cinema, Scala (scala-stmoritz.
ch), which has finally reopened in sumptuous digs after
four years of work (you’ll want to have a go on the slide
that runs through the foyer from the second floor to the
basement). Like the Grace, Scala is aiming to keep its
doors open throughout the year. The building houses a
museum dedicated to bobsledding—St. Moritz being home
to the Cresta Run, the legendary natural ice skeleton
racing toboggan track—but the main attraction is
the movie theater and its 107 plush crimson seats. If you
snare a front-row seat you can take a load off by putting
your feet up on one of the stools provided.
Before and after screenings, moviegoers may tuck
into hearty fare—think tapas and roasted Swiss beef
entrecôte with spätzli—at the cinema’s restaurant, which
is impeccably fitted out with smart wood interiors. There’s
even a new bar and smoker’s lounge where you can admire
light installations by noted American Light and Space artist
James Turrell. It’s après-ski unlike any other in the Alps.
SAMEDAN AIRPORT: 4 miles
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