Let’s be frank: only those with the dosh can afford to party the week through in Gstaad. The rest of us are stuffed. None the less, it is possible to have a good night out.

It seems natural to start off with Gstaad itself, hub of the rich and famous. Immediately the GreenGo springs to mind, the pinnacle of style and zenith of rip-off prices.

 Located under the Gstaad Palace with green velvet and orange 70s interior, a dance floor on the pool, and an open end, this club is a must-see venue. But as they say: look but don’t touch – at SFr 20 for a coke in summer (SFr 30 in winter), I definitely will not be touching. And I won’t be sitting either, because it’s customary to buy a bottle of hard liquor to do that – I don’t want to imagine how much that would cost. The ray of hope for the wallet though is every Thursday: happy hours from 22h00 till 01h00.

Aimed at the same clientele, I present you the Hush, or what now, strangely, is called Rosie's Suite. Perhaps it was an attempt to get close and cosy with the Roseans, or perhaps it was a homage to the bronze cow opposite the club. But we’ll skip that because it’s closed in summer. The nearby Rialto bar, which was done up over winter, is a nice place to chill with a cocktail. As for the Porsche 911 Bar in the Bellevue; it looks cool, but looks can deceive. The place putters along with the purr of a 2-cylinder engine rather than the roar of a 6-cylinder.

Moving down the mountain, in terms of altitude and price, we have the Chesery, an identity-confused Club-Music-Bar-Casino, serving a pint at SFr 9.50. If you want to go out on an off night, this is where you will probably find the most people – especially on the staff night on Mondays. However, at the end of the night, you will either be claustrophobic, suffocated by the smoke, or lost somewhere in the confusing layout.

If you want what the Swiss would call normal prices, the Rooster Bar underneath the Gstaaderhof and Richi’s Pub are the places to go. The Rooster has this jovial Austrian guy serving, and with a pint at SFr 7, you can get as jolly as he is without that much money. Take note that Rooster is only open in summer. Richi’s on the other hand is the place to watch football. Conveniently located near the train station and taxis, you have no excuse to drink and drive. Unfortunately Club 95, the former hip hang-out in the Hotel Victoria, has been converted into the Mexican restaurant and bar Viva. Except for its name, all vivaciousness has been drained out of the place, especially since its closure in summer. Hence, to avoid vitality-drainage happening to you, you should move on swiftly.

The other two nightclubs in the area are the Chlösterli in Feutersoey and the Grotte in Schönried. After the umpteenth change in management, Chlösterli has dropped its astronomical prices. Finally it has started to welcome people who operate with some kind of budget. SFr 14 for a long drink makes it, along with the Grotte, the cheapest club in the immediate area. However, whilst the Grotte has a mediocre design and measly lighting, the recently renovated Chlösterli is state of the art. It is, after all, a member of The Worlds Finest Clubs. The main flaw though, is its location. It is in the middle of nowhere; very in the middle of nowhere, and unfortunately the planned shuttle service to Gstaad has not been set up yet. And since the move down market to embrace locals has only happened recently, it is not yet as lively as the Grotte.

Finally it is worth mentioning the two nightclubs in Chateau d’Œx. If you get bored of the people, prices, or anything else in Gstaad, take a trip down the valley. The Zenith is perhaps the largest club in the wider area, located in an old warehouse. The foam parties are particularly well attended by locals from Saanenland. Alternatively there is La Bamba, situated beneath the pizzeria and Chinese restaurant in Le Richemont. And finally: after a painful search I can offer you cheaper drinks; long drinks cost just SFr 12.

By Timothy Kilchenmann. Timothy is an intern who has been working with GstaadLife for the summer season of 2006. He is currently studying politics, philiosophy, and economics at the University of Warwick in England.