Spirited in swirling snow from the train station in a liveried Mercedes-Benz Luxury Viano, we were swiftly folded into the chinchilla bosom of the Kulm Hotel. The huge, richly decorated lobby lounge thronged with so many immaculately uniformed staff – herding Vuitton trunks, serving cocktails, polishing, vacuuming – an elaborately choreographed song-and-dance number seemed constantly imminent.
Charming receptionists wafted us through check-in, handsome Hans escorted us to our deluxe lake-view room and in minutes we were savouring a perfect dirty martini in the smart Altitude Bar, a tuxed-up piano man crooning lounge classics in the background. Next stop the K, one of the Kulm’s seven restaurants. Aesthetically, an intimate, rustic cellar, it hosts a winter residency faux- modestly billed as a ‘pop-up’ by the two-Michelin-starred Tim Raue. One of Berlin’s hottest chefs, Raue is a master of intricately constructed, Asian-influenced fusion cuisine, as our four-course dinner with bespoke wine pairings amply proved.
The pride the Kulm’s staff take in plugging their guests into the experiences that make St Moritz unique is palpable and the next challenge they offered us was skijoring, which involves being towed on skis by a horse and was once the preferred conveyance of lady visitors to St Moritzon shopping sprees. Viano-delivered to the frozen Lake Silvaplana on a dazzlingly sunny February morning, we found the scene alive with locals and guests devouring their leisure pursuits of choice.
This Basecamp review is an extract from a longer feature article, first published in print. To read the full article, click here.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Adventurer | ZRH | GMT +1 |
| While you’re Out There |
| The village’s charming Segantini Museum has been joined in recent years by the Vito Schnabel Gallery and Galerie Gmurzynska, which show challenging contemporary works. And interesting architecture abounds here. So if you can tear yourself away from the piste, there’s plenty of things for ‘Adventurers’ and ‘Culturalists’ alike, to do. |
Photography courtesy of Kulm Hotel
