Guarda Golf Hôtel & Résidences

The resort town of Crans-Montana, located high in the Swiss Alps, is best known for two outdoor activities: skiing and golf, the latter sport introduced to the region by the English in the early 1900s. Today, it’s home to a Jack Nicklaus–designed course that’s considered one of Switzerland’s most beautiful, and Guarda Golf Hotel & Residences sits right on its picturesque fairway. This family-owned luxury hotel only opens in summer and winter, an unusual distinction that also makes perfect sense — guests come in season to experience the very best of the place, or to do nothing while enjoying the surrounding scenery, lush and green or snow-covered, as the case may be. The hotel’s chalet-style buildings house rooms and suites outfitted in a modern alpine style: exposed beams, elegant wood furnishings, original artwork, and Italian limestone bathrooms stocked with Bulgari products. Most have deep soaking tubs and private terraces with panoramic mountain views, and ultra-spacious apartment suites feature light-filled living rooms with stylish fireplaces. Breakfast is served on a terrace overlooking the golf course in summer, and a cozy wood-paneled bar is ideal for après-ski aperitifs before dinner at the hotel’s refined Levantine restaurant in winter. The spa is the only one in Switzerland to feature La Colline products, alongside the Kos Paris label; there’s also a luminous indoor pool and an impressive fitness center, as well as a private cinema named for Sir Roger Moore.