1967: Bardot climbs down from a juddering chopper. Gunther Sachs greets her. Her cases disappear as fast as she arrived, while all around her, specks of colour move on the horizon, circling, sliding, ascending and descending. Ski lifts dance on frosted slopes far, far away.
For all its heritage and splendour, St Moritz remains spectacularly unchanged. Little has stirred in these Southern Alps since Chaplin, Hitchcock, Ella Fitzgerald and Rita Hayworth frolicked atop its snowy peaks.
A playground for the super-wealthy, and the oldest winter sports resort in the world, it’s one of the few ski destinations unmarred by paparazzi and wannabes. Old-world elegance, heritage, culture and covert luxury make St Moritz the destination of choice for the discerning jet set. Home to Cresta, Audi Ski World Cup, and FIS Ski World Championships it’s both the snowsport enthusiast and aristo’s resort of choice. It’s also incomparably beautiful, in a wholesome, blue skied, alpine sense.
There are, of course, strings of world-class boutiques, bars and clubs, but St Moritz also has a more serious bent. Professional skiers flock here for the terrain and Cresta fanatics come from far and wide. But I was here with the not unenviable task of a visit to Carlton Hotel. A member of The Tschuggen Collection; whilst no relative of Ritz Carlton, Carlton Hotel is perhaps even grander, in an understated, stealth-wealth sort of a way.
Perched high above Lake St Moritz, at the base of Piz Nair, Carlton Hotel is ideally situated to showcase all this alpine wonderland has to offer. In 2007 Swiss interior designer Carlo Rampazzi oversaw a major refurbishment, halving the number of suites in order to double the space for each guest. Whilst this was highly commendable, we hear even more updates are in the works…
My 65sqm suite was south facing, with both mountain and lake views. Its spacious seating area, and bathroom the size of my flat made for comfortable viewing. Whilst the colour scheme was a little tired – think pale orange walls with chintzy burnt umber curtains – the palatial bed, Egyptian cotton sheets, and onslaught of thoughtful extras more than made up.
And when one tires of their capacious suite, a short stroll to the world-class spa should fix the ennui. Steam rises from the hydrotherapy pool, floating past the ice-tipped conifers to the mountain above. The inside-outside spa is built for romance. Chic, contemporary design at its finest; floor-to-ceiling glass walls allow views of the majestic mountain Piz Nair from the indoor pool, whilst the quietly bubbling outdoor hydrotherapy pool and deck immerse you yet further.
Snowsports here need no introduction – St Moritz is widely credited as the birthplace of winter sports. But being both terrible at and terrified of skiing, I failed to take advantage of the magnificent terrain. I did however go ice bathing in Lake St Moritz.
Taking the initiative to saw through the ice-topped surface of the lake below, Carlton Hotel created a several square-metre sized opening to allow for ice bathing, Wim Hof style. A far gentler experience than it sounds, we were invited to bed down on yoga mats, enveloped with blankets for a meditative, preliminary deep-breathing exercise. With warm drinks and towels on tap, the immersion itself was both invigorating, exhilarating, and far less exigent than one might imagine. And the endorphin rush to follow incomparable.
Brainchild of manager Stephanie Lehnort, she led the troops to their frosty fate in an almost maternal fashion. A wholesale advocate of ice-bathing herself, I left a fully-fledged convert. I’d do it daily, were the geriatric Victorian plumbing in my London flat to cooperate.
For those who don’t/won’t ski, Carlton also offer an ‘outdoor butler’, a wonderful chap called Janis. With an encyclopaedic knowledge of the area, his presence is just as extravagant as it sounds. Janis can curate a schedule involving anything from ornithology walks – my esteemed colleague James returned with Mary Poppins-esque photos of alpine birds perched on his hand – to snow shoeing, off-piste skiing, and horse and carriage rides through the town.
After all that excitement, dinner at Carlton’s Restaurant Romanoff was a wonderfully theatrical affair. Never-ending courses – think glass cloches, plumes of smoke, pouring, melting, fanfare and all the rest – combined with plentiful wine, expertly paired, and the mystical Piz Nair glistening in the moonlight. As an avid carnivore and oenophile (take that as you will), I was in heaven.
Another evening saw a supper of fondue in repurposed – and fortunately, robustly heated – antique gondolas. This felt back-to-basics in as much as a five-star hotel with a two Michelin-starred restaurant can. With attentive staff and top-notch fare, this also involved an appreciable quantity of wine, and equally appreciable quantity of cheese, and was all the better for it.
On-site Da Vittorio is, of course, brilliant, but this goes without saying – its two Michelin-stars say more than I could here. But I should probably mention that Restaurant Romanoff also offer an alternative Moving Mountains option at every meal. Whilst catering rather too sympathetically to the health-conscious and vegan for my predilections, this lighter, and frequently plant-based menu is entirely optional and more than delighted several of my more progressive comrades.
Breakfast was an embarrassment of choice – a vast continental selection combined with a solid menu of cooked items a la carte. Add to this a fine breakfast champagne (Röderer), (thoroughly approve), and one starts the day the way one means to go on.
Lunch on the Sun Terrace – a suntrap deck leading out from bar Bel Etage – might even have upstaged both Romanoff, and the two Michelin-starred (did I mention (!)) Da Vittorio. With fantastic views it’s more of a casual, daytime affair, but its unassuming menu belies its prowess. The lobster bisque was hands down the best I’ve tasted. To say it was otherworldly doesn’t do it justice; honestly, it put the mountainscape around us to shame.
Having said that, the real highlight had to be the post-prandial torchlit hike (hosted by the aforementioned Janis). Buoyed by our sommelier’s great choices at supper, we scaled forests, trails and hills on foot to reach lake Lej Nair; a nocturnal adventure involving tiki fire torches, mist-laden conifers, wild animals and (now mulled) wine. The perfect way to round off a thoroughly excessive feast.
A close second however was the vast, majestic, stone fireplace; roaring and crackling, dramatically stating its presence with huge flames and alpine logs. Holding forth in Bel Etage, it made for a formidable centrepiece. Whilst the hotel was only built in 1914, said fireplace looked to have been reclaimed from a medieval castle – and a good one at that.
With spectacular views of the Engadine Valley, St Moritz is the ideal destination for a romantic break. Enjoying a glorious 320 days of sunshine a year, with exceedingly reliable snow, there’s a reason St Moritz’ popularity has endured come rain or shine (but let’s be frank, St Moritz is always shiny).
The serenity of the mountains, exhilarating off-piste runs – and old-school charm combined with contemporary world-class service – make for a dynamite combo at the Carlton Hotel. The resort is small enough to experience in a weekend, yet contains enough to entertain for a lifetime. Lake St Moritz remains frozen through winter and couples dance and skate with wild abandon. January even sees the lake play host to The St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow so solid is the ice.
The Details
Carlton Hotel St. Moritz is available from CHF 880 per room per night based on two adults sharing a deluxe room on a B&B basis, with 100 CHF food and beverage voucher per adult per day, butler service, minibar, service, VAT and complimentary access to the hotel’s spa.
Our flights from London Heathrow to Zurich with SWISS, and onwards travel by train between Zurich and St Moritz were courtesy of Switzerland Tourism. For more information on Switzerland visit www.myswitzerland.com or email info.uk@myswitzerland.com. For packages, trains and air tickets, email sales@stc.co.uk.
