Dave from our reservations team was lucky enough to spend a few days in charming St Moritz a couple of weeks ago, and he benefited from plenty of fresh powder - available from the doorstep of his hotel the Nira Alpina - as well as a tour of this unique Swiss ski resort. [caption id="attachment_4850" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Travel in style between the airport and St Moritz on Swiss Rail[/caption] The flight from Edinburgh to Zurich took just over two hours, and landed smoothly - it being a total blizzard when we arrived! Swiss Rail was as flawless as you’d expect: there were two changes which took just over 4 hours and the most breathtaking Alpine scenery. The hotel concierge were already waiting for me when I arrived, and was only a 15 minute transfer through St Moritz to the Nira Alpina. [caption id="attachment_4831" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Fantastic access to the Nira Alpina, including the walkway to the ski lift![/caption] The Nira Alpina is a perfect hotel for families and couples looking for a modern, friendly, relaxed and functional hotel in the resort of glitzy St Moritz, here are a few points on my stay… Overview of the Nira Alpina, St Moritz
  • Contemporary hotel with stylish interior décor; a different style compared with most hotels in St Moritz which opt for a more traditional décor.
  • A perfect location for the slopes, offering a ski-in/ski-out location and located right next to the main cable car and beginner slope.
  • Rooms are spacious with a huge bed and all the trimmings (WiFi, docking station, flat screen TV). I particularly liked the décor in the bathrooms with their slate tiles and a great power shower/bath tub. There's also free WiFi throughout the hotel.
  • The hotel hosts two restaurants; traditional styled ‘Stalla Veglia’ located on the 1st floor and the modern and awesome ‘Stars’ located on the top floor. You should see the views from the restaurant and bar…magic!
  • There is also an in-house bakery located on the reception level.
[caption id="attachment_4837" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Fresh bread at the Nira Alpina bakery[/caption] Hotel Amenities
  • A ski rental shop is located a few minutes’ walk away, but the concierge are happy to give you a lift there and back.
  • The spa is as amazing as you would expect, and my deep tissue massage was fab, but was actually bordering between heaven and hell/pleasure and pain!
Skiing in St Moritz
  • The main gondola for the Corvatsch ski area is right at the front door of the Nira Alpina, with two cable cars taking you up to 3303 meters! I found that this area was more suitable for intermediates to advanced with quite a few narrow bottle-neck runs.
  • There is a great beginners slope right next to the hotel and gondola.
  • It’s a fab mountain, but I think the other areas in the valley (please note that they are not all linked) may be more appealing to beginners & intermediates at the beginning of their trip at least.
[caption id="attachment_4830" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beautiful views from the summits in St Moritz[/caption] Kempinski Hotel, St Moritz During my stay I also met up with Folkert for a wee tour of the Kempinski Hotel located in the heart of St Moritz Bad. Well, what can you say about this hotel…wow! It certainly lives up to its reputation and this is why royalty choose this hotel when they stay in St Moritz! [caption id="attachment_4848" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The beautiful pool area at the Kempinski Hotel[/caption]
  • The hotel was refurbished over the summer offering a mix of modern/traditional style.
  • The bar/lounge area hosts a new DJ mixing desk located next to the grand piano…sweet!
  • As for those incredible Whisky/Cognac bottles in the picture…well, that wee black bottle (The Black Pearl) alone is worth £33,000, so you can imagine how much those four bottle combined would be worth…over £100k+! Bonkers!
  • Rooms are spacious with a modern/traditional mix, all room types available on all floors, and as a result they have 70 different interconnecting room options.
  • Folkert also showed me the Presidential Suite, which was bigger than most people’s houses, never mind an apartment in a hotel!
  • It had the biggest and fully equipped hotel gym I had ever seen, and the pools, spa, etc. were just as you’d expect.
  • They also have their own in-house ski rental, ski school booking system, crèche and the main gondola/lift is accessible via an underpass (main road overhead) only a minute away.
[caption id="attachment_4833" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rare whiskies available at the Hotel Kempinski[/caption] Overall it was a great trip, and the Nira Alpina is a fabulous hotel. It is not just it’s great standard, or fantastic facilities, or the ski-in/ski-out location that sold it for me, but the friendly and helpful staff who could not do enough for you! I chatted to a few of them, and It was great see staff that love their hotel & job, and would not swap it for anywhere else. Speak to one of our knowledgeable reservations team about St Moritz on 0131 243 8097 or request a quote by email here. Click here to view all our current special offers for St Moritz, including FREE lift passes at many hotels including the Nira Alpina.
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