Three amazing gourmet getaways

Set in a stunning mountainside location in the Bernese Alps, the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel in Interlaken also features an all-encompassing and indulgent spa, covering a mighty 5,500 metres squared. But what to do after you’ve sampled the delights of the spa? Head straight to the hotel’s acclaimed restaurant, La Terrasse, where the focus is firmly on regional produce, perfectly demonstrated in the special Menu Vo Hie, or ‘local menu’.

Executive Chef Stefan Beer created the menu by ensuring that everything used – from truffles to potatoes – was sourced from producers located not more than 40km away. The result is a seasonal three- to six-course menu that gives the ultimate authentic taste of the region and – keeping to the theme – is accompanied by Bernese wine.

The chef and sommelier are also keen to share stories about how they discovered the producers whose products feature on the menu and what makes them special. Local has never tasted so global – and so darn good.

When Picasso, James Joyce and Empress Michiko of Japan have stayed at your hotel, you know you’re doing something right. So, what is it about Basel’s Les Trois Rois that attracts superstar guests? The exquisite, palatial rooms – including one with a roof terrace hot tub – no doubt help. But these days, another key attraction is Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl, the hotel’s main restaurant with three Michelin stars, 19 Gault Millau points and the kind of accolades most restaurants would give their head chef for.

There’s no chance of Cheval Blanc giving up its head chef, though. Chef de Cuisine Peter Knogl is the star here, having earned those three Michelin stars with some inspired menu creation based on boosting French haute cuisine with Mediterranean and Asian twists. The best way to experience Knogl’s inspired cooking? The Le Roi Gourmet package, which includes an overnight stay in a room with a Rhine view, breakfast, champagne aperitif and a six-course Menu des Rois in Cheval Blanc that you won’t forget in a hurry.

It’s probably no bad thing that the likes of Picasso and James Joyce didn’t get to sample Cheval Blanc’s incredible food during their stays here – they wouldn’t have got much else done

One hundred hectares sounds like a lot, but once you arrive at Castello del Sole in Ascona and start losing yourself in the impossibly beautiful grounds, it’ll feel like exactly the right amount. Whether you’re lounging on the private beach, sailing around Lake Maggiore or exploring the on-site sculpture park, you’ll soon see how the hotel has made the most of all that space.

But try not to spend too long on the extensive range of activities, as you’ll also be spending a lot of time in Locanda Barbarossa. This showstopper of a restaurant is led by chef de cuisine Mattias Roock, whose culinary ethos of combining traditional French cooking with Mediterranean flair has earned it a Michelin star and 18 Gault Millau points.

There are countless reasons to sample Roock’s incredible food, but one is the hotel’s vegetable and herb garden, which supplies ingredients straight to the kitchen, including fruit from the recently added pomegranate and mulberry trees. Perfect for a chef like Roock, who likes to keep things fresh in every respect.