DECEMBER 2016 | Our 38th Year AndrewHarper.com TRAVELING THE WORLD IN SEARCH OF TRULY ENCHANTING PLACES HAND-CRAFTED HOLIDAY A DESIGN MARKETPLACE unique designs from independent artists. Join our new membership program and get 30% OFF your holiday cards WWW.MINTED.COM/MORE NEW! THE ARTFUL SHELF ™ shown in copper, $89. FREE recipient address printing to match your card QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP A DESIGN MARKETPLACE the art of luxury card-making. Real foil is hand-pressed into each card with custom Minted’s letterpress and foil-pressed cards are made engraved dies for a fl awlessly and checked by hand, resulting in the most exceptional beautiful fi nish. Available in and luxurious cards that Minted o ers. gold, silver, rose gold, glittery gold, and glittery silver. minted.com/foil-pressed-cards Rich inks are deeply hand-pressed into 100% cotton paper using an antique Heidelberg letterpress. minted.com/letterpress-holiday-cards STATEMENT JOY by kelli hall KINDRED by jennifer lew IT’S HOLIDAY TIME by iamtanya GILDED WOODGRAIN by melanie severin WINTER FRAME by lehan veenker This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use, please contact client relations at 1-866-831-4314 or email [email protected]. DECEMBER 2016 | Our 38th Year AndrewHarper.com TRAVELING THE WORLD IN SEARCH OF TRULY ENCHANTING PLACES PHOTO BY ANDREW HARPER / SUBLIME SCENERY, ALLURING NEW HIDEAWAYS COVER PHOTOGRAPH The Eiger and the Mönch, from Kleine Scheidegg Switzerland’s Lakes and Mountains THIS MONTH or centuries, Switzerland has cities and to concentrate on the natural A Circuit by Road and Rail striven to remain aloof from the splendor of the lakes and mountains. I After a spell on Lake Geneva, I headed to Ftroubles of the world. Today, the traveled at the start of fall, just as the Wengen, Lake Lucerne and the unspoiled Swiss often maintain, somewhat defen- cattle were beginning their seasonal Engadine valley before traveling from St. Moritz to Zermatt by the Glacier Express. ...............1-7 sively, that they are not immune to the descent from the Alpine pastures. Snow continent’s problems. But stroll through remained only on the highest peaks, but Online: Hiking, plus Matterhorn Viewpoints the tranquil and prosperous streets of in compensation, it was possible to marvel Geneva or Zurich, and it is hard to detect at the immense glaciers, which are mostly Vancouver Discoveries even a hint of disharmony. For those buried in winter. A delightful visit yielded fine new hotels, as well wearied by the onslaught of world events, as outstanding restaurants. .........................8-11 Switzerland still provides a refuge. Online: Galleries, Gardens and Microdistilleries On my recent trip, I undertook a Geneva circular journey by both car and train. n arrival in Geneva, I stood on the Find video and more photography of our trips at AndrewHarper.com/hideaway-report Even though Switzerland is a small coun- OPont du Mont-Blanc, which straddles try — slightly larger than Maryland but the green and clear water of the Rhône Andrew Harper travels anonymously and pays less than half the area of Maine — it has at its egress from the lake. From this full rate for all lodging, meals and related a long history and a rich culture, and on vantage point, I could clearly see my three travel expenses. Since the inception of an itinerary of only two weeks, it is neces- recommended quayside grand hotels: the this newsletter in 1979, the featured hotels sary to be selective. On this occasion, Beau-Rivage, Le Richemond and the Four and restaurants have been selected on a I decided to bypass most of the major Seasons Hotel des Bergues. All of them completely independent basis. Full-service travel planning is available to members at (800) 375-4685 or [email protected]. For comments and inquiries concerning the Hideaway Report, please email [email protected]. Junior Suite at Hôtel de la Cigogne; perch fillets meurnière with frites at Café du Centre; and lake steamer moored at the Jardin Anglais, Geneva / PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER are situated on the north bank of the city, shore. I’d picked up a car at the airport, and cream, with expanses of polished with views toward the Alps. The largely and being tired after the transatlantic wood — and in consequence the room 16th-century Old Town of Geneva, on the flight, I was agreeably surprised by the was quite dark. Nonetheless, it struck other hand, was built on the south bank. efficiency of the valet parking. A doorman me immediately as peaceful and civilized A district of steep cobbled streets and literally dashed over and seized the keys; and as a place where I would be happy limestone houses, it is centered on the his affable colleague led me inside and to spend time reading or tapping away medieval Cathédrale Saint-Pierre and introduced me to the equally friendly at my laptop. A work desk stood before the adjacent Place du Bourg-de-Four. It is reception staff. First impressions really a window, from which it was possible to a place of inviting restaurants (including do matter, and on this occasion, they were gaze down into the traffic-free Place de my recommended Restaurant Les Armures entirely favorable. Longemalle with its strolling shoppers. on Rue Puits-St-Pierre), sidewalk cafés, The hotel is housed within 18th- and Clearly, the conversion of the original galleries and bookshops. 19th-century buildings, to which additions space had not been without its challenges, On previous visits to Geneva, I’d often were made in the 1980s. My Junior Suite as the bath was accessed by an unusu- thought that it would be delightful to proved to be resolutely traditional in style, ally narrow door. Inside, it was slightly stay in the Old Town, but I’d never found with a terra-cotta tile floor, oriental rugs, confined, though room had been found for anywhere that I could recommend. On this gilt-framed portraits and mirrors, a huge two sinks and a powerful walk-in rainfall occasion, I decided to try the Hôtel de la fireplace (with gas log fire) and an intri- shower. Thanks to windows overlooking Cigogne, a 52-room property located just cately carved four-poster bed. The color a central atrium, the lighting was excel- three or four minutes’ walk from the lake- scheme was subdued — mostly brown lent. I found the bath to be sufficiently comfortable; some readers, I suspect, might consider it cramped. FRANCE GERMANY The public areas at the Hôtel de la Constance Cigogne comprise a restaurant and a 0 20 40 MI ground-floor lounge where snacks are ZURICH 0 20 40 KM served. Although a pleasant place to sit with a glass of wine in front of the open SWITZERLAND LIECHTENSTEIN AUSTRIA log fire, the latter is not an ideal place BERN LUCERNE for meals, chiefly because the tables and Lucerne SPARSELS chairs are too low. But the restaurant — FRIBOURG DAVOS THUN with its mahogany paneling, starched Brienzersee SUSCH R LLEY Thunersee CA INTERLAKEN BRAIL VA white tablecloths and black leather EIGER L A C I E R E X P R E S S T LAUSANNE BY GSTAAD WENGEN G R A I N JUNGFRAU banquettes — is extremely attractive. Chef S VEVEY P Geneva L ST. MORITZ SW E N G A D I N E Nicolas Pasquier enjoys a considerable IS A S R A I L S local reputation among local business- S VISP GENEVA I people for his seasonal French cuisine, W S ZERMATT and the restaurant is invariably full at Como MATTERHORN Maggiore CHAMONIX ITALY both lunch and dinner, so reservations MONT BLANC Lugano are essential. 2 HIDEAWAY REPORT DECEMBER 2016 Seating in a panorama car / PHOTO BY ANDREW HARPER In style and atmosphere, the Cigogne temporary home, a feeling of satisfaction is the virtual antithesis of the grand full- that was greatly enhanced by a glass of service properties that line Geneva’s white wine on my small wrought-iron north bank. Those who prefer smaller balcony overlooking the lake. hideaway hotels may find it precisely The principal restaurant at the hotel what they have been looking for. is Les Saisons, where chef Thomas Neeser has won a Michelin star for his locally sourced cuisine. Alas, it was closed at the Vevey time of my visit, the summer high season ocated 57 miles northeast of Geneva, having recently ended. Nonetheless, we LVevey is a serene lakeside town that ate extremely well in La Véranda brasse- has been home to luminaries as diverse as rie, a light-filled space with floral fabrics, The Glacier Express Charlie Chaplin, David Bowie and novelists cane chairs and floor-to-ceiling windows. Ernest Hemingway and Graham Greene. The other principal amenity of the hotel art of my trip around Switzerland was aboard one of the world’s most famous trains, the For many years, I have recommended is a Dr Burgener spa. (The original health P Glacier Express. The service began in 1930, and the Hôtel des Trois Couronnes, a histor- and beauty clinic was opened in Lausanne the narrow-gauge line between St. Moritz and ic 71-room palace property overlooking in 1955 by Dr. Marc Burgener; for the past Zermatt goes through 91 tunnels and crosses 291 the lake. While my endorsement still 21 years the business has been carried on bridges, including the 213-foot high Landwasser stands, I decided on this occasion to stay by his daughter-in-law, Pauline.) Viaduct. Long sections use a rack-and-pinion at the 50-room Grand Hôtel du Lac next The Grand Hôtel du Lac is serene and system for ascending and descending the gradi- door, which has the advantage of being gracious, with consummately professional ents.