Pure luxe at the one-of-a-kind The Chedi Andermatt in an unglamorous Alpine village:

The news about The Chedi Andermatt Hotel coming to a fairly untouched village in the Swiss Alps was as a total surprise! Without exaggeration, almost everyone familiar with the business was astonished to hear that Andermatt should get an ultra-luxury hotel. But never mind, this announcement of Samih Sawiris, the investor, was good news! Eight years afterwards, The Chedi opened its doors in late 2013. And what you can see, is impressive! It is neither an Alpine chalet building nor a modern construction. Instead Alpine chic goes hand in hand with Asian influences.

While I followed the developments around The Chedi Andermatt, it took my husband and me another eight years until staying here. And that is not without reason! In winter, we considered Andermatt’s skiing infrastructure as insufficient. In summer, we found that there are more appealing places to go in view of the rather harsh climate here. And most important, the hotel’s pricing is quite steep.

In the meantime, many things changed. First, the ski resort developed into a first-rate one. Second, it became a year-round destination thank to its golf-course, which seems to be state-of-the-art – I am not a golfer. And third, we came upon a special two-day offer including a dinner with wines for the summer season. So, we gave it a try.

About Sawiris’ one billion investment in Andermatt

After long being a staging post at Switzerland’s most important north-south route, Andermatt fell into a fairy tale sleep. And this with the opening of the Gotthard Road Tunnel in 1980. The Alpine village has found itself bypassed ever since. Two decades later, rescue came into the form of Samih Sawiris, an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. He promised to turn the sleepy ski village into an ultra-luxury ski destination. And he kept his word. At least, he laid the foundation for success.

Andermatt, blessed with lots of austere mountain appeal, is back on the touristic map. It started with the 300 million SFR/US$ construction of The Chedi Hotel and Residences. In late 2013, the hotel part with 123 rooms opened. Other buildings, convention facilities, a swimming hall and a 18-hole golf course followed. Once the project is finished, there shall be 6 hotels, 490 apartments in 42 buildings, about 20 chalets and a concert hall. In the meantime, the four-star Radisson Blue Hotel Reussen has opened its doors, too (end of 2018, 244 rooms).

Furthermore, the ski region was further developed. The Andermatt and the neighboring Sedrun ski area merged and became the SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun. Overall, Andermatt’s touristic basic infrastructure is now available. Now, it is important to fill them with life, meaning with lots of paying customers!

I have been curious about the Sawiris’ signature project, the ultra-luxury The Chedi Hotel, ever since it has opened in 2013. Various reasons have hindered my husband and me from staying here so far, but the time has now come! And this on our early summer vacations (see overview article), as stopover on our way to the Ticino, so to say. Here we spent the bigger part of our trip at the fabulous Castello del Sole in Ascona (my blogpost).

Staying at The Chedi Andermatt, an ultra-luxury Alpine resort

Location

Andermatt is an Alpine village at the foot of the Gotthard Pass in the Swiss canton of Uri. You can reach it from Zurich in about one and a quarter of an hour by car. By train you need a bit more than two hours. The climate here is rather harsh, with lots of snow in winter and rain at other times of the year.

Before Sawiris’ mega development, Andermatt was a rather sleepy village with an outdated skiing infrastructure. I explained before how this changed the place. However, Andermatt (1,600 inhabitants) still has an authentic feel, with quite a nice historic center. By no means, it has become a glamorous ski resort just as Saint Moritz or Gstaad. The surroundings exude an austere mountain appeal, resulting from those bare slopes.

The Chedi Andermatt is nestled adjacent the center of the village, right by the train station – where the Glacier Express stops too. And it is not far from the Guetsch-Express mountain railway. While it is not exactly ski-in, ski-out here, it comes close to that.

Facilities/Memberships

The offer here is impressive, from a state-of-the art spa (spread over 2,400 sqm) with several indoor

and outdoor pools,

four restaurants (see more about food in the separate section) as well as four more places for drinks and small bites (The Bar

and The Living Room,

The Lobby, The Courtyard – weather permitting –

as well as The Pool – a pool bar). In addition, there is The Wine Library – an event location –

and The Cigar Library – for cigar lovers.

And best of all, everything you encounter here is utterly beautiful, made from the best materials. If you catch sight of the exteriors the first time, it is hard to pin down the architecture style. It has something of an Alpine building yet it is not your typical chalet. For me, the building’s rather simple form is most reminiscent of the typical barns you see here in the area. Quite special is the slatted wooden double facade that “hides” the balconies.

There are three main wings that are centered around a splendide courtyard, a pond in summer, an ice rink in winter.

As to memberships,  The Chedi Andermatt is part of the GHM (General Hotel Management Ltd.) luxury hotel group. So far, it mainly consists of Chedi Hotels in the Asian region. The Chedi also belongs to the renown hotel association of The Leading Hotels of the World. Furthermore, it is a member of Swiss Deluxe Hotels.

Ambiance

As to the interiors, the layout is incredibly generous but without making the impression of being too vast. Everything has been thoroughly thought out. The reception desk is made of a huge granite block that seamlessly becomes a bar where you could have a drink. At its very end, you are already in the the lobby bar. And adjacent to it, you can have a look at the indoor pool, only separated from the lobby by a glass wall.

And the decor is breathtakingly attractive, local stone, wood and leather in dark tones! While the hotel has an Alpine vibe, it definitely is Asian influenced, too. At almost every corner, you find a fireplace, there are more than 200 totally!

Service

Service is as excellent as you would expect at a hotel of this caliber. Maybe it was not especially personal, but that is difficult to reach in a hotel with 123 rooms. So everything was as it should be.

There is one thing that I found somewhat unusual in this context. At the hotel entrance, there was a small note asking the guests not to take photos from public spaces. I only discovered it when I had already done all my pictures. So it was too late for me anyway. And they did not give any reason for this request. I do understand that you should not post any photos where you can recognize guests. But otherwise, I cannot see the point.

Guest rooms

There are 123 rooms in five categories (Deluxe Rooms, Grand Deluxe Rooms, Junior Deluxe Suites, Deluxe Suites, Grand Deluxe Suites) plus three extra large suites. The standard room – which is far from being basic – is big (52 to 55 sqm) and the Grand Deluxe Suite is huge (110 sqm). You see, the Chedi Andermatt plays in another league! Even the least expensive room – which is far from being inexpensive – is a “temple of luxury”.

In terms of rates, prices vary much, depending on the season, the weekday and the demand. The absolute high season is end of December/beginning of January, another peak is in February/beginning of March. In summer, prices are more modest. The lowest rate I found was in November, midweek (425 SFR/US$). This is a point of time where neither the golf course nor the ski lifts are in use. In contrast, in the last December week you have to shell out 1,300 SFR/US$ for the standard room.

My husband and I were in Andermatt end of June, when the mountain railways did not run yet. And we stayed over the weekend. We had opted for a special offer, a Gault Millau Dine & Style Package. This included two nights and one four-course menu with wine pairing at The Restaurant plus a 50 SFR spa credit per person and stay. We had not chosen the standard room but one category higher, the Grand Deluxe Room. Find the room details in the following.

Grand Deluxe Room at The Chedi Andermatt

Description

The Grand Deluxe Room is exactly the same as the standard room, the Deluxe Room. The only difference is its location. While the Deluxe Room is on lower floors, the Grand Deluxe Room is on upper floors. And this is quite an advantage, in my opinion. Because I caught sight of many rooms on lower floors with not very attractive views. In terms of vista, we were very lucky! Our room was in the higher middle wing with stunning views of the pond at our feet and the Urseren valley in the distance!

And I have to say that there are lots of vistas at The Chedi that I consider as not so good, be in the direction of the street or the station.

Every room at The Chedi comes with a glass-fronted fireplace that can be watched either from the inside or from the balcony.

The latter, by the way, offers no privacy at all, which is a pity. Otherwise, the room is truly gorgeous.

From the wooden and stone floors and walls, the sofa running the entire length of one wall complete with a giant Alpine photo mural, the fabulous bathroom with a freestanding bathtub and huge rain showers to the low Japanese-style table in the room’s center. What a beauty of a room! And only with the best materials imaginable!

With regard to the pricing, it did not come inexpensive, which should not be surprising. At the time of booking, the special offer that included dining & wining on one night cost just as much as the best available rate with breakfast (1,217 SFR/US$ per day and room). This is super-pricey, and I am not completely sure whether this rate is justified for what you get. Beauty is not everything!

What else you need to know about the room

Despite my enthusiasm about the room, I have to make a negative point. Also the bed is of the highest quality! They have here Haestens Beds, which are only made of the finest natural materials and are produced by hand. For sure, they must be incredibly expensive! Unfortunately, you do not have a choice at The Chedi as to the bedding. There is only a king size option, so no twin beds available. And although the bed was comfortable, I found it way too bouncy. The motion transfer from one side of the bed to the other was very high. Every time either my husband or I shifted, the other woke up. In case you should be a light sleeper, keep that in mind!

One more thing, if you care for a regular table or even a desk, then you are wrong here. My verdict here, this is form over substance. Rooms are so beautiful yet not necessarily very practical!

Dining at The Chedi Andermatt, an ultra-luxury Alpine resort

I already let you know that that are four restaurants belonging to the Chedi. These are the following ones: the signature place, The Japanese Restaurant with one Michelin star and 16 points Gault Millau; The Restaurant with 14 points Gault Millau, The Chalet (wintertime) and The Japanese by The Chedi Andermatt (the mountain restaurant on Mount Guetsch) with one Michelin star and 14 points Gault Millau.

My husband and I went to the former two. I start with The Restaurant where we had a four-course menu plus wine pairing included in our arrangement.

The Restaurant (14 points Gault Millau) 

This is the main restaurant where they also serve breakfast. The dining room is huge with four show kitchens where you can watch the chefs at work.

The highlight here is the phenomenal Cheese Tower where you can help yourself in the morning and the server arranges a cheese dish for you in the evening.

The place has a modern feel, and everything here is high-end.

While the atmosphere in here is a bit impersonal and the noise level rather on the high side, we felt comfortable. This was also due to the staff who is friendly, informative and efficient.

The food was tasty, a mix of western and Asian cuisine. We liked what we got, compliments to the chef, Armin Egli! We began with an Italian classic, buratina with raw ham, honey tomato, and focaccia.

That was continued with a selection of dim sum.

The main course was surf & turf (beef tenderloin and lobster tail) with black garlic sauce, fennel, radish, cauliflower and saffron potato stones.

And the sweet end point was a pure chocolate variation with sorbet, mousse and brittle.

Also the wine pairing was to our liking!

One remark to the breakfast. While I liked the offerings – especially the cheese from this awesome Cheese Tower – , I was a bit astonished to see that you have to pay extra for dishes just as eggs Benedict or French toast. I think that these must be included in the room rate given the elevated price level at The Chedi.

Now to our dining experience at The Japanese Restaurant.

The Japanese Restaurant (1 star Michelin, 16 points Gault Millau)

In contrast to The Restaurant, The Japanese Restaurant is kept small and exclusive with about 45 seats. You can sit either at the sushi bar or at tables.

On offer here are two menus, a modern Kaiseki-Kappo and an a la carte one. The latter includes Nigiri-sushi, Uramaki-sushi and sashimi. You can also opt for dishes from the Kaiseki-Kappo menu as a la carte choices, either as an appetizer or a main course. For meat lovers you find Wagyu and Kobe (as main dishes) on the menu, too.

The kitchen is helmed not by a Japanese, but the Swiss born Dietmar Saywere. Since he was three years old, he had been living abroad. He returned 2013 and became executive chef at the Widder Hotel in Zurich before he was hired by The Chedi in 2015.

If you should wonder about the difference between Kaiseki and Kaiseki-Kappo, the latter is less formal and elaborate. The Kaiseki-Kappo menu at The Japanese Restaurant comprises 20 dishes to choose from. You can select either 4, 5 or six 6 courses (170, 200 or 230 SFR/US$). While 17 of them change on a regular basis, apparently three of them stay (forever) as they are the owner’s favorites (sashimi hamachi; sea scallop carpaccio with shiso, Kaviari Kristal caviar and beurre blanc; black cod with yuzu-miso sauce).

As to Dietmar Saywere’s style of cooking Japanese, find details in the next chapter, where I describe our five-course dinner. It is not really authentic but an Europeanized version of it, that much can be said.

Five-course modern Kaiseki-Kappo menu

We started both with some sort of a tuna variation (Balfego “Harumaki style”, Akami and Toro tuna with Sumiso sauce),

followed by sea scallop carpaccio with shiso, Kaviari Kristal caviar and beurre blanc.

Then my husband had udon noodles with Swiss shrimp and black truffle, Odamaki Mushi style (savory custard cup). I chose the black cod with white asparagus, Gottard-Shiitake and yuzo-miso sauce.

For mains, he decided to have the pork belly “Kakiage” (some kind of tempura style) in unison with smoked eel, shiso, sweetcorn and spicy ponzu. I for myself wanted to try the Teppanyaki duck breast paired with a gyoza (dumpling), hispi cabbage and a teriyaki-duckliver sauce.

In terms of dessert, my husband ordered a Japanese cheesecake with yuzu-sake jelly, coconut, raspberries and hibiscus. I opted for the green tea creme brûlée with Adzuki beans and green tea ice cream.

And how did we like it? If you care for truly authentic Japanese Kaiseki cuisine, then you probably will not be overly enthusiastic about it. But in case you are fond of well-made, creative Japanese food European inspired, then you are in the right spot here. I very much liked the chef’s modern interpretations of the Japanese cuisine. The innovative dishes are based on the Japanese aesthetics but incorporate classic French influences as well.

Quite in contrast to Japan, the dishes were rather filling. So, we struggled to finish our desserts, which serving sizes were quite generous. After four savory courses, one sweet one to share between us would definitely have been enough.

Overall

There was no expense spared in the construction of The Chedi Andermatt. Everywhere your eye goes, it finds beauty, be it in the state-of-the-art guest rooms or the grandiose public spaces. Even the least expensive accommodation – which is anything but inexpensive – has an exceptional standard. And the facilities are first-rate too, from the spectacular spa to the excellent dining-venues. The Chedi has really set a new benchmark of hotel luxury in Switzerland!

Having said that, there are downsides, too. I have already mentioned the high price level. While I understand that ultra-luxury lodging is going to cost you, there are apparent inconsistencies. If you pay a small fortune for a room, you do not only want it luxuriously appointed but also coming with a great view. And the choice here is not yours as each unit costs the same, independent from the vista. Best views in my opinion are the ones of the courtyard pond on upper levels. Not so good ones are those of the Gotthardstrasse and the Bahnhofstrasse.

Another drawback is the fact that there is no selection in terms of bedding. All the rooms feature king beds of the renown high-end Haestens brand. While they might be suitable for most people, they are way too bouncy for light sleepers. And you cannot evade them as there are no twin beds available.

And finally, there is no half board option available, which might come handy for longer stays. This is quite common in Switzerland, especially at hotels in ski resorts, which Andermatt definitely is. In the absence of this, costs for food and drink (wine prices are extremely high) will pile up quickly.

Date of stay: June 2021

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The post A short stay at the ultra-luxury The Chedi Hotel in Andermatt, Switzerland first appeared on Swiss Traveler