My day starts with an excursion to the summit of Scex Rouge, which is part of the gorgeous Glacier 3000 ski region in the greater Gstaad area. The summit sits at an elevation of 3200 metres.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, which means that the busses running from Gstaad to the cable car station are very full. It’s mainly skiers taking advantage of the weather to get some skiing done before the season is over.

There are three restaurants at the summit, and fortunately for me, they all serve fondue for lunch. And it’s a good one too, although I do think they could have added a clove of garlic to the cheese to give it a little extra zing.

Location

In the afternoon I return to Gstaad for some window shopping before the afternoon tea. Le Grand Bellevue is situated in the lower part of town which is referred to by the locals as Unter Gstaad.

There’s a small park in front of the hotel that is looking a bit neglected. The fountain in the middle likely hasn’t had water in it for a while now, and the paint is faded and chipped.

The afternoon tea is served in the lounge, which is off to the left of the lobby in the sun room. It’s decked out in garish colours and flamboyant patterns on the wallpaper that work surprisingly well in a slightly eccentric way.

The Staff & Service

The service at Le Grand Bellevue is remarkably bad, especially given how much they charge for the rooms. This is the kind of place you stay at to show off, and not because you appreciate good service. The staff is unprepared and obviously can’t find my reservation. They’re seemingly not quite sure what they’re doing. Our waiter tells us to pick any table. None of them are really clean, so we pick the one that is not littered with empty dishes. I’m assuming they’ll wipe down our table to remove the crumbs before they bring our food. But they don’t.

Afternoon Tea at Le Grand Bellevue

A short while later the afternoon tea is brought out on a three tier étagère, and it’s probably one of the saddest looking afternoon teas I’ve ever seen. Our waitress leaves and it only occurs to her as an afterthought that plates, napkins, and cutlery might be useful.

The sandwiches are on the bottom tier. Strangely, there is an uneven number of sandwiches, which is just wrong for an afternoon tea prepared for two people. I will say that the sandwiches are freshly made. Beyond that, though, they tasteless and rather bland.

The scones are quite nice. They’re covered in just a bit too much icing sugar, though. I try to flick most of it off, but I still end up with the white stuff all over the tips of my boots. But that is a minor detail.

The top tier contains the sweets. I think this is probably the most pathetic of the three plates. What a completely loveless presentation of mostly stale biscuits.

Conclusion

What a letdown. The afternoon tea at Le Grand Bellevue in Gstaad is CHF90 for two persons, which is cheap by Swiss standards. I know, I know. You get what you pay for, but surely that cannot be an excuse for the careless, sloppy service by the staff and the bland food. This is definitely not an afternoon tea I can recommend.