Page 69 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2019 PORTUGAL

sharks 007 encountered in Thunderball), poach
in an outdoor whirlpool bath overlooking the
Matterhorn, and relax in a Finnish sauna, Turkish
bath, and steam room. If your bones still haven’t
turned to jelly, I recommend a Lomi Lomi mas‐
sage with Rebecca, whose skillfully applied pres‐
sure stops just short of forcing you to reveal the
nuclear launch codes. Bliss.
The restaurant is in keeping with the hotel’s
sleek, pared-back aesthetic, with high metallic
ceilings, pale wood floors, sturdy granite tables,
and a fireplace fronted by a sofa, where guests
are encouraged to sip an aperitif while consid‐
ering their dinner options. Chef Tony Rudolph
focuses on sustainable, seasonal, regional deli‐
cacies, including a Pangea-sized wiener schnitzel
and deliciously gooey raclette. But he’s
renowned for his creative vegetarian tasting
menu, which diners are more than welcome to
supplement with fish or meat if they want to go
off-piste, as it were.
Given the late hour the night of our arrival, I
thought we might have missed our chance for
dinner, but the receptionist leads us past a small
bar to a wood-paneled private dining room,
where she graciously invites us to sit down to a
quiet, candlelit meal a deux. To paraphrase 007’s
famous exchange with Auric Goldfinger, “You
expect me to talk?” “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you
to…dine!”
Afterwards, bellies bursting, we step into a
glass elevator that frames Zermatt’s twinkling
lights and zip up to our Tower Suite, which is,
indeed, sweet. The décor is Scandi minimalist,
with a spacious living/dining room flanked by a
semi-circularsofaandawood-burningfireplace,

(TOP) The reception area of THE OMNIA
welcomes guests with comfortable leather
seating and a fireplace shared by a cozy
library. Copyright Amy Laughinghouse.
(MIDDLE) A Tower Suite at THE OMNIA.
Courtesy THE OMNIA.
(BOTTOM) THE OMNIA’S chef, Tony Rudolph,
spotlights vegetarian cuisine, but guests have
the option of supplementing their meals with
meat and fish. Courtesy THE OMNIA.

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