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Few small villages in the world have as big a reputation as Gstaad, perhaps Switzerland’s most glamorous destination. Located amid the lofty peaks of the Bernese Oberland, Gstaad’s setting is the classic Swiss postcard scene remembered lovingly by those who have been here and imagined longingly by those who have not.

Almost all hotels in Gstaad are seasonal in their operation, meaning visitors can visit either in the high season of summer or winter. This can be frustrating for travellers who enjoy Europe in spring and autumn when the weather is milder and crowds thinner. Thankfully, for these travellers, there is HUUS Gstaad.

HUUS Gstaad, Swiss style with a modern twist

In the even tinier village of Saanen, adjacent to Gstaad, HUUS Gstaad welcomes guests earlier and later in the year than other hotels in the area. A member of Design Hotels and consistently ranked by travellers to Switzerland among the most satisfying hotel experiences in the country, HUUS Gstaad combines a chic aesthetic with a friendly ethos to create the kind of convivial ski lodge atmosphere that makes it very popular among the younger, more jovial clientele that stays here. Upon entering the property on a bluff looking over the pretty landscape below, the ski lodge feel is immediately established in the lobby/living room/bar area, where the bottles of alcohol soar almost as high as the peaks seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Bright orange upholstery and eclectic decorative items add to the party vibe without descending into kitsch. As in the public areas, every detail in the guestrooms is well coordinated in design and colour. Dispensing with the traditional mountain hut theme favoured by so many other hotels in Switzerland, HUUS Gstaad (‘huus’ means house in Swiss German) maintains a perfect blend of modern styling and muted colours that evoke a sense of place without overdoing it. Mountain home rather than a mountain hut. Unsurprising given its Design Hotel status, guestrooms make maximum use of space without forsaking style. The built-in, L-shaped banquettes are a nice touch and add to the house feeling for which the hotel is named.

HUUS Gstaad room with a view

Gstaad’s somewhat labyrinthine system of one-way streets can make driving in the village something of a challenge. Guests with their own cars have an easier time at HUUS Gstaad, where free parking is readily available. Its worldwide fame notwithstanding, Gstaad is a tranquil village with little to do other than shop, eat, and drink; somewhat ironically, its serenity is one of its major attractions. Those three activities can suffice, though, especially if buying cheese from Molkerei Gstaad’s unique Cheese To Go vending machine, drinking aperitifs at Rialto, or having a banquet of a meal at Mango, Gstaad’s superb Indian restaurant. Indian food in Switzerland? Yes, and how wonderful it is. Anyone who has eaten Indian cuisine in India will be pleased with the variety and authenticity of the food and drinks served at Mango, not to mention the excellent quality and generous portions. The small, unassuming Mango premises are on a sidestreet just off Promenade, the pedestrianised thoroughfare that serves as Gstaad’s central axis. Like Gstaad itself, Mango is small in size and big in reputation; whether serving an intimate dinner for two or catering for a mega-sized Indian wedding, Mango spices up the Gstaad dining scene both figuratively and literally.

An excursion from HUUS Gstaad not to be missed is Glacier 3000, one of Switzerland’s most spectacular experiences. In a land where cable-car rides up to alpine summits are common, Glacier 3000 does the experience one better thanks to its unique Peak Walk connecting two mountain peaks via a metal footbridge. Not for the fainthearted but exhilarating for everyone else, Peak Walk is reached via the double cable car ride up from the base of Col du Pillon. The expansive snowfield atop the glacier is almost otherworldly, and the walk across the Walk will be a memory never to be forgotten.