Fam Trip – On board the Belmond British Pullman

Earlier this year alongside Perowne International, BBB arranged an amazing Fam Trip for one of our PAs, Victoria Reid, to head to Austria to stay at two exceptional Perowne properties. More members of our community will be heading off on trips soon but in the meantime, here’s how Victoria got on. 

I was fortunate to be invited by Perowne International to the beautiful location of Stuben am Arlberg in Austria to experience House Hannes Schneider. Now for me – a powerful shower, decent bed linen and great food are a pre-requisite, however as you are all aware, the people we work for require a little more from their trips.  So I switched into CEO mode, packed and headed off to Gatwick.

Having arrived into Innsbruck after a ninety minute stress-free flight from Gatwick. It was a rather impressive forty five mins from wheels on the ground to winding our way to Lech. Innsbruck airport is tiny, and passport control and luggage collection were superefficient!

Our hosts welcomed us to Lech and we immediately headed up in a gondola to the Hotel Alter GoldenBerg, Oberlech.  Oberlech is a stunning car free hamlet above Lech. We enjoyed a beautiful late lunch, al fresco, whilst watching the last of the days skiers and tobogganers complete the last few runs.

Back in Lech, we checked into the Hotel Kristiania. This place is just lovely, forty nine, individually designed rooms, that are warm and cozy with lovely modern bathrooms and proper sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. 

The main thing that strikes me as I enter the foyer, is the wonderful smell – oh my goodness! – it is warming, relaxing not too floral, not “spa-like’ but makes you want to snuggle into the squashy sofas in the bar and just unwind.  Our luggage had been taken on ahead and after a quick unpack, shower (some rooms have corner baths, separate showers, separate WCs) it was time for dinner – a lovely meal, with wonderful service from informative, and charming (but not over-attentive) staff.  After a token schnapps in the bar, our beds were calling and so we called it a night.

On Monday morning we met our ski guides Jip and Manny and headed to Strolz in the middle of Lech for boots, skis and poles.  Once kitted out we made our way to the gondola and some ski action.  The group quickly split with Manny taking the advanced members of the group off for some serious ski-ing and Jip taking a couple of us for some more basic downhill!

Time for lunch at Severins Alpine Resort which was lovely. We sat down with the manager and heard all about the facilities and had a quick tour of the rooms.  A point to add at this time is that SPF50 on the face, head sweat and contact lenses do not mix.  After taking my helmet off I managed to rub my eyes, and in about 30 seconds rendered myself blind.  After being forced into taking my lenses out of my eyes in order to see anything, I ended up back at the Hotel Kristiania to find my glasses.  So no skiing for me, but a lovely afternoon snoozing and watching the world go by.  I can therefore vouch that this beautiful hotel is a haven for anyone who wants a break from skiing or just to head back early for some r and r!

Our dinner that evening was at the Thurnhers Alpenhof Hotel, an opportunity to indulge in multiple courses of Austrian specialities.  The food throughout the trip was exceptional, only matched by the stunning views.  Heading back to Kristiania we enjoyed a final drink and headed off to bed.

On our final morning, we started off earlier to maximise the skiing opportunity.  Jip provided the patience of a saint and after a good two hours, of which 50% were spent falling over and 50% doing quite well, we established my skiing issues are between my ears and not the ability to actually ski!!! Ah well, next season will come soon enough!!

For lunch we were taken to the most spectacular hotel, the Aurelio in Lech and Claudia looked after us so well, and the food was superb.  The hotel has a variety of rooms, functional ski room, spa and an adjoining chalet which can be booked out for larger groups looking for exquisite accommodation and complete privacy.

On leaving here we headed off to House Hannes Schneider, in the small village of Stuben.  The chalet has been completely modernised and comes with 6 individually decorated double suites all of which have stunning en suites.  There is also a nanny/staff room (as cozy as the rest of the suites), a beautiful ski room, sauna and a Jacuzzi bath to take care of aches and pains after a hard days skiing. The chalet comes with its own butler and chef who looked after us very well.  As the chalet is run by the same team as Hotel Kristiania, we knew that standards would be fabulous.  This is an understatement.

That evening, the owner of the Kristiania, Gertrude Schneider, joined us for dinner and we learnt all about the history of Lech, and her family which was fascinating.

For the final night Gertrude organised one last surprise, an evening of night tobogganing.  This was so much fun and I can confidently state this is my winter sport!! In Stuben we walked to the bottom of a blue run, grabbed a toboggan and piled into a 4×4 which drove us to the top of the run. Lit only by the moon, and the dim glow of the village lights, we all took off down the run. In less that 5 minutes we were at the bottom, laughing hysterically and asking to go again. 

Wednesday morning arrived all too soon after a night’s sleep in bedding that felt you were being cocooned in a combination of silk and cotton wool.  Coffee and croissants were lovely and we set off to our final destination, Hotel Tannenhof in St. Anton which was about 20 minutes’ drive away.  

Set at the top of the town with views the length of St. Anton, we settled down to a brunch which like every other meal over the previous 72 hours, was superb!  The decor and luxury at Tannenhof was on a par with everything we saw throughout the visit to Austria and was a fitting end to a fabulous trip.

Skiing in Lech is brilliant, for beginners and those lacking in confidence (aka me), the blue runs are enough and for advanced skiers there are lots of black and cross country runs to keep everyone happy.  Hospitality and food is out of this world but with the great skiing and so many other activities in the area (climbing wall, table tennis, swimming and spas) no one needs to worry about over eating or being a non-skier! Après ski, is well served, Lech is not famed for its bouncing night life, focusing more on fine dining, however St Anton 20 mins away more than covers the need for dancing and pounding base!  With all this less than 2 hours from Gatwick, I can confidently say I’ll definitely be recommending it!

On Thursday 12th July, the lovely team at Beaverbrook invited BBB to bring a small group of PA’s to come and see the property, check out the cookery school and enjoy some lunch. 

Long term SORTED PA Alex Popoff was one of the visitors and this is what she had to report….

First off, Beaverbrook is an incredibly special place, not only by it’s fabulous location and beautiful decor, but by the property’s unique history….  On arrival, we were ushered to The Garden House, a secondary building at the back of the property where the cookery school is located, as well as a small selection of guest bedrooms, charming sitting rooms, a full restaurant and the impressive the kitchen garden. 

We were welcomed by the team and told a little of the heritage of the hotel. The house was once owned by Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbook, a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and highly influential figure in the worlds of British politics and media across the first half of the 20th century. He was also a well known society figure and had an impressive selection of friends who all came to stay at the property as a welcome escape from London and to experience a bit of hedonism… One of the most notable guests was Sir Winston Churchill, who spent a considerable amount of time at the house. Lord Beaverbrook became Chruchill’s Minister of Aircraft Production during WW2 and his love of aviation is clearly apparent throughout the decor of the property.

After the historical debrief, we were taken to the Cookery School and introduced to Head Chef Kaz Suzuki, whose impressive resume includes working in many restaurants and private dinners around the world, including Japan, New Zealand, France, Spain and Indonesia. But despite the accolades, Kaz was down to earth and made everyone learning feel like they were an accomplished cook already!  We learnt to make a delicious skinned tomato and burrata salad, which we dressed with a specially created twist on fresh pesto, using rocket, basil and sunflower seeds. To everyone’s immense pleasure, this dish turned out to be our lunch starter and I can confirm, it tasted as good as it looked! We then enjoyed a long lunch in the stunning conservatory area of the Garden House restaurant, before being whisked away to view the rest of the property in the Beaverbrook bus…

On arrival at the Main House, we entered a world reminiscent of the former glamour of the age of Churchill. Sweeping staircases, Art Deco bars, a private cinema room and an impeccable Japanese restaurant were just some of the joyous public spaces of the main hotel building, not to mention the serene patio garden, the rolling lawns and beautiful views across the countryside beyond. It’s easy to see why so many of Lord Beaverbrook’s friends came here regularly to unwind and enjoy themselves!

The bedrooms, we discovered, were each named after some of the incredible personalities to have stayed over the years. The names are too many to list, but an impressive selection, to give you an idea, are Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Cocteau, W.B. Yeats, Wallis Simpson, H.G. Wells, Ian Fleming and of course, Sir Churchill. Each room is unique, the decor is decadent and luxurious throughout and every detail has been considered to make guests feel instantly at home and taken care of. Original features have been kept throughout, including Churchill’s original bath!

Traditional country pursuits are also well covered, with pétanque, badminton, tennis, croquet, fishing and clay pigeon shooting all available on site. Bicycles are available for guests to explore the estate and next door is a new luxury golf course, ideal for CEO’s wanting to broker deals outside of the boardroom or impress potential clients. In early 2019, a new Spa complex is also due for completion, rounding off the opportunities for the ultimate in relaxation.

Business meetings and events are also well catered for at Beaverbrook. The property boasts three spaces that are ideal for meetings, presentations, working dinners and larger events.  The Orangery is lovely; a large, open room with a lot of natural daylight and many original features, the mood in here is serene and tasteful (despite the fact that it also plays home to a children’s entertainment programme when not booked otherwise!) An extremely versatile and flexible space, the room can accommodate 100 for a reception, 40 for private dining and 28 as a board room, with various other layouts and combinations possible between.  The Blue Room harks back to the glamour of Beaverbrook’s era, with iconic paintings, warm wood panelling and traditional decor. The room can cater for up to 16 guests, either board room style or as private dining, with an exceptional menu of either British or Japanese cuisine with an extensive wine and champagne list.  Lastly the Cinema Room is quite stunning – perfect for all manner of presentations, private screenings or press events, this room is beautiful and impeccably glamorous. It has state of the art AV and surround sound, luxury seating and full connectivity / wifi. 

For full info on event spaces, head here.

Stunning, luxurious and calm, this really is a haven close to London but surrounded by wonderful countryside, and I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone wanting a night or two away in style, a corporate away day or a luxurious private event. There are even certain guest rooms in the Garden House that welcome dogs!  My only question about the property was when can I return?…..

Check out the hotel and all it has to offer here.