Hi Everyone,
Of course I’d heard about the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz before but it’s the one part of Switzerland and hotel that I had never visited before. Tucked away among the foothills of the Alps in eastern Switzerland, the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is only an hour’s drive from Zurich.
Bad Ragaz itself was originally called Ragaz. Only in 1937 was the name finally changed to Bad Ragaz as the village began to focus on health spa tourists. I love the fact that this is where Swiss novelist and author of children’s stories, Johanna Spyri (1827-1901), wrote the story of Heidi.
As you arrive at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz the opulence of the surroundings instantly hit you. Interesting art placed throughout the park outside the entrance of the hotel made me even more curious to see what I would find once inside.
Before I keep going you need to know Grand Resort Bad Ragaz celebrated its 150th anniversary in July 2019 and was completely refurbished for the occasion.
Keep scrolling for a pictorial account of visiting one of Switzerland’s most famous spas – Grand Resort Bad Ragaz.
Visiting one of Switzerland’s Most Famous Spas – Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
Arrival
Wow, here you have the first thing you see as you enter the grand resort.
Note the art installation comprising of 2’500 special glass balls. These are cleaned once a year by professional climbers. What a spectacular sight that must be.
Our room – a Junior Suite:
After being greeted by the super friendly staff at reception it was time to discover our room.
I fell in love with the floor – my most favourite parquet and so beautiful too!
The dressing table was so pretty – if I could I would have taken it home with me – smile. Needless to say the delicious sweets waiting for us did not last long.
We had a beautiful marble bathroom with replicated sinks on each side.
For a little preview of the King suite check out this post.
Dinner 1st night
Dinner was at Verve by Sven, a restaurant boasting 1 Michelin star /14 GaultMillau points. It is tucked around the corner from the spectacular circular wine cellar.
The focus on the food being authentic local dishes. Every ingredient is sourced from sustainable agriculture and fair trade.
The decor of the restaurant is also special – if you are going to eat indoors be sure to book one of the cute round spaces.
It was super warm as we were there so we sat outside on the terrace – see what we ate.
DAY 2:
Breakfast
Outside on the terrace…
Thermal Baths:
The waters of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz come from the Tamina gorge and were originally discovered in 1242.
With its low mineral content, the thermal water of the gorge is believed to be mystical and possess healing properties. It’s said the water at Tamina gorge has seeped through the Swiss Alps for over a decade, before eventually spouting out at the healing 36.5 degrees C.
More about the different pool areas spread over 7,300 square metres at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz here:
The Historic Helena Spa
The story says that the pools are named after a Russian princess Helena, who the founder Bernhard Simon had fallen in love with during his stay in Russia. Helena did come and swim in the pools once but then went back to Russia. Leaving Bernhard with a broken heart.
Later Bernhard meets Caroline Schugart and they marry and have a family together – so all is well that ends well!
There is also an indoor lap pool at the back of the Helena Spa.
The Kneipp Zone
Located behind and off to the side of the Helena baths, this impressive stone structure is a must see.
Tamina Therme
The Tamina Therme is open to the public and has a variety of indoor and outdoor pools and various warm and cold water baths with water jet and shower features.
The varied range of spa treatments also includes exclusive beauty treatments, massages, haki treatments and health-conscious cuisine. There is also a family spa.
On our last morning we were lucky enough to be given a couples haki treatment which involved lying on hot slabs of stone and being pampered for an hour whilst we simply forgot about the rest of the world. A wonderful way to rejuvenate before going home.
Garden pool
The perfect place to lie outside and sunbath whilst watching the Graubünden mountains. There’s also a bar where you can order your favourite drink.
Lunch
Lunch was at ‘Gladys’, the golf club restaurant. There are a number of delicious light meals available. We decided to take beef tartare from different regions, France (served with truffle and fries) and Asia. Both were delicious. 
Wearing dress from Maison Gassmann
E-Bike through the wine region
The Bad Ragaz e-bike station is located directly on the grounds of the resort. We rented Trek e-mountain bikes for a ride through what I found out to be one of the most famous wine areas of Switzerland. As a hotel guest you get a discount on bike rentals.
Ride along to Maienfeld where you will find signs all over the place showing where the local wine tastings are located. A small word of warning though they are closed after 12:00 on Saturdays and all day Sunday. You can of course book an official wine tasting tour too.
The villages en-route were all so pretty I could have photographed a lot more than I did…
Dinner 2nd night
Having already had quite a big lunch we opted for a light dinner at the fireplace, Verve by Sven bar.
Being a beautiful day this meant we sat outside instead of by the fireplace – but here is a picture of what the fireplace looks like for cooler evenings:
The bar has an extensive cocktail list – also non alcoholic – with a special menu indicating what to drink at what time of day.
Meeting Swiss designer Ginny Litscher and a pool party
Our visit to the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz happened to be the same weekend artist Ginny Litscher was launching her fabulous swimwear collection and showcasing a room she had especially designed for the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. As luck would have it we then also got invited to the pool party.
DAY 3:
Breakfast, one last treatment (as mentioned above already) and then it was time to leave after a real whirlwind couple of days.
I can only recommend this wonderful resort and area for a luxury or romantic stay. Make sure to give yourself a few days at least to really be able to enjoy all that is on offer.
There are more restaurants and exciting activities than I have mentioned in this post so be sure to do a little more research before your trip:
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nb: all photos taken by and property of FunkyForty GmbH
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Thank you very much dear Yvonne for your blog Bad Ragaz sounds really fabulous especiallylly those baths the look just interesting and fabulous wish I was right there with you love it