Hotel Eden Spiez

There’s something charmingly Swiss, isn’t there, about the Quality Hotel name? Still, it’s hard to argue with — the Hotel Eden Spiez Swiss Quality Hotel is all of those things, perched on a hillside in Spiez, looking down over the town and across Lake Thun, with the peaks of the Bernese Alps in the distance. It’s enough to make you understand why it’s still true, after all these years, that Switzerland is where you go when quality of life is what you want.

It’s not just for the bright, sunny, contemporary look of the rooms, with their hardwood floors, their mix of antique furnishings and modern comforts. It’s also for the views, the balconies, the restaurant terrace, the indoor pool — and, of course, for the spa, which is as elaborate and well-equipped as you’d expect from a hotel in Switzerland, where they take their spas very seriously indeed.

Also included are a sizable meeting room, in case you’re fortunate/unfortunate to have business obligations that take you to Spiez, as well as a tennis court and many acres of tranquil parkland in which to stroll — for wellness’s sake, of course. It’s the classic Swiss spa cure, updated for the boutique era.