kenav

Looking at this spa. Beautiful pictures but in some some people are nude and in some they have bathing suits on. Yes, both sexes together. Of course, the nude (and some bathing suited) pictures have one gorgeous couple seemingly ignoring each other and delicately covering their private parts.

Ever been there? It looks like quite and experience.

lincasanova

I have not been at this spa but spent a week at another hotel in the same town. (Gorgeous area, BTW, and fabulous family skiing)

Be prepared for nudity . Men were walking back to the sauna/shower room ( open and co-ed) from the pool with nothing on.

Not at this hotel but at another hotel I was at overnight I was not allowed into the sauna with my bathing suit. I started to go in and I was immediately surrounded and stopped.

..."Bathing suits are full of dangerous germs".

Oh well.

Needless to say I skipped the sauna there.

kenav

What hotel did you stay at? What else did you do in the area?

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I saw your "old" thread about St. Petersburg. Do you know Russian? How did you communicate or get around (reading signs)?

lincasanova

We were at the Robinson Club Sweizerhof MANY years ago. We had all our meals included , so besides going to St. Moritz one day we just enjoyed skiing with some friends who met us there. Our children were fairly young so we didn't go many places s they were zonked from the skiing.

No, I do not speak Russian besides a few tourist words. I studied the alphabet and took a phrase book with me, however, I relied on finding people who spoke English or English menus most of the time if I needed assistance.

I made sure I knew where i was going, and did not have to really ask too many people outside of restaurants and once or twice at a tourist bureau.

Rambling around the countryside would be a different story, but in the major cities, although English is not that easy to find, a tourist's life is not terribly challenged IMO. You need to know what is there you want to see, and basically where it is and how to get there.

swandav2000

Hi kenav,

I spent about four days in Scuol last year; I stayed at the Hotel Gabriel in the old town. I spent all those days hiking, which is what most of the folks there were doing! I really rarely saw anyone in regular street clothes, in fact.

I went in July, and it was freezing.

s

kenav

Thanks lincasanova for the Russian information.
________________

Getting back to Switzerland:
So it was freezing in July??? Wow. I've been to the BO and it was only cold on the top of the mountains, not in the little towns. And that was September.

Perhaps you went during a particularly cold summer? How was getting around the Engadine without a car? We would want to travel to different towns/areas.

mokka4

kenav:
I stayed in Pontresina last June for 5 days and used the trains/buses for travel to St. Moritz, Soglio, Samedan, Scuol and Ardez. Just be sure which stop to get off to be in town proper. Guarda and Ardez sit ABOVE the stations and may be accessible only by bus.
We made this mistake in Ftan, and this town became a new FOUR
letter word
for us, as we then hiked uphill over 90 minutes to reach the town proper (didn't catch on to the bus thing, and the proper stop!)

kenav

So, you traveled around the Upper <b>and</b> Lower Engadine all from a base at Pontresina? Did you take the Bernina Express for any part of the trip or is there a cheaper way (train) to go through part of that itinerary?

I read that the transportation throughout the Engadine is free. True? Does that include the trains, cable cars, funiculars, etc., or just buses?

swandav2000

Hi again,

It was just last July. It was chilly in town, but when hiking on the mountain trails, it was cold and wet.

I don't have a car and think it's as easy as pie to get around. I particularly like running from town to town in the Valley by bike; there's a spectacular trail that runs from St. Moritz to Innsbruck. Just pick a portion to do and enjoy it. But with trains and the integrated bus sytems, it's quite easy to get around.

s