Over half of the hotels in St. Moritz are four- and five-star, the highest concentration of quality hotels in Switzerland.

Price ranges noted for each hotel are per person based on a double room with half board (breakfast and dinner): €€€—€125+; €€—€75–€124; €—less than €75.

The Engadin region also organizes special all-inclu-sive Holiday Active Weeks that include seven days half-board, six days of lifts and six days of instruction or a ski guide. Contact the tourist office for details and prices.

The best of the best is the Suvretta House (081-836-3636, fax 081-836-3737; €€€; photo right) in the Suvretta-Corviglia skiing area. This wonderful monument to Swiss hotel expertise is a great hotel with its own lift connection to Corviglia. It has a fitness club with saunas, steam bath, indoor pool, hot tub and more. This palace-like hotel requires that patrons wear a coat and tie in public areas after 7 p.m.

Second in our ranking of the five five-star hotels in St. Moritz is the Kulm Hotel (081-836-8000, fax 081-836-8001; €€€; photo below left), which is on the road to the bobsled and Cresta runs. The Kulm seems more welcoming than the Palace; it’s also a center for sports. Its trophy cases are brimming with awards for curling, skiing, golf, tennis, and the famous Cresta run. The hotel sits high on a hill overlooking the frozen lake and offers a commanding view of the valley. Afternoon tea here with this vista is highly recommended.

Badrutt’s Palace (081-837-1000, fax 081-837-2999; €€€) is the place to stay if you want to be seen. It is one of the most famous and elegant hotels in the world, where if you have to ask the price you should be staying somewhere else. Coat and tie required in public areas after 7 p.m.

Schweizerhof (081-837-0707; fax 081-837-0700; €€€; photo below) has very good food and the staff are friendly and efficient. Four-star and one of the most comfortable hotels in town, the Schweizerhof is well located a few blocks up from the Palace on Via dal Bagn, along with Bulgari, Bugatti, Vuitton, Armani, Cartier and Versace. If you think these are ski instructors, you’re in the wrong neighborhood.

Hotel Hauser (081-837-5050, fax 081-837-5055) is a four-star hotel in the center of St. Moritz offering simple, modern rooms with flat screen TVs. There is free wireless Internet access throughout the hotel. It offers a cafe and an upscale restaurant with nice views of the city. Hauser’s Confectionery first opened in 1955 as a tiny pastry shop and has grown into an international business (shop online – schoggishop.ch) offering a wide selection of delicacies. Everything is produced onsite.

Three-star Hotel Eden (081-830-8100, fax 081-830-8101) is in the heart of St. Moritz—close to all the shopping and all the action. It is steps away from the Kulm (and with the same views!), but costs a fraction of the price. It is elegant with nicely furnished rooms and an eclectic collection of antiques ranging from colorful hand-painted sleds to pine-carved beds. It’s a quiet spot to spend a few relaxing days.

Three-star Hotel Laudinella (081-836-0000, fax 081-836-0001) is a mini high-rise located in St. Moritz Bad. It is full of innovative features (like art galleries) and has four restaurants, two bars and one take-away. It has a sauna and steam bath on the fifth floor with great views of the lake, the village, the mountains and the sky. Rooms are modern dorm style and most are newly built or renovated.

Hotel Misani (081-833-3314, fax 081-833-09-37) is a boutique hotel in the quiet village of St. Moritz-Celerina, a five-minute ride from St. Moritz. The hotel is located two minutes away (by foot) from the Marguns-Corviglia lift. Each room has a different theme and decor—consider the Casablanca, Abu Dhabi or the Montana. The hotel has a trendy bar and three restaurants including Bodega with wonderful Spanish tapas and meals. Best of all, prices are very reasonable ranging from €75-€105 (starting price) depending on whether you pick low or high season. There are also apartments and packages, so check it out.

Hotel Nolda (081-833-0575, fax 081-833-8751; €€€), in a charming Swiss chalet, is a family hotel at the end of the Corviglia run and close to the Signal cable car; it has sauna, swimming pool, solarium and whirlpool. The lobby is full of Swiss mountain atmosphere with leather couches surrounding a fireplace.

Hotel Bellaval (081-833-3245; fax 081-833-0406; €) is a B&B minutes from St. Moritz-Dorf center and the train station.

The Youth Hostel (081-833-3969; fax 081-833-8046) in St. Moritz Bad, not far from the sports center and indoor pool, has bunks and breakfast for €22 a night. Some of the more inexpensive hotels frequented by snowboarders are Hotel Inn Lodge (081-834-4795; €) in Celerina, and Hotel Saratz (081-839-4000; €) in Pontresina.

A bit outside of the center of town is Waldhaus am See (081-8366000, fax 081-8366060; €€€), a three-star 85-room hotel in a quiet location on the shore of St. Moritz lake; only three minutes’ walk from the train station. It has the largest whiskey bar in the world according to Guinness and has been rated the best three-star hotel in Switzerland.

Champfer, about three km. away, is home to Chesa Guardalej (081-8366300, fax 081-8366301; €€€) a spectacular hotel consisting of a village of small buildings con-nected by underground passages. The rooms are excellent. There are several different dining areas and restaurants, and the hotel has a full exercise room and swimming pool. The restaurant offers very affordable menu meals starting at around €12.

In Silvaplana, Hotel Julier Palace (081-8289644; €€) and the 12-room Garni/B&B Chesa Silva (081-838-6100; fax 838-6199; €) are delightful with roomy accommodations.


Apartments, condominiums, flats
The apartment business is well organized and bookings can be arranged through the Interent, the Internet or the tourist office. Rentals are from Saturday to Saturday. Give them details about when you plan to arrive, how many people will be sharing the apartment, and what facilities you desire. They will respond quickly with several apartment choices.

There are about 6,500 apartment beds, but only about 2,900 are rentals. Interhome operates an office from Florida (954-791-8282, fax 954-791-8522) or contact the Tourist Office (081-837-3399, fax 081-837-3377).