by When people hear Six Senses, they think of contemporary rooms, their Earth Lab tutorials and a puritan organic philosophy woven into everything from spa treatments to headboard materials. Which is exactly what they deliver, on the Crans side of Crans-Montana, located high above its small lake, parks and boutiques.
The anti-waste, anti-consumption ethos is (somehow) resolved with high octane, angular interiors, delicious local food and the spa to end all spas, worth grouping down the slopes.
Where is he?
It is on the Crans side of Crans-Montana, high above the town to ensure that its ski-in ski-out promise is honored – as long as there is enough snow. Six Senses’ decision to set up an Alpine store in this resort was a strange one, especially since the designer hoodie and the crowds they draw in feel a little out of step with the British contingent driving the sink of kitchen here from London or the fur. -coated old timers the biggest drag speed. Also, as this is fondue and raclette wonderland, few people are here for the salads. Just a little flick through the history of Crans-Montana and it all makes sense.
This option is no stranger to glamour, or glitz. In the 1980s, it was considered a tasteful, low-key spot for beau monde types. Charlie Chaplin dined here, Roger Moore moved here from Gstaad and celebrities and royals have long stayed here, away from the paps and any flashy author. It’s reached by train from Geneva, then via a climb up the mountain, or via an airport transfer, which is usually much smoother (especially if you’re traveling with children) and means you’re guaranteed a seat.
Style
Imagine a sprawling, Bond-esque hut rising out of the snow-dusted pines, one that swallows Mercedes entirely through secret underground doors and is far enough up the mountain to be huge and invisible. Six Senses Crans Montana is an architectural wonder, whatever your taste or design, and its mix of luxe restaurants and bars gives you enough reason to stay piste or poolside all week long.
The cavernous spaces inside are warmed with thick rugs and brooding lighting, and nature is yanked inside (and the contemporary treatment) at every corner, from the glass case forest floor (open to the elements) that lines the hall, to the enormous. balconies with dazzling Rhone Valley views. Summers here flash emerald green in all directions, winters are covered in pillowy white, whether inside the behemoth Alpine hotel, or soaking in the sunlight on its terraces.
Among the aesthetic highlights is the indoor-outdoor swimming pool, which features a contemporary wooden art installation suspended above it, then spilling outside into a brutal, cubic space lined, to minimal effect, by orderly birch trees. Then there’s the salon-like reception space, with subdued patterned rugs, cool circular light installations seemingly scribbled into the air above, and low-slung sofas, all choreographed into one very instagrammable space there.
Food & drink
The Six Senses wellness cache puts out the food too often, which is very good overall. It’s so good you’d be forgiven for staying put all week, allowing you to indulge in a hearty raclette at home to work your way through the menus. Wild Cabin’s is fundamentally seasonal and fairly global, with a Swiss bias. It hits all the right notes for the high palate in a laid back setting. Alpine light pours in through a glass wall, revealing the patterned rugs and the open kitchen, where chefs whip up grilled asparagus and miso cream, rosti and salmon tartare starters, and generous juicy pork belly with seasonal roots and bass in Champagne sauce.
Each dish is unctuous, saucy, glazed under the moody lighting. Lunches often spill out onto the sunny terrace and breakfast is a feast of Alpine delights, with a Six Senses twist) – think fresh foraged berry juices, thick Swiss yoghurt lathered in local honey and baked nut granola. A real advantage of this hotel is the lack of punitive breakfast times – guests can saunter down for Valaisans Negroni and eggs after lying-in every hotel should serve.
Some will drop in, thanks to last night’s saké cocktail at Byakko, Six Senses’ urban-style Japanese joint, serving fresh and complex sushi alongside favorites such as black cod and wagyu beef. A DJ could dial up the evening well before you even have the Blue Crystal shrimp, and by the time the black sesame mochi shows up, most of the table will be located in the cigar room or be dancing at the bar.
Facilities
This is where Six Senses really excels. The spa feels both eerie and cosy, with a glassy center pool flowing beneath a MOMA-worthy wooden art installation – and hundreds of wooden stumps dangling from the ceiling. This mass pours water outside through a glass partition wall, into a Brutalist-style courtyard that slices the light. And this is only the subterranean part. Upstairs, a large terrace-level swimming pool sits perfectly with the piste, inviting Après shenanigans – no thumping to boot, just a few rounds of herb-infused cocktails by the pool, sure. Its open-air cinema is a fun place, especially when the hotel is covered at night and the cold air blows through.
Inside, tired ski legs can go to the treatment rooms, where therapists will manipulate muscles, and energy and cortisol will flow leaving the body thanks to a heavenly array of treatments and ancient-modern scientific approaches. One of the menus is the highly moisturizing Swiss Chocolate Wrap and the anti-ageing, sleep-nourishing body ritual with grapes from the Valais region. There’s also the guest-run biohack rehab lounge – where it’s limited to thigh-busting evenings on the slopes, healing techniques target all levels of physical and psychological stress (think compression boots, light-up LED face masks red and Therabody bedrooms with meditation guides). Toddlers are thoughtfully separated from the zen with a splash pad and fixed main pool times.
Family
Surprisingly, this sultry, grown-up hotel welcomes children – polite ones with parents who can read the room (as well, go to the pool and leave the sleeping couple at the main one under peace). The GROW by Six Senses program will entertain children from three with a whole range of activities, from finger painting sessions to outdoor activities, such as relays and sleigh rides. Families can go down in the cinema room with a decadent range of snacks, and those who hope to get their children on their ski legs can ask the hotel for ski school.
extra curricular
The health of Six Senses’ health is the philosophy of wealth at home in Crans-Montana, whose appeal throughout the year takes the pressure off the snow forecasts. Skiing in Crans is mostly dreamlike and relatively uncrowded – although you will have to take the gondola up for more powder and bracing descent, which is conveniently located just below the ski-in, ski-out hotel. Adrenaline junkies can go up to the legendary Plaine Morte Glacier, and skiers of all levels can look forward to wide pistes, cruisey with high altitude haunts such as Buvette de Pepinet, or Cabane Violettes, which are worth clicking on skis.
The ski concierge is top-notch, making sure guests’ gear is as tailored and comfortable as possible, and that they’re starting to scribble the right piste for their level (or with a pre-arranged ski guide). When the Crans-Montana snow globe begins to melt, guests can jump on e-bikes, follow beautiful paths along mountains and lakes, hike to summits for the morning sun salute or even swing on the golf course improve. Gourmands can settle into a Valais cheese-making workshop, while travelers take to the skies, paragliding over the countryside The Sound of Music.
Which room?
The rooms are carved from granite, marble and wood with dark oak and larch cupboards, subdued technological touches and masculine, unlit bathrooms. The showers are designed to warm you at every angle, baths are deep enough to soak up tired ski muscles (with delicate smelling salts) and, in some rooms, guests can sweat out all the Glühwein in their own private sauna. .
Six Senses takes sleep seriously – the beds are the paragon of comfort: crisp, pillowy and you don’t want to leave yourself for breakfast. Ultimately, it’s the space you’re paying for, when you start climbing the room categories. No one misses out on a platform or the high design. Side note: the design of the ski storage is excellent – with clever compartments for all the paraphernalia.
He prefers…
A spoiled ski and spa weekend, where fresh mountain air, really good food and biohacking treatments are the order of the day.
Details
Rates at Six Senses Crans Montana, part of IHG’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio, start from CHF 730 (approx. £653) for a Superior Terrace Room. sixsenses.com
