I have just returned from Gstaad, Switzerland where I celebrated my birthday in a week long fest of unimaginable delights!

The moment I arrived to Le Grand Bellevue I was instantly treated like a pampered Queen. I have three favorite Hotels in Gstaad….which are all quite different and magical in their own way: Le Grand Bellevue, The Palace, and The Alpina.

The constant personal care and attention I received at Le Grand Bellevue was par excellence. Lovely handwritten notes accompanying beautiful deliciously arranged delicacies are daily and there is no demand be it large or small that does not receive immediate consideration.

The concierge arranged personal drivers, dinners, special events, and made numerous calls on my behalf to secure the best possible of everything I was interested in. Service is in the details and Le Grand Bellevue makes a point to go far beyond the required niceties…..they even sewed a missing button on my blazer in a matter of minutes, and produced a pair of racing gloves at a ridiculously early hour in the morning.

I love the interior…. as it is in complete contrast from the historic facade. This is brilliant because it is a spectacular surprise to see the Modern whimsy of enthusiastic colors and rich fabrics marrying beautifully with bird cage swing chairs and custom couches galore. This Hotel is perfect for families…the children love it here, and the gigantic stuffed camel at the entrance can attest to this!

This luxurious 5-star superior Hotel is located in a Park in the center of Gstaad, walking distance to the center of the stylish Promanade. The fresh mountain air is a must after dinner, as it rejuvenates the lungs….regardless of the hour, after dinner I walked every night, under the star filled sky and white topped chalets.

The award winning Leonard’s at the Bellevue was awarded with 1 Michelin star and 14 Gault Millau points. The food was divine and the service extremely attentive, always making sure everything was to my satisfaction.

Extended dining facilities include Le Petite Chalet, a darling Swiss Mountain Cabin that serves traditional local specialties while the bar has a vast repertoire of cocktails. I also loved the hot Chocolate menu, so decadently exquisite, offering many variations …my favorite was the extra dark chocolate with home made whipped cream….heaven!

The Disco, called Bouquet is located on the lower level of the Hotel and  provided intimate dancing with fabulous music. My chilled coconut water was the perfect backdrop for a late night twirl.

We here at OFM are awarding Le Grand Bellevue with 5 Stars…our highest rating. I look forward to my return in July where I will spend two weeks…working on my novel, painting, and writing about all the marvels that beautiful Gstaad has to offer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Old Fashioned Mom Magazine welcomed Jacques Bounin, the admissions director of Le Rosey to New York by hosting an intimate luncheon at the French Bistro Chat Noir.

Guests were delighted to hear about the rich history and strong academic programs the International Swiss boarding School provides.

Institut Le Rosey is a boarding school near Rolle, Switzerland. It was founded by Paul-Émile Carnal in 1880 on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey near the town of Rolle in the Canton of Vaud. It is one of the oldest boarding schools in Switzerland.

The school also owns a campus in the ski resort village of Gstaad in the Canton of Bern, where the student body, faculty, and staff move to during the months of January through March. Institut Le Rosey is owned by its fourth generation of directors, Philippe and Anne Gudin, who assumed ownership of Le Rosey in 1980. Michael Gray is the headmaster.

In 2014, Le Rosey inaugurated the Paul & Henri Carnal Hall, an arts and learning centre for Le Rosey and the La Côte region. The school is also planning the sale of its Gstaad winter campus, and a move to a location that can accommodate more personnel and students.

Le Rosey’s philosophy is inspired by what Harvard educationalist Howard Gardner has called “multiple intelligences”: “its aim is to develop all Roseans’ talents through academic, sporting and artistic programmes. “The school offers a demanding bilingual and bicultural education with the language of instruction being French or English depending on the student’s academic program; however, students may take many language classes while at Le Rosey. Students may sit either the International Baccalaureate, the most widely recognized pre-university educational program, or the Francophone-oriented French Baccalaureate.

To sustain an international atmosphere at Le Rosey, there exists a quota where no more than 10% of the students may come from a single country. The student body, ages 7 through 18, is composed of pupils from approximately 58 different countries, with 60% of the students being European. The school’s current enrollment, over 400 pupils, is equally divided between male and female. The majority of students are between the ages of 14 and 18. The student-teacher ratio is 5:1 with the average class size being fewer than 10 students, and the average teacher’s length of stay at Le Rosey is over ten years.

Students at Le Rosey are nicknamed “Roséens” (in French) or “Roseans” (in English), and former students are labeled “Les Anciens Roséens”. The school’s campus has 28 hectares (approximately 70 acres) of landscaped grounds. The school’s sailing center, the “Fleur d’Eau”, is situated along 100 meters of shoreline on Lake Geneva. Le Rosey is reportedly the only boarding school in the world to change campuses seasonally. In spring and autumn, classes are held at the Château du Rosey campus in the village of Rolle in the Canton of Vaud, located between Geneva and Lausanne in southwestern Switzerland. For the winter months of January through March, the entire student body moves to a group of chalets in the ski resort town of Gstaad in the Canton of Berne.

Le Rosey offers a wide range of sports, including: Football (Soccer), Basketball, Volleyball, cross-country running, Sailing, Rowing, Competitive swimming, and Water skiing during the spring and autumn terms. During the winter term, sports options are Skiing, Snowboarding, Ice-hockey, Curling and Snowshoeing.

Château du Rosey, a Feudal chateau located on Le Rosey’s main campus at Rolle, dates to the Middle Ages and houses Le Rosey’s central reception area. In 1880, the site of the Le Rosey campus was chosen by the school’s founder, Paul-Emile Carnal, “a lover of nature, history and the countryside”. The Le Rosey campus at Rolle is situated adjacent to the famous Lake Geneva. In 1911, the founder passed the ownership of Le Rosey to his son, Henri-Paul Carnal. In 1917, the school began to go to Gstaad in the German-speaking Canton of Berne for the winter months to escape the dense fog that settles in on Lake Geneva. In 1947, the third generation of directors, Louis Johannot and Helen Schaub, assumed ownership of Le Rosey. Under the same ownership, in 1967, Le Rosey admitted girls for the first time and opened a separate girls’ campus. In 1980, the current owners, Philippe and Anne Gudin de la Sablonnière, became the fourth generation of Directors at Le Rosey.

Institut Le Rosey’s academic curriculum is designed to “provide education of breadth, depth and quality for an international student body.” Le Rosey offers a rigorous bilingual and bicultural education with the principal language of instruction being French or English depending on the student’s academic program.  Beginning in Class 9 (US 3rd grade; UK year 4) and ending in Class 7 (US 5th grade; UK Year 6), Junior students at Le Rosey follow the Primary Bilingual Programme. The Programme follows the French national curriculum for classes taught in French and the National Curriculum of the United Kingdom for classes taught in English, which are both complemented by the International Primary Curriculum to create an international education.

Le Rosey students in Classes 6-2 (US 6th-10th grade; UK Year 7-11) choose their principal language and continue their studies in French or English. If possible, students may study their mother tongue and a third or even a fourth language in addition to their principal language of instruction. Over 20 different languages have been taught at Le Rosey in the past five years. During the Secondary Bilingual Programme, English and French classes are obligatory, and upon entering Class 3 (US 9th grade), students begin the two-year “Pre-Bac” Programme to prepare the students for either the internationally recognized International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme or the Francophone-oriented French Baccalaureate. At Le Rosey, the IB Diploma Programme and the French Baccalaureate cover the last two years of schooling (Class 1 and Class t).

Le Rosey’s main campus, near Rolle, is situated on 28 hectares of land adjacent to Lake Geneva. It is divided into two campuses, one for boys situated on the main campus and one for girls called La Combe. The boarding houses contain a total of 179 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, and all together the academic buildings contain: 53 classrooms, 8 science laboratories, 14 specially-equipped rooms, 48 apartments for Le Rosey teachers, 2 infirmaries, a library/media centre with about 20,000 to 30,000 literary and reference works, a theatre, 3 dining rooms and 2 cafeterias, an auditorium, 2 gymnasiums, and an ecumenical chapel. Sports and arts facilities at Le Rosey include: 10 clay Tennis courts, a 25-meter indoor pool and wellness centre, a 25-meter outdoor pool, 3 football pitches, 1 synthetic rugby pitch, 1 wood chip running track, a shooting and archery range, an open-air theatre, and a computer-regulated greenhouse. Off-campus Le Rosey owns: a private Equestrian centre housing 30 horses, 1 indoor riding school, 1 Dressage area, and a clubhouse. Also off-campus is the Le Rosey sailing centre equipped with: 10 dinghies, 3 motorboats, 3 yawls and a 38-foot (12 m) yacht.

The school’s Winter campus, at the ski resort of Gstaad in the Bernese Oberland, is composed of several traditional chalets within the town. The girls’ campus, at Schönried, is situated a 10-minute train ride away from Gstaad and is composed of 5 chalets used solely for boarding and dining. The students utilize local facilities, including: swimming pools, fitness centres, tennis courts, ice-hockey rink, a bowling alley, Curling, 250 kilometers (approximately 156 miles) of Alpine ski slopes and 120 kilometers (approximately 75 miles) of Cross-country ski tracks, 65 kilometers of Snowshoeing trails, climbing walls, and Via Ferratas.

Le Rosey is an extraordinary School, and having had my son, Hudson, attend the Summer Camp I was able to see all the extraordinary benefits of an International Education.

We love you Jacques!!!