Digital detox in a grand hotel near St. Moritz? Usage of mobile phones not permitted? Doesn’t sound like a blogger fairytale but you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

As soon as you see the hotel you know this is going to be a stay like in a fairytale. Situated above a dreamy alpine town, the Waldhaus thrones high upon the Silvaplana plateau. Many hotels are calling themselves “Grand Hotel” but when do you know if it really deserves this title. During our stay at the Waldhaus we relearned what the title Grand Hotel really means. Its not just about the style and location, its about the people and the history who make a hotel grand.

Passing by the Badrutt’s Palace, the Carlton, Kulm and Suvretta House, you don’t think that there is still one Palace left to complete St. Moritz’ “Big5”: the Waldhaus in Sils. Run by the same family since it has been built in 1908, it’s now Claudio and Partick Dietrichs turn and we have to admit, they do a great job. Being one of Switzerland’s last family owned luxury hotel, the Waldhaus in Sils is something extra special. Upon entering you start feeling that you arrived back in the 60s. The hotel is making sure to ban all mobile phones/modern technologies from the public areas, which is supporting the feeling of staying back a half century ago.

Having talked about the old style and the good old days, we are here to report of the Waldhaus in 2015: So after dreaming, the nice Austrian lady from the front desk accompanied me to my room, which was very generous and flooded with sunlight! Another delight was the light filled bathroom overlooking the Suvretta House, Sils-Maria and the lakes. Of course I took a bath with that wow-views. Beside bright lights, lots of storage place, double basins, spacious tub, separate walk-in shower, there was also an electronic toilet (I think it is called Aquaclean by Geberit). After finishing the spa, the baths will be equipped with top-notch Susanne Kaufmann toiletries, made out of nearby herbs.

Yes, they have a swimming pool, sauna and steam room, but they are already working on a new spa (working is only done when the hotel is closed), which is due to open in winter 2016. Honestly, the main focus of this stay was the “Historic” part so I relaxed in my room, walked around and did some people-watching, before I attended their biggest event of the summer season: a concert organized by the “International Cultural Festival Sils”. This was my first experience with such an event and I have to admit, that I fell in love with this Romantic music and the performance of these outstanding five artists of course. This special event did fit perfectly to the ambience of this Swiss Luxury Hotel.

After this amazing show, I had a Gin Tonic and then continued my amazing evening with a dinner at their Gourmet venue – the “Arvenstube”. The only thing I found was the bit hectically service of some employees, which later got more relaxed. A nice touch was that I could also take the half board menu in this special restaurant. All in all, the food was good and was not too contemporary for the setting (like clear soup with a Crème Brulée of Foie Gras or venison). Breakfast was served in the main restaurant and the selection was not vast, but I found everything I desired. In general, I think it is better to offer a more selective choice with high quality. They even had a live cooking station and there was always a staff member on-site for coffee orders.

It’s definitely not every day that we see such a perfect family managed hotel like the Waldhaus Sils. Well, many Swiss citizens say the name stands for perfection like Ritz-Carlton does in the International market. Really grand Hotels never come out of fashion – it’s a bit like luxury cars, or would you say that you would refuse an Aston Martin DB5? Neither did we refuse the chance to stay at the Waldhaus, and honestly it is an experience not to be missed!