A natural way to relax

ASCONA

ASCONA

The Italian Lakes are familiar territory, but they flow from Switzerland, and their Swiss shores are badly underrated. I wanted to take a look. My journey south from Zurich by high-speed train was a revelation: as we emerged from the sub-Alpine tunnel and made our way down the broadening valley of the Ticino, landscape and culture felt utterly separate from Germanic northern Europe. The people spoke Italian, the stone-built villages we passed showed Tuscan-style roofs of red tile, but the most striking difference was in the flora. Despite being well north of Milan, the Ticino has a sunny, Mediterranean climate, evidenced by the palms and cypresses at journey's end in Locarno, overlooking Lake Maggiore amid camellias, oleanders and glorious purple bougainvillea.

I sipped espresso at a café on the cobbled Piazza Motta in nearby Ascona, squinting at the lake in the hot sun, then took a boat out to the Brissago Islands to explore the gardens of subtropical foliage. Dozing there, on a little sandy beach under a palm tree, I felt miles from Switzerland. Ascona's best hotel is the Giardino, a romantic retreat in every sense, an arcaded beauty set in lush, scented gardens. Its dreamy "Giardino di Bellezza" spa is the finest in the region, with an array of therapies and package deals. The pick is "Caesar and Cleopatra" (SFr2,800/£1,220 for two people in a room with morning sun; SFr2,980/£1,295 in a south-facing room), which takes in three nights half-board plus a flood of pedicures, manicures, body treatments, baths and massages "for him" and "for her".

Albergo Giardino, CH-6612 Ascona (00 41 91 785 8888; www.giardino.ch). Hotel re-opens 5 March 2005.

INTERLAKEN

Bang in the middle of Switzerland, Interlaken is the gateway to the mighty peaks of the Bernese Oberland. The Matterhorn may be more recognizable, St Moritz may be flashier, but the quantity and sheer scale of the mountain giants on offer here at close quarters takes your breath away. A couple of hundred metres from the station, the main street Höheweg opens out. On one side is the open parkland of the Höhematte, with a perfect view between the hills of the icy Jungfrau massif, and on the other is the imposing presence of the stalwart Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel, 140- years-old this year and still going strong. This is a five-star hotel of the old school, with all requisite hi-tech mod cons but also an ineffable air of old-world charm. The spanking new ESPA facility opened just over a year ago, with the chic-est of contemporary interiors and a Clarins Beauty Centre next door. The most popular treatment is the Balinese Body Massage (SFr190/£83), and there's a range of packages: the "ESPA mini ritual" (SFr1,980/£860 for two people) is a perfect long-weekend deal, covering two nights half board plus massages, body wraps and foot baths.

Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, CH-3800 Interlaken (00 41 33 828 2828; www.victoria-jungfrau.ch).

LAUSANNE

With excellent shopping, a fistful of lively cafés and bars, the well-preserved Château de Chillon nearby and Geneva airport just 45 minutes away, Lausanne is a cracking short-break destination. I strolled just a few steps from the main Place St-François to find the monumental Lausanne Palace. The hotel recently underwent complete refurbishment - it now boasts a full-specification luxury spa hidden behind its city hotel façade. The short-stay deals include an Anti-Stress Weekend (massage, body-wrap, hydrobath, face massage and more) or an Ayurvedic Weekend. Both include two nights' bed and breakfast, from SFr1,560/£678 for two people.

Lausanne Palace & Spa, Grand-Chêne 7-9, CH-1002 Lausanne (00 41 21 331 3131; www.lausanne-palace.com).

LAKE LUCERNE

Lake Lucerne's paddle-steamers are handsome. Standing on deck as these grand old beasts pull away from the quay with a mournful toot and then head off into the misty, mountain-wreathed blue with their engines humming - it's the height of romance. This is Switzerland's most beautiful and dramatic lake by far, thickly wooded slopes rising sheer from the water and a series of bays and peninsulas giving constantly changing views. Forty minutes from Lucerne, we disembarked at the old village of Vitznau, and wandered over to one of the grandest of Europe's grand hotels, the Park. This ornate, Belle-Époque palace, built in 1901, dominates the waterfront in its own, expansive grounds. Views across to the Bürgenstock cliffs and the snowy Alps are jaw-dropping in themselves, but this is a hotel to savour. Its rooms and suites are classy and elegant, and the spa is superb. A five-night vitality package (SFr3,700/£1,610 for two people in a lakeview room) includes bed and breakfast, massages, a facial, a jet soak, lymph drainage and an orange-blossom oil bath.

It would be a pity to stay indoors all the time, though: a brisk walk along the lakeshore is Gersau, which, from 1390 to 1798, was the smallest independent free republic in Europe. It remains today much as it was then: a patch of sloping meadow, with fresh air and the prettiest of views.

Park Hotel Vitznau, CH-6354 Vitznau (00 41 41 399 6060; www.parkhotel-vitznau.ch). Hotel re-opens 14 April 2005.

SAAS-FEE

Well-established as one of Europe's top snowboarding centres, Saas-Fee isn't all dudes and half-pipes. This attractive little resort has a lot going for it: cars are banned, much traditional wooden architecture has survived, and the setting is stupendous - the village is perched on a shelf of pasture 1800m up, with 13 4000m peaks arrayed in horseshoe formation above. The Ferienart hotel, in the village centre, takes Alpine pamperment seriously. Rooms and suites are styled in a blend of cool and traditional: lots of Swiss pine and plumped-up pillows, but also spacious hi-tech bathrooms with free-standing jacuzzis. Its onsite "Paradia" spa includes a very Swiss treatment: a hay-bath, where you lie on a bed of warm, fresh hay and are covered in more of the stuff, which is preservative-free (unlike aromatherapy oils). The warmth and moistness of the hay improves circulation, while the fragrance aids relaxation. Plump for a wellness package (SFr2,259/ £982 for two people), and you get a hay-bath as well as a full massage and a Rasul bath, plus three nights half-board. Plenty more treatments, from manicure to hot-stone therapy, are available.

Ferienart Resort & Spa, CH-3906 Saas-Fee (00 41 27 958 1900; www.ferienart.ch). Hotel closed 2 May to 9 June 2005

Compare Travel Insurance - 5 day Euro cover from £4.33 and Annual worldwide policies from just £43.08