Near St. Moritz Not In It
 

We'll have two nights total in early July 2018. Coming from Zurich after an opera performance there. Will take the Bernina Express to Tirano after the two nights.

We've been to St. Moritz before. I thought the "village" itself seemed sterile somehow but thought we might spend the two nights at somewhere like Badrutt's Palace hotel but now I am not so sure.

Am thinking of exploring nearby locations. Scenery is why we are stopping; budget is not an issue. We are not hikers BTW but able to walk.

Suggestions to get me started appreciated and thanks in advance.

Also check out these hotels:

Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains St. Moritz

Carlton Hotel St. Moritz

Along with Badrutt's Palace, these are all members of Virtuoso, meaning there are additional amenities you can benefit from through Virtuoso. Check out http://tinyurl.com/yah942zb to see a comparison page of all three

Many folks prefer Pontresina - nearby - as a more beautiful area than urban St Moritz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4bV0MeshKA

Dukey -pardon me for posting wrong link by mistake

should have been:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pont...w=1745&bih=863

Dukey,we stayed in Pontresina a short distance from St-Moritz and highly recommend it. It is a charming town with
decorative painted buildings. There is a local train that connects to St-Moritz.
We had a wonderful dinner at Grand Hotel Kronenhof. We stayed at Hotel La Collina which we enjoyed and would return there
We had been warned about staying in St-Moritz. As you mention, it seemed sterile, lots of concrete, and was quite empty when we visited during September.

Pontresina is on the Bernina Railway - 20 minutes beyond St Moritz towards the summit where there are two mountain hotels at summit stations if you really what a room with a view!

I enjoyed Pontresina.

I preferred Samedan and Sils to Pontresina which I found almost as over-built as St Moritz.

I’d go for the Palace. St.Moritz is fairly quiet during the summer but Pontresina is even worse. Views are also nicer from St.Moritz, esp if you get a room facing the lake. I love walking around the lake early in the morning or just before sunset.
Also people in St.Moritz are super friendly, lots of Italians work there. Nicer ambiance, but maybe not for everyone.

Hi Dukey1,

I also didn't like Pontresina much, though I only passed through it and didn't stay overnight. It was very built up, as Melnq8 notes, and at least one of the prominent buildings was a modern steel/glass structure. I stayed in Zuoz, which was very nice, a small town with a small square and no souvenir shops.

Our favorite Engadin expert, Ingo, should see this and pop in to give his excellent advice. I've heard him say that his favorite hotel in the area is the Waldhaus, in Sils:

https://waldhaus-sils.ch/en/

I haven't been to Sils yet, but I've heard other people say it's a lovely spot. Otherwise, I've heard good things about Samedan and Celerina.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Yes, the Waldhaus in Sils would be my choice. It's located on a hill above the wide valley, providing fantastic views of the lakes, mountains, glaciers (ask for a room to the south or east, and a bit higher up) ... quiet also. Old world charm, family run. It's not for the rich and famous, but for families, musicians, writers ... (many famous folks stayed there.) It's not on the Bernina rail line, but they will provide mini bus shuttle. Or you take the bus from Sils to St. Moritz train station, which is included in your stay (like the trains in Engadine/Bregaglia valley, too.)

Pontresina is on the Bernina rail line, but the train station is below the village, so you need a transfer there, too. Also, I thought the scenery around Pontresina is not as beautiful as around Sils (no lakes). It has very good hotels also, highly recommended (though not from personal experience, unlike the Waldhaus in Sils) are Kronenhof and Walther.

We stayed in Sils Maria in September, about 15 minutes lovely bus ride from St Moritz.

Photos from that trip here,

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm7WHJHM

lots of photos of area around Sils Maria and the village itself. It is very quiet, beautifully located, and small. St Moritz seemed too busy and rather charmless, but it does have lots of shopping and restaurants.

Can't beat Sils Maria for scenery, and the Waldhaus looked very impressive, up quite a hill, but the shuttle would fix that. You don't need to be a hiker if based in Sils Maria, there is beauty all around, flat easy strolls, my report here if you are interested in more detail on walks and region.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

TWO things: First, thanks to everyone who commented with their honest opinions. Second, it is ALWAYS better to read a comment <B>which includes rationale</B> and I appreciate folks taking the time to provide such.

I will check everything out and enjoy doing so, for sure.

Swandav2000 and Ingo: all I can say is I think you've pointed me in the right direction regarding the Waldhaus since it seems to be the sort of place we would enjoy so thank you.

Adelaidean, the pictures are stunning! Thank you for those as well as the link to your report.

OK, as a follow-on, I emailed the Waldhaus and reserved a room with half-board for two nights so looking forward to that and I guess now we will repeat both the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express trains next year.

Thanks again to all who commented and made suggestions.

You're welcome, Dukey. I trust the Waldhaus in Sils will be perfect for you. Trip report as usual? ;-)

And feel free to ask any questions that might come up.

Happy to help, Dukey1! I thought I knew that you two appreciated nice hotels, so from all that Ingo has said about that hotel, I thought it might be right for you. I'm glad you liked the looks of it, and I hope it's perfect.

Like Ingo, I'll be looking for that trip report!

s

I appreciate the help as I said. As to any trip reports, as much as I enjoy writing them I'm not sure they appeal to many people somehow since there is little about "yummy foods" and we usually don't have a lot of issues with the airlines, etc. And most people don't like hearing about opera performances.

However, I should continue doing them such as they are.

As to the Waldhaus, yes we often enjoy so-called "grand" hotels and despite a lot of people's apparent disdain for Lausanne we like staying at the Beau Rivage Palace and would do it again.

HA - I'd love to hear more about opera performances!

Hey, Dukey, here is a documentary on the upper Engadin

http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/?mode=play&obj=69643

Wonderful aerial footage of area, no need to understand German to enjoy it.
The chef from Waldhaus appears in it, collecting wild herbs.