Guarda Golf Hôtel & Résidences

It can’t have been easy for Guarda Golf Hôtel & Résidences to choose a name. For while it’s easily worthy of a spot on any serious golfer’s bucket list (more on that later), it could just as easily be called Guarda Ski Hôtel, or Guarda Spa Hôtel, or some horrible mash-up of all three — something like Guarda Golf & Ski Swiss Alps Spa Resort, Crans Montana. Point being, for a cozy owner-run mountain lodge, it’s got a lot going on, and that’s aside from the twenty-five rather lavish rooms, each with its own private balcony that makes the most of its stunning alpine setting.

Inside, the rooms are designed in what the hotel calls an alpine-modern style, with lots of deeply varnished dark wood and antique-looking furniture on the one hand, and, on the other, contemporary art and all the luxury-hotel fittings one expects — cloud-like beds, flat-screen televisions and fast wi-fi, immaculate white bathrooms with Bulgari toiletries.

Come tee-time, a Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course is literally right out the door, and the next course over, home since 1939 to the European Masters, is almost as close. Whichever you play, the backdrop is impressive, with snow-capped peaks adding some extra drama to a strong drive.

In winter, you can still get some practice in at the hotel’s indoor golf facility, but most guests come for the skiing. The numbers tell the story: Crans Montana ski area spans some 140 kilometers of skiable terrain, with 28 lifts and 1500 meters of vertical drop. Stop to catch your breath at the proper vantage point and you’ll be able see from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc.

Pull yourself away from the slopes a little early for the hotel’s spa. It’s the first in the world to feature treatment products by the Brazilian cult label Ivo Pitanguy, and with its carved-stone walls and warm, soothing lighting, it’s a beauty.

How to get there:

Guarda Golf Hôtel & Résidences is located 10 miles from the town of Sierre, and 19 miles from the nearest airport, Sion International.