A decade ago, Julie Andrews emphasized that Gstaad is "the last corner of paradise in a crazy world." Alongside her husband, director Blake Edwards, they bought a chalet named Fleur de Lys in 1971. By the fireplace, she wrote the script for Victor & Victoria (1982) and in the 70s, she filmed The Tamarind Seed (1974) and The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) in the Swiss ski resort.
Before the arrival of the Mary Poppins star in this luxury enclave, two other Hollywood superstars turned Gstaad into a must-stop for the international jet set. Unforgettable are the images of Grace Kelly teaching her children, Carolina and Alberto, to ski in 1961, and those of Elizabeth Taylor posing in 1962 with her children, Michael and Liza, while still married to her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher.
After her torrid affair with Richard Burton during the filming of Cleopatra (1963) -dubbed Le scandale in gossip circles- the violet-eyed actress and the Welshman truly enjoyed the Christmas and New Year's festivities. If their guests couldn't fit in their home, the Burton-Taylors would accommodate them at their expense at the expensive Palace Hotel, where the first photos of Caroline of Monaco with Ernesto de Hannover were taken. The Grimaldi family's passion for Gstaad is such that Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo got married there in 2014.
During the most glorious era, some guests witnessed Richard Burton, Roger Moore, David Niven, and Peter Ustinov having drinks at the bar, which they closed for them.
As expected, on the streets and ski slopes of this luxurious enclave in the Swiss Alps, paparazzi quickly caught Brigitte Bardot and her husband, the playboy Gunter Sachs, Aga Khan, Audrey Hepburn, or Roger Moore - who allowed himself to be photographed milking a cow - and Roman Polanski, who is very grateful to the locals who gave him flowers and wine while he was under house arrest in 2009 for a case pending since 1978 in the United States for having had sexual relations with a minor.
From the most glamorous era, only Valentino, who along with his partner Giancarlo Giammetti, celebrates New Year with their best friends at Gifferhorn, their immaculate wooden fortress where one can find the usual Naty Abascal, Anne Hathaway, Marisa Berenson, and, until her passing, Cristina Macaya, who also had a snow mansion where she was often visited by Marta Gayá, Juan Carlos I's closest friend.
Traditionally, among the Spaniards who are part of the scene in Gstaad are Ana Botín, president of Banco Santander, and her husband, Guillermo Morenés, who in recent years have been the most sought-after hosts at New Year's parties. The gathering at the Grand Bellevue hotel has brought together some of the most powerful names in Spain such as Juan Abelló and Anna Gamazo, Carlos March, Myriam Lapique, or Tita Torrabadella. One of the most unpleasant moments occurred in 2006 when Javier Hidalgo Jr was expelled by Morenés for trying to crash the party.
Gstaad, where Spanish millionaires ring in the New Year
After extensive remodeling work, Borja Thyssen and Blanca Cuesta along with their five children - Sacha, Eric, Enzo, Kala, and India - have finally celebrated the arrival of 2025 at their home, a chalet valued at around eight million euros. "We all enjoy skiing," recently revealed Carmen Cervera's son, who preferred to stay in Andorra with his two daughters, twins Sabina and Carmen. The Thyssen family enjoys the Wispile, Wasserngrat, and Eggli slopes.
The most discerning have plenty to choose from because, in addition to luxury stores like Valentino, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton, the town boasts some of the world's best restaurants such as Leonard's, Le Petit Chalet, and Saagi Stübli, which has a collection of around 1,700 bottles from the best vineyards worldwide. Among the prestigious hotels, The Alpina Gstaad stands out, a favorite among celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna, and Tiger Woods.
For several decades, Gstaad has been the chosen nest on certain dates for some of the young Spanish jet set members like Álvaro Falcó and his wife Isabelle Junot, Felipe and Carlos Cortina, and Carla Goyanes, who two years ago escaped with her husband, Jorge Benguría, and their three children, Carlos, Santi, and Beltrán. It is noteworthy that the late Alfonso Cortina and Myriam Lapique - parents of Carlos and Felipe and Carla's uncles - own a large house in the area. And as expected, Tamara Falcó and Íñigo Onieva spent last year's Three Kings Day skiing and snowshoeing among celebs.
The marriage of Norman Foster and Elena Ochoa are also regulars in Gstaad, although they alternate their stays in the resort with St. Moritz, where the architect designed Chesa Futura, a three-story luxury apartment building where the couple acquired one of the most exclusive units. In this town in the Engadine Valley, other celebrities have enjoyed the snow, such as Charles Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, Princess Diana, Prince Charles, and more recently Elizabeth Hurley and Kate Moss.