Tag Archives: Long Weekend

Switzerland: Graubünden Ski Weekend (Day 1)

Allegra (Hello)!

Perfect Timing

Flight to Zurich with SWISS airline, then a train and bus to Lenzerheide with a Swiss precision and I really enjoy it! From Brussels center to the hotel in Lenzerheide, it takes more than half a daytime in transportation.

Stunning landscapes and pure air: a real change of scenery, the Swiss Alps (first picture of the post). Welcome to the Graubûnden! In the early afternoon, we arrive at the cozy Hotel Schweizerhof Lenzerheide, ideally located opposite the bus station in the center of the village. 

The sun plays hide and seek. What a pleasure to discover my vast bedroom! As always, I didn’t sleep the day before my trip. The bed looks so comfortable … Neat simple interior design, I feel like in a nice cocoon with a panoramique mountain view from my balcony (below pictures).

  

The Scalottas Terroir

  

Gourmet Dinner

For this first evening: a 5-course tasting menu dinner at the Scalottas Terroir, elaborated with local high quality products. The restaurant is a 5 minute walk and belongs to the owners of the hotel. Forget the high heels, wear after-ski boots to go to the restaurant. LOL! My little team was really entertained when I arrived at the hotel reception desk in high heels!

Left picture above: our table nicely set up in the “Mountain Pine Parlour”. The atmosphere is cozy (thanks to Simone, our super waitress!) and the concept is based in slow food. The restaurant selects its ingredients at local producers concerned about sustainable development.

Since I don’t eat meat except chicken, I had a slightly different menu. Let’s say a (chicken) version of the menu dishes (below pictures):

a Grisons tartar duet (with une brioche de pomme de terre), Mountain pine soup (composed with apple raviolis), Swiss egg (poched egg with patatoe, cabbage, waffle and Andeerer Grantit cheese foam) and Highland ox duet. The dessert (a mix of sorbet and fruit pie) is also delicious. To be continue …

Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés

Informations  

Graubünden FerienLenzerheide, ArosaSWISSSwiss Travel System (STS)Switzerland TourismHotel Schweizerhof Lenzerheide & Scalottas Terroir 

Related posts : DESTINATIONS & HOTEL REVIEWS

Many thanks to the Graubünden Ferien, Lenzerhaide, Arosa, Switzerland Tourism, SWISS and Swiss Travel System (STS) for this beautiful invitation. As always, these are my opinions.

France, Arcs 2000: Hotel Taj-I Mah

A Room With A View

The Pleasure of Mountain

Long live the skiing season! Few years ago, I’d never imagined I could like the mountain and ski as much! I am back in the French Alps, for the inauguration of the Taj-I Mah, the first 5-star hotel of Les Arcs 2000 at the foot of the slopes.     

Blue sky, snowy peaks bathed in bright light. It’s pretty difficult to leave my terrace. The air is invigorating with hypnotic view. The comfortable room is well soundproofed, a cocoon with impeccable bedding. The interior design reminds me the rooms of the Koh-I Nor in more intimate version (the same owners).  

The bathroom with its deep large bath, opens onto the bedroom and mountain view (a large sliding glass door allows to separate the two spaces, picture left above). I like the separate toilet in the entrance of the room.

  

Lunch at L’Atelier d’Eric

Between Activities,

I sit down at one of the hotel’s outside terraces (great!). Picture above: the long terrace of the lounge, where I am rocked by the warm rays of the sun. It quickly becomes really complicated to leave (LOL)! Except for discovering the menu of L’Atelier d’Eric, one of the two restaurants of the Taj-I Mah, under the leadership of the Chef Eric Samson.

I had lunch there a few times (pictures below): tasty simple inventive cuisine nicely presented. Excellent tuna prepared with scallops. I love  the Valrhona chocolate with pear dessert (picture below), a treat!

A Massage at The Spa

The Swimming Pool and Jacuzzi

have a panoramic view to the slopes and the peaks! The last two days, I made a long stop at the Cinq Mondes and Carita spa: 400 m2 including a sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, salt wall, showers, relaxation area and treatment rooms. The icing on the cake is the Cinq Mondes facial massage (inspired by Shiatsu) that relaxed my tensions in the neck and shoulders.

Dinner at The Diamant Noir

Voluptuous Dessert

The second evening, I have a dinner with a journalist friend at the Diamant Noir, the gourmet restaurant of the twice starred Chef Eric Samson. We start with an apetizer of raw tuna with egg yolk and cream. 

I don’t take any first meal. While reading the menu, I recognize one of the Koh-I Nor’s first meal I really recommend you: Grilled foie gras acidulated with the passion fruits and Savoy wine, Mango and Litchi. A surprising extremely fine dish! So delicious!

I choose the Supreme of Farm Poultry filled with foie gras, Périgueux sauce and potatoes. Really good and not greasy. When the dessert The Chocolate Caraïbe at 66% in Different Textures arrives, I capsize! It looks like a haute couture piece and tastes fantastic! Gorgeous!

  

The Ski

Finally!

Energic wake-up to the aurora and meditation on the empty icy main terrace of the hotel. I am happy, I will ski from 9 am to 11. I haven’t had the opportunity to discover the Paradiski ski area (which includes Les Arcs) yet. The previous days, I visited as a pedestrian a bit of the Arcs 2000 (altitude 2100 meters) and 1800

I couldn’t leave without making at least a morning of skiing! After being equipped at the ski shop of the hotel (picture below), I follow the ski instructor on slopes. First, we head to Les Arcs 1950 and cross the village in ski. Then we take the chairlift to the Col de la Chal (altitude 2600 meters). From where we ski to the Arc 2000 surrounded in a beautiful panorama. To be continued…

Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés.

Informations   

Taj-I-Mah, Les Arcs

Related posts : DESTINATIONS, HOTEL REVIEWS & BEAUTY

Many thanks to the team of the Taj-I Mah and the Tourist Office of Les Arcs for this beautiful invitation! As always are my opinions.

The Koh-I Nor in Val Thorens, France

Val-Thorens-France-Koh-I-Nor-Ski-Hotel-Room-1-Photo ©Mademoiselle Le K

My Room

During this long weekend in Val Thorens, I was really happy to discover the Koh-I Nor. The 5-star hotel overlooks the station. And in the morning I looked at the fog from my room balcony (photo 4 on the photo montage above). I was about to cancel my ski lesson, thinking there was no visibility on the slopes. While I equip myself, (obviously) fog disappeared!

The day before I went out until late. And as it was snowing, I couldn’t recognize the way back to the hotel (epic)! Fortunately, thanks to the impeccable bedding, I slept like a baby a few hours. The well-damped room is very comfortable. 

I also liked the woodwork, the view (beautiful late afternoon light on the mountains) and the Cinq Mondes amenities. Photos: 1. the hotel logo, 2. bedroom and 3. in the corridor, the carpet “surfs” between rooms. Fun!

The Spa

Val-Thorens-France-Koh-I-Nor-Ski-Hotel-Spa-Wellness

A Customized Massage

I arrived tired and tense at my spa appointment, without any idea of I wanted. I finally chose a facial massage and let my therapist, Manon decided what kind of treatment.

She mixed some: “ko bi do (the ancient technic of Japanese beauty), Chinese medicines and dermapuncture (acupuncture where needles are replaced with thumbs) technics” and a massage to relax the nervous system, with the Cinq Monde cosmetics. 

Fantastic! I felt asleep! Upon awakening, my face and neck are super relaxed. And my traits are deeply subsided, all tension is gone. This excellent massage is incredibly relaxing, thank you Manon!

Dinner @ Le Diamand Noir

Val-Thorens-France-Koh-I-Nor-Ski-Hotel-Diamand-Noir-Restaurant-Dinner-French-Gastronomy-Photo ©Mademoiselle Le K

Divine cuisine

For dinner, I joined a friend at Le Diamand Noir, one of the restaurants of the Koh-I Nor. Without being the finest gourmet, I appreciate novelty and originality: what about that dinner? Delicious!

What a pleasure to discover the cuisine of the Michelin starred Chef Eric Samson mixing different fine flavors with aromatic mountain herbs. The dishes are beautiful to look at and the service and decor are really good.  

As a starter, I took the seared foie gras with a lychee sorbet, the combination of the two is to die for! For the main course, fish with carrots and potimaron (photo 1 on the above assembly). And dessert, a beautifully presented chocolate-lychee ice cream (photo 4).

Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés. Photo 2 du premier montage photo, et photo 2 @ Koh-I Nor.

Informations  

Koh-I Norwww.valthorens.com

Related posts : HOTEL REVIEWS & DESTINATIONS

Many thanks to the Koh-I Nor and Val Thorens Tourist Office for this very nice stay! As always these opinions are my own.