What it's like to vacation in St. Moritz, the hidden gem in the Swiss Alps where celebrities, billionaires, and royalty go to ski

Hillary Hoffower

Dec 2, 2018, 20:43 IST

What it's like to vacation in St. Moritz, the hidden gem in the Swiss Alps where celebrities, billionaires, and royalty go to ski

Stefano Politi/Shutterstock

St. Moritz: Where the one percent go to ski.

St. Moritz, a ski resort in the Swiss Alps, has played home to the Winter Olympics not once, but twice.
With a number of five-star hotels and Michelin restaurants, St. Moritz has also become a pinnacle of luxury and a destination for the elite.
Celebrities, billionaires, and royalty flock to St. Moritz every winter to hit the slopes and vacation in style.

St. Moritz is many things: A holiday resort with world-class skiing, the birthplace of Alpine winter tourism, twice a home to the Winter Olympics, and a hidden gem for the one percent.

It's also, as Heidi Mitchell of Town & Country wrote, "Europe's most secretive and storied ski town."

Located in the middle of the Swiss Alps, St. Moritz has done more than popularize modern winter sports like ice cricket and snow polo - it's also spawned a number of five-star luxury hotels and top class restaurants with gourmet chefs.

Such a history has created a champagne and caviar lifestyle that the glitterati flock to every winter. Celebrities, royalty, and billionaires alike, from Kate Moss to the Swedish royal family, come for the glitz and the slopes.

Here's a glimpse into the lavish winter wonderland that is St. Moritz.

St. Moritz is located in Switzerland's Engadin Valley, a high Alpine valley region in the Swiss Alps.

St. Moritz's history dates back to 1864, when the first winter tourists stayed from Christmas through Easter.

In 1928, it hosted the first official Winter Olympics and again in 1948. Women dressed in silk, sequins, and fur; men dressed in three-piece suits, according to Vogue. The event secured its status as a luxury winter tourism destination.

It was also the first place in the Alps to host a golf tournament and had one of the first running ski lifts in Switzerland.

With such a history, it makes sense that St. Moritz has popularized many winter sports. It's home to the Snow Polo World Cup and White Turf St. Moritz, which involves thoroughbred racing.

St. Moritz has even served as a location for two James Bond films, "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "A View to Kill."

The resort has evolved into an exclusive place for the one percent. "Compared to other high-end Alpine resorts like Courchevel, Verbier, or Zermatt, it's far more discreet," Oliver Corkehill, CEO of travel-planning firm Leo Trippi, told Town & Country.

Source: Maxim, Town & Country

Celebrities and billionaires have been flocking to St. Moritz for decades. Claudia Schiffer, Liz Hurley, Kate Moss, and Robert De Niro have all been spotted there.

Source: Maxim, Travel Squire

Even royals vacation in St. Moritz, including the Swedish royal family, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, and Willem-Alexander and Maxima of The Netherlands.

Some visitors fly into Samedan/Engadin airport in their private jets. Those who don't have their own jets can fly in via PrivateFly for about $9,500. The closest airport for those looking to fly commercial is in Zurich, about a 2.5-hour drive away.

Source: Town & Country, CNN

In addition to world-class skiing, St. Moritz is also home to five-star luxury hotels, like the Carlton Hotel, which chauffeurs guests from the train station via Bentley and has a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Source: Town & Country

There's also a Michelin-starred restaurant in Badrutt's Palace, where Alfred Hitchcock spent his honeymoon. Notably, it's home to some legendary New Year's parties.

Celebrities and Swedish royalty have also stayed at the Suvretta House Hotel, which throws glamorous ballroom parties.

There's also Kulm Hotel, where concierges organize private moonlight ski sessions. Its spa recently underwent a $10 million renovation and includes a Finnish sauna and saltwater grotto.

Source: Town & Country

That's not to mention Chesa el Toula, where you can get a 9,000-square-foot Engadin villa for prices starting around $75,000 and reaching all the way up to $180,000.

Source: Town & Country

St. Moritz is a gourmet heaven. Visitors can find even more Michelin-starred restaurants outside hotels, including Talvo by Dalsass and Cá d'Oro.

Source: Maxim

By day, visitors hit the slopes at Corviglia, which offers 218 miles of ski runs, as well as winter sports like sledding and skijoring — an activity in which horses race across a frozen lake or field with a skier in tow.

Source: CNN , Maxim

The men's downhill race course, which has the steepest start gate in the world, is located here. The nearly vertical drop has skiers skiing up to 90 mph within six seconds, according to CNN.

St. Moritz is also home to Cresta Run, a famous bobsled run and the only one in the world made of natural ice.

For those interested in more leisurely activities, Via Serlas is a shopping drag home to luxury brands including Versace, Cartier, and Gucci.

At night, the glitterati hits up the celebrity-studded King's Club, the Studio 54 of the Swiss Alps, or Devil's Place, a bar that reportedly has the world's largest whiskey collection.

Source: Town & Country

But a night out isn't complete without a visit to Casino St. Moritz in the Kempinski Grand Hotel, the place to be for high-rollers.

Source: Town & Country

With such a wide range of winter activities and luxury accommodations, it's no surprise St. Moritz is so popular amongst the world's most elite travelers.

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