GstaadLife

On October 22 2011 the Rialto will close for the season. This will also be the day that Piero Bigai retires after 40 years. He started in the 60's at the Gstaad Palace and for the past few years has been running the Restaurant Rialto. We wish him all the very best for his retirement. 

The Hotel Arc-en-Ciel in Gstaad is celebrating its 50th anniversary this Saturday October 22 2011 from 11:00 till 17:00. You can have a look behind the scenes, there will be music, a lucky wheel, pony riding, face painting, a bouncy castle, the famous electric cars, and a special pizza oven for the kids.

The construction up at La Videmanette has moved into its second phase. After a highly successful first winter season, work has begun (with minimal disturbance to summer guests) on the next step, a tunnel that will offer immediate access to the slopes from the top station of the gondola rather than having to schlep skis and kids through the maze of outdoor diners on the terrace. There are also plans to improve the restaurant but we don't have the details on that yet.

Franz W Faeh, who was born in Gstaad and has made his name as a top chef in numerous hotels around the world, is now cooking for those of you who turn left when you get on a Swiss airliner. Now we're all for trying to liven up mealtimes on planes, but we're always at a bit of a loss when we hear of top chefs taking up mile-high cooking duties. For it doesn't really matter if Franz Faeh packs my lunchbox or if I do it -- after 6 hours on the re-heat, it's still going to taste like, well, re-heated food. So instead we'll just head over to the Le Vieux Manoir in Murten where we can savor Faeh's delicacies moments after he's finished preparing them! Seriously though, congrats: from a promo perspective, these airline gigs are a big deal.

A bizarre scene awaited us last weekend at the Arnensee. The water level of the Arnensee is at an unprecedented low right now, some six meters below normal. This has forced Romande Energie to stop using water for energy production. It's still a magnificent place to go to, hike around and enjoy a picnic or some delicious trout at the restaurant, even if the muddy exposed lake-bed does stink a bit. One thing though: if the energy companies can't do hydro because water levels are too low, the Swiss have just canceled nuclear, and planning permissions for wind farms are perentially rejected, just how do the Swiss think all their future energy needs are going to be served?!

 
The sports center in Gstaad with the indoor swimming pool will be closed from Monday May 2 2011 until Sunday May 22 2011 for repairs and cleaning. The tennis courts and the mini golf will remain open, though only from Monday to Friday. The restaurant will be open from Monday to Friday from 9h00 till 14h00, and on the weekends only by request for at least 15 people on. Hmmm, so that limits weekend activity choices because what is the playground without the minigolf, a drink, and an ice-cream?

This Easter, the Easter Bunny is bringing some musical eggs to Saanenland. On April 23 20h00 a Swiss folklore show is taking place at the Landhaus in Saanen. Oesch's die Dritten and the band Enzian from Appenzell perform. Tickets can be obtained at the Raiffeisenbank Saanenland in Gstaad. For the more classically-oriented amongst you, there are the Easter concerts in Saanen church on Friday April 22 at 17h00 and on Saturday April 23 at the same time. Joseph Haydn and Antonin Dvorák are being performed led by Roland Neuhaus and Michael Bach. Tickets can be obtained at the tourist offices Gstaad and Saanen.

 
As you may have noticed, Michel Wichman, the popular former director of the Grand Hotel Bellevue is not in Château d'Oex after all. Instead he has upped sticks for Zurich where he will be the new manager of the restaurant and conference center on the top floor of the Prime Tower in Zürich - called 'Clouds'. Sounds very chic and cool and with the two chefs Antonio Colaianni (16 Gault Millau points and 1 Michelin star) and David Martinez (16 Gault Millau Points) the cuisine promises to be, well, heavenly. The grand opening is planned for mid-November 2011 so let's hope that this time everything goes to plan. His wife and son remain at their home in Saanenland, so we can expect to see plenty of him around these parts into the future.

Last Thursday March 18 a fire broke out in the kitchen of the Bernerhof in Gstaad. Thanks to the quick reactions of staff and the fire brigade the flames were quickly doused and the danger averted. The main restaurant and its sun-drenched terrace is currently serving a light menu while the kitchen is brought back online, and it's business-as-usual in the Blun-Chi Chinese restaurant as well as the Basta Italian restaurant.

 
The Gstaad indoor swimming pool as well as the Bulle D'O restaurant will be closed on Saturday March 5 2011 due to the Gstaad Yacht Club Regatta.