This article, by Martin Leiter, first appeared on the resort’s website.
Europe’s leading wellbeing and medical health resort
Nestling amid mountain scenery, the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is situated in the Heidiland holiday region of Eastern Switzerland, just an hour’s drive from Zurich. The resort, which dates back to the Middle Ages when a body-temperature thermal source was discovered, is known as Europe’s Leading Wellbeing & Medical Health Resort. American travellers are discovering the award-winning jewel now.
IGNIV by Andreas Caminada
Presidential Suite
Helena pool
The success story of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in the Heidiland holiday region of Eastern Switzerland began in 1242 with the discovery of a thermal source in the wild and romantic Tamina gorge. The therapeutic and healing effects of Bad Ragaz’s thermal water are still today the foundation upon which Europe’s Leading Wellbeing & Medical Health Resort is built. In the heart of the Alps and in a five-star surrounding, guests can enjoy ultimate relaxation, medical treatments of the highest order and a broad and diverse range of summer and winter sports, cuisine and cultural activities.
Because it’s great to ‘Be’ here At the Member of Leading Hotels of the World and Healing Hotels of the World, guests will find a rich and varied combination of luxury hotels, gastronomy, health, wellbeing, business and golf. The resort consists of two five-star establishments, the Grand Hotel Quellenhof & Spa Suites (member of Swiss Deluxe Hotels and Virtuoso) and the Grand Hotel Hof Ragaz with a total of 267 rooms and suites. “Because it’s great to ‘BE’ here”, was the poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke’s impression, and it was here in Bad Ragaz that Johanna Spyri was inspired to write her world-famous Heidi story. The ever-popular character lives on not just throughout the region, but also in the resort’s own Children’s Villa, where children from the age of three are lovingly looked after.
Award-winning Spa Europe’s most abundant thermal source originates in the Tamina gorge near Bad Ragaz at a temperature of 36.5°C. In the sixteenth century, the physician and alchemist Paracelsus praised the healing effects of the water. In the early days, the first spa guests were lowered into the gorge on ropes. Since 1840, however, a pipe four kilometres in length has brought the “Blue Gold” to Bad Ragaz and into the spa area of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, which today encompasses a total of 12,800 square metres, making it one of the largest in Europe. “Switzerland’s Best Wellness Hotel” (SonntagsZeitung, 2016) and “Resort Spa of the Year: Western Europe & Scandinavia” (World Spa & Wellness Awards 2016) offers an extraordinary and authentic spa experience. For massages and beauty treatments, the resort offers a wide variety of top-quality and nourishing products from world-renowned luxury brands such as La Prairie, Sensai, Sisley, Niance, Altearah, Carita, Ericson Laboratoire, Thalgo, Soglio and Molton Brown.
More than Medical Wellness Complementing the wellbeing and recreational facilities is the internationally renowned Medical Health Center, a byword for diagnostics, preventive care, therapy and rehabilitation of the highest order. More than 70 doctors and therapists offer treatments from check-ups, weight loss, detox, sleep diagnostics, medical skin care or even plastic surgery. In 2014, the outpatient medical facilities were expanded with an inpatient clinic for rehabilitation. No wonder the resort has also been awarded “Medical Master” at the Tatler Spa Awards 2016 in London.
Culinary experience In a total of seven restaurants, the GaultMillau Hotel of the Year 2009 conjures up an array of delights for diners’ delectation, including Asian, Mediterranean, international and Swiss specialities. Among them also the in 2015 opened restaurant IGNIV by Andreas Caminada. Caminada, awarded with 3 Michelin stars and 19 GaultMillau points at the nearby Schauenstein Schloss Restaurant Hotel, made it onto the “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list for the seventh time in 2016 and is ranked no. 47. His Restaurant IGNIV inspires its guests with a refreshing young concept of a superior and product-related cuisine with sharing dishes. Therefore the restaurant has been nominated for the Virtuoso Best of the Best Awards in the category of Best Culinary Experience. The Awards ceremony will take place on 10th August 2016 in Las Vegas.