On the trail of 007 – We visited the 5-star luxury hotel The Chedi Andermatt in the Swiss mountains to see the original locations of the legendary Bond movie “Goldfinger”.
On the trail of 007 – We visited the 5-star luxury hotel The Chedi Andermatt in the Swiss mountains to see the original locations of the legendary Bond movie “Goldfinger”
I lie in the bathtub. It is already dark. A pleasant smell is streaming out of the fragrance lamp, which is placed on the side table next to the spacious bathtub. I have pushed aside the wooden panels that serve as a room divider between the large bathroom and the bedroom-living room. This gives me a clear view of the flat screen above the fireplace, where the fire is already blazing. It is comfortably warm and cozy lighting makes my deluxe room a wonderful refuge in the Swiss Alps.
I am a little tired – positively exhausted, to define it exactly. Today I drove over the wonderful Alps of Switzerland to the luxury hotel The Chedi Andermatt.
I accepted the invitation to visit the new restaurant The Japanese by The Chedi Andermatt at 2300 meters above sea level. In this highest located Japanese gourmet temple of the country I was given culinary delights while enjoying the most beautiful weather.
Saturated with the finest Japanese delicacies, I drive back to the hotel late in the afternoon, where one of the 123 rooms is already waiting for me. I am accommodated in one of the 31 deluxe rooms. About 55 square meters are part of my realm in the middle of the mountain village Andermatt in the Ursental. Surrounded by beautiful Alps, over which three spectacular Alpine passes lead to the temple of superlatives.
Now I lie in the tub, let my skin be pampered by luxury bath foam and watch James Bond in diamond fever with Sean Connery. 007 is also lying in the tub right now.
I am in Bond fever. Right here, in this mountain village and surrounding area, the third installment and probably the best known and most successful in the series was shot. In 1964, sexy Connery chased Gerd Fröbe aka Goldfinger right here over the Furka Pass: James Bond in an Aston Martin DB5 and Goldfinger in a 1937 Rolls Royce Phantom III Sedanca de Ville. The movie went down in history as the feature film that recovered production costs the fastest. This groundbreaking record also earned him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. And the legendary title song, sung by the outstanding Shirley Bassey, also was the first Bond song to reach the top ten charts.
I get out of the tub. I walk across the heated natural stone floor to the rain shower and let the water trickle over me. Wrapped in a cuddly grey bathrobe I leave the large bathroom and walk to the oriental sitting area in the living room. I feel as if I am at home in Oman in a majlis, the room in an oriental house where guests are received. I sit down cross-legged on the large seat cushion, take the iPad from the low marble table and turn the fire in the chimney higher with a swipe of my finger.
It becomes already warmer and even more comfortable. By now James Bond is involved in a fight scene. I go out onto the balcony. A starry sky welcomes me. From here, too, I can see the blazing fire of my fireplace. Tomorrow, after breakfast, I cross the Furka Pass. I lie down in bed smiling. Behind it, the light of the bronze lamps in the wood paneling gives a warm and calming light. It is not difficult to fall into adventurous dreams here.
The next morning in promising. After the luxurious breakfast I am ready for my Bond adventure. I walk through the high wood-panelled reception hall. Asian and alpine regional decoration enter into a wonderful symbiosis. Cozy fireplace alcoves are also a part of it. Chedi, which means nothing else than temple in Thai, is an Asian oasis of peace without losing the alpine charm of the Swiss mountains. The architecture, inside and out, is successful and reflects the Swiss character: exciting restraint, which wants to feel the luxury, but not carry it loudly outside.
My turbo-blue Audi RS Q3 with its 400 hp is ready for a road adventure à la James Bond. I will not slip into the role of the Bond Girl today. I will gladly do it like Angelina Jolie. When asked if she would play the role of the Bond Girl, she declined with thanks and replied: “No, I’m not comfortable with that, but I would like to play Bond.”
For feminists, James Bond is more of a deterrent: a testosterone-controlled male being with a very high consumption of women in bed. If you were to compare this with the emission consumption of a V12 car, a clear and red-painted G would be indicated. Nothing for general and daily use.
But Bond continues to hunt without being blamed. Why? It’s his coolness and he always keeps a clear head in any situation. And he doesn’t fool women – they know where they stand with him right from the start. His bouquet of women includes ladies who lust after sugardaddies just to live in lavish and materialistic luxury, as well as strong and self-confident women who get their fun from him too. Everything is in balance again.
Just like in real life. I also don’t drink alcohol and abhor weapons, and yet I would love to own a car, equipped with all the practical gadgets that I would love to use with a grin in today’s highway life. That way, everyone can find their Bond role in these rightly legendary agent buster cars. Live and let live, or to say it in the wonderful Bond jargon: Live and let die.
The porter presses the keys to my beautiful mobile Beau with a smile. It stands there powerfully with its impressive radiator grille. I get in and press the start button. Today the baby is allowed to drive in dynamic mode on four 21 inch tires. The sound is incredible. I drive off. The road leads through the narrow and really idyllic alleys of the village Andermatt.
There! At the edge of the village the first film spot awaits me! The Aurora gas station in Gotthardstrasse 163, which is no longer in operation, but the hotel owner has kept it. A sign refers to the agent blockbuster.
I continue my journey and I soon reach the Furka Pass. The road gets narrower and the curves steeper. The tarred road winds through the green nature and snow-covered Valais and Bernese Alps, which rise up to 4000 meters, welcome me from the distance. Wherever I like, I stop to let the view work its magic on me. There are many adventurers on the road – either with their campers or their powerful sports cars. My Audi is well adapted to the road conditions. Its size is also ideal – I hardly have to stop in one of the many available bays to let a large oncoming vehicle pass.
This infinite vastness … I remember the film scene with James. He follows the unsuspecting Goldfinger, but the ride in the grey DB5 is leisurely for him too. 007 loves this road trip! I stop at the spot from which Bond looks down the hill to inspect his opponent’s yellow Rolls Royce.
It is as if time has stopped. Everything is exactly as it was 56 years ago. 007’s Coolness has remained the same. The style remains timeless in everything, car, watch, fashion. I pass the famous Hotel Belvedere, which is renowned all over the world because of its architecture, which is adapted to the curve, and the Hotel Galenstock, which is enthroned in the mountain splendor like a film set.
I do not want to go back yet. I’m in the curve rush. The nice staff of The Chedi Andermatt sent me a road book with the ten most beautiful and spectacular passes in the area.
I enjoy my ride over the Susten Pass with its waterfalls going down the slopes. The scenery from the Grimsel Pass is overwhelming: The smooth ride along the reservoir, surrounded by barren and wild mountain scenery, leads up to the hospice, from where you have an incredible view of the nature from above.
Despite the amazing speakers, I ride over the serpentines without turning on the radio. I just want to feel and hear the engine, the heart of the car with four cylinders. I drive the last part of the Oberalp Pass in comfort mode, the window open. Fresh air blows around my nose. The sun is slowly setting for sleep. Soon it disappears behind the mountains. The sky turns yellow to spectacular orange-red.
I arrive at the hotel. My Audi is driven into the garage. It has done enough for today. Going up and down the serpentines all day long – quite a job for an engine. Even my fingers were working more. Tiptronic under these road conditions is really fun.
I enter my oriental chamber and light the fireplace. The bathtub is also waiting for me already. The Chedi Andermatt was opened in 2013. When James Bond was filmed in 1964, this was a small sleepy mountain village.
James Bond is synonymous not only with a smart agent and gentleman, but also with luxury cars and hotels. The Chedi Andermatt, considered one of the finest and most luxurious houses in the world, is more than worthy of a Bond.
There is no James Bond on television today. I listen to my favorite music and relax in the bathtub while the fire is blazing in the fireplace. A scene from “Goldfinger” comes to my mind. The actress Honor Blackman smiles at the most famous agent in the world and says: “My Name is Pussy Galore …”. A satisfied smile spreads over Bond’s face and he replies: “… I must be dreaming …”. I also smile with satisfaction and instead of a martini I drink the Swiss herbal lemonade Rivella, neither shaken nor stirred, and gratefully enjoy my personal Bond moments in one of the best hotels in the world and cool sports cars of our time.
Impressive mountain worlds, muted colors, casual luxury, a touch of drama and adventure as well as that mysterious pinch of sexiness – with the “007” package at the five-star deluxe hotel The Chedi Andermatt, the secret agent feeling comes up in every possible way:
It should also be mentioned that access to the 2400 m2 The Spa and Health Club and breakfast are included. More James Bond feeling in three days is not possible!
The offer is valid from the 1st of October 2020 to the 29th of April 2021.
You can find more information here.
Copyright: Mirella Sidro / www.lelaswelt.de / www.lelas-world.com
