October is not usually known as a ski month. But at the Andermatt Swiss Alps development, you can cruise the slopes down the 3000m Gemsstock in the morning, and be back for some witches’ brew at the Chedi in the evening.

There are many time-honoured ways to get thrills and excitement on Halloween; skiing, traditionally, has not been one of them. Yet if the fancy catches you, that is exactly what you can do this October 31, on one in Switzerland’s most serious ski mountains.

The Andermatt Swiss Alps ski region, located bang in the centre of the country, is opening this October 31 with its top run, descending from a dizzying 2955 metres, the first to open, followed by two steeper and more challenging glacier runs later in November.

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Andermatt’s Gemsstock mountain, where the action is taking place, is one of the most exciting in Switzerland. From the top you can see over to Monte Rosa, near Zermatt, on the Italian border to the southwest, and to Piz Buin, on the Austrian border, to the northeast. There is a vertical drop of more than 1500 metres from top to bottom. Many of the pistes are north facing and benefit from big snowfall caused by the “barrage effect“ of winds sweeping across north-western Europe and hitting the Alps. In simple terms: lots of snow.

Andermatt’s 3000m Gemsstock mountain

This year, after a hot autumn and early September, temperatures plummeted and the mountain has already seen several significant snowfalls, augmented by their own “snow farm” which preserves snow from the previous winter throughout the summer and feeds it into the slopes for the next season.

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Sadly, Halloween skiers won’t be able to take advantage of the full vertical drop down to the village at the bottom, which will only open in December. But the village of Andermatt itself is a new gem of the Alps, a tiny traditional village of cosy shops and restaurants augmented by a new luxury development.

The Chedi with its private ice-rink (above), and Japanese restaurant

Aficionados will know that its highlight is the Chedi hotel, with its Japanese at the Chedi restaurant at its heart. There is also a burgeoning new residential development village created around the Piazza San Gottardo up a little further along the road, with apartments – uniquely, open for purchase by foreigners – restaurants, shops, bars, two hotels (one already open) and even a concert hall.

A rendering of Andermatt’s latest apartment building Enzian

Later in the season proper you can also sample Michelin-level fine dining on the other mountain, Gutsch. For the moment though, it’s time to put on a Halloween costume, book your place in the cable car up the mountain (a new service for coronavirus times) and whizz down from the top on your broomstick, or even the latest pair of Stöcklis.

Find out more: andermatt-swissalps.ch

Borgo Pignano sits within a stunning 750-acre estate

Why should I go now?

Tuscany is always beautiful, but especially so when basking in firey Autumnal hues, the ground scattered with crispy orange and red leaves. Set in the hills between Volterra and San Gimignano, boutique hotel Borgo Pignano is remote and staggeringly beautiful – the perfect place to disappear for a few days, especially when the hotel is nearing the end of its season (the hotel closes early November and reopens in April). If you’re lucky, you can go the whole day without spotting a single other person.

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What’s the lowdown?

Just over an hour’s drive from Florence, Borgo Pignano is 750-acre estate encompassing 15 rooms, 12 cottages and apartments, an organic farm and various workshops that produce everything from the hotel’s sustainable bath products and candles to the jars of honey and jam that you find at breakfast. A gorgeous 18th century villa sits at the centre of the property surrounded by gardens and forest land, with the main swimming pool carved into the original quarry stone of the hillside.

The hotel’s library

Once a hilltop hamlet, the property has been lovingly restored to preserve its original grandeur and romance. The rooms are decorated with painted frescos, patterned textiles and antique furnishings. In the evenings, guests are invited for drinks in the living room where the in-house mixologist makes cocktails whilst waiters circulate paired canapés. It feels old-world in the very best sense, fostering an atmosphere of earthy, cosy luxury in which guests are treated like old friends rather than moving bank cards.

The living room, where evening drinks are served

Meals are generally served in the main villa’s dining room, with a menu featuring local and organic ingredients which are grown on site including dishes such as herb-filled goat’s cheese salad with pollen from the estate’s honeycomb. Guests are encouraged to freely roam the farm to learn more about the hotel’s sustainable efforts, and can also pick up walking routes from reception to further explore the surrounding landscape. There’s also an art gallery on site with contemporary exhibitions and a spa that offers treatments using natural remedies such as flowers, herbs, plant extracts, oils and honey.

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Getting horizontal

Located in the main villa, our room was once the bedroom of the marchesa with an adjoining single bedroom for her child. Elegantly and simply furnished with a large four-poster curtained bed, wooden shutters and stone tiled floors, it was a unique and calming space. We especially loved the hidden doors, painted to blend in with the walls.

The signature suite, located in the hotel’s main villa

Flipside

The swimming pool isn’t heated so the water is very cold at this time of year, but we very much enjoyed a bracing swim before breakfast. It’s also worth remembering to pack a few jumpers as the evenings get quite chilly.

Rates from: €220 in low season with breakfast included (approx. £200/ $250)

Book your stay: borgopignano.com

Millie Walton

Autumnal colours at Coworth Park country hotel

Why should I go now?

Golden leaves, bright frosty mornings, log fires, long evenings – autumnal English country landscapes are hard to beat, especially when you can curl up in the drawing room of Coworth Park after a bracing walk.

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What’s the lowdown?

Coworth Park is an easy 45 minute drive from London, along winding country lanes through some of England’s prettiest pastoral scenes, close to Windsor Great Park. The main hotel building, a Georgian style Mansion House, is elegant and homely with cream fabrics, dark woods and a sweeping staircase leading up to bedrooms.

Restaurant Coworth Park, headed by Executive Chef Adam Smith was recently awarded a Michelin star

Sitting opposite the cosy drawing room and bar, is Restaurant Coworth Park (recently awarded a Michelin star) overlooking the rose garden and fields beyond. Adam Smith‘s menu follows a Best of British theme, using locally-sourced seasonal ingredients to create delicately flavoured dishes; we were especially delighted by the Cep Velouté (one of the best mushroom soups we’ve ever tasted) and the surprising combination of pink grapefruit, vanilla, white chocolate and ginger beer for dessert.

The Spa at Coworth Park

A rustic dining experience can be found at The Barn, close by to the converted Stables and Cottages (more bedrooms), where guests wander in for a hearty lunch in their muddy boots after a polo lesson with Guards Polo Club on Coworth Park’s professional polo field.

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The award-winning Spa is partially submerged in the landscape with a live roof sprouting herbs, and huge windows on the upper floor at The Spatisserie restaurant, providing panoramic views of the parkland. There’s heated indoor swimming pool with underwater music and surrounding loungers, an aromatic steam room and high tech gym.

Getting horiztonal

The Drawing Room

Our room, a Stable Premium Suite, was spread across the entire top floor of a converted stable block with a large sitting room, slightly more compact bedroom and a spacious marble bathroom with two standalone, roll top copper bathtubs. Warm, earthy tones, equestrian themed artwork and underfloor heating create a homely atmosphere.

Nitpicking

Not all the bedrooms overlook the parkland, ours had huge windows but a view only onto the stable courtyard. Whilst they might be slightly less grand, the cottages or the Manor House front bedrooms are the ones to pick.

Rates: From £318 ( approx. $400/350€ )

dorchestercollection.com/en/ascot/coworth-park