Waldhaus Flims Alpine Grand Hotel & Spa reopened in February 2017 after an extensive renovation. Only an hour from Zurich and located amidst the beautiful countryside of the biggest hotel park of Switzerland, it has been repeatedly awarded the title of the hotel of the year. Here’s everything you need to know about staying in the Waldhaus Flims Hotel.
History
The hotel was founded in 1877 by two Chur natives, Peter-Jakob Bener-Caviezel and Dr Paul Lorenz as the “Hotel Waldhaus” at a time when the tourism potential of the Alps was leading to rapid growth in the sector. In 2016 hotel undergone a CHF 40 million redesign, seeing its original Swiss mountain opulence combined with the very latest in modern design.
Hotel
There are three main buildings. The mammoth Grand Hotel rises from the snow-covered pines like a magisterial citadel. The décor merges the fine line between traditional and modern. Its architecture resonant of the confidence engendered by rapid economic expansion during the later nineteenth century, in a style described as classical feudal. The other principal buildings are the rustic Grand Chalet Belmont and the Villa Silvana, in effect another small luxury hotel built in a summer house style. There is also an art nouveau pavilion with a conference room, restaurants and bars.
SPA
Originally opened as a spa in 1869, the Waldhaus Spa now includes indoor and outdoor pools (with 38-degree water), saunas, steam rooms, treatment rooms, and a 24-hour fitness suite with daily classes. One of its finest is the Mountain Crystal Body Treatment. Beginning with a cleansing body scrub to clear pores, a combination of natural oils and minerals are worked into the skin using precious stones for the feeling of calmness. Just magical.
Restaurant
Hotel offers a vast dining, including restaurant Epoca with enchanting regional specialities, a new chalet-style après-ski bar called the Summit at the hotel, and a fondue restaurant located in the underground cellar called Il Tschaler.
Museum
A museum celebrating the hotel’s Belle Epoque was created in 1992 in the cellar underneath the Casino-Pavilion. Numerous old fixtures were retrieved from their storage locations and used to document the history of the Waldhaus, which by now tracked back more than a century.
Journey
It’s about 90 minute drive from Zurich Airport. Failing this, you can get to Flims by taking a remarkable 2-hour train journey (changing in Chur) which we highly recommend because of photographic views of snowy alps.
We had a chance to visit it in a winter of 2017. It is the coolest place to stay in the Swiss Alps.
