Hi everyone! Below is a review I had written about one of my favorite places to stay at, The Suvretta House.

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Helen and Vic Jacob continue to provide the perfect ambiance and service you would expect in one of the world's top luxury hotels. Our recent stay was no exception. We are now in our fourth generation staying at the Suvretta House which opened in 1919. The Suvretta House is not glitz and glamour. If you seek this try Badrutt's Palace or the Kempinski Grand which the Russians have taken over. It has a unique personality like being a guest in someone's great home. There is very little turnover in staff from year to year--so your tastes and whims are remembered from season to season. And a lot of the staff have been here for decades. Each golden star on an employee's lapel is equivalent to five years of service. Likewise, there are many returning guests. It is a favorite of Milanese industrialists as well as the English, who put St. Moritz on the map in the 19th C.



The rooms range from very elegant to what they call economy rooms on the north side. Recently, several rooms have undergone major renovations and are a perfect update to the old world charm of the hotel. But again this is about service--moving your luggage, turning down your bed with your bed clothes laid out, etc. etc. In the early evening there is a flutter of activity as the pressers get clothes ready for the evening.


The food is exceptionally good. There is the main dining room in a magnificent hall with oak covered columns where dinner is served every evening from 7:30 PM Dark Suit or Black Tie is mandatory even in ski season. The choices are limited as it is demi-pension, but there is always something pleasing. If you want casual fare, try the Suvretta Club, also known as the "stube," downstairs. One night we were seated at the table next to Boris Becker, who was staying at the Suvretta House for a meet and greet with the guests. Lunch is also available here. They have a special fondue formula which is to die for and when we were there Spargel (white asparaus) was in season, prepared in many different manners. Breakfast is either a full buffet in another dining room on the south side or continental style with extras in your room. Abundant choices and the coffee is brewed by the pot.



Now, in the winter Suvretta is about skiing, which I think is the best in the world. Right behind the hotel is val Suvretta with access to the major Corviglia ski runs. The Suvreatta Ski Lift was opened by Douglas Fairbanks in 1924. You can ski right out of the front door over to a T-bar which takes you up Suvretta Chair to go on up the mountain. The t-bar closes at lunch. But in true service the hotel limousine--equipped with ski racks--drove us up to the lift. The Survretta House operates and owns various restaurants on the mountian. There is Chassellas which is at the base, the Trutz at the mid station, another one a the top. We lunched at the Trutz--there is sit down service where reservations are mandatory--the conceirage can take care of this or a self-service line. There are plush chairs to rent and sun bathe. This is also a great outing for the down skiier. You can take the chair lift up and down or choose to walk down. Not quite feeling up to skiing, but want a lunch with a magnificent view? Feel free to take the lift up and down to the Restaurant Trutz, which serves a wide range of entrees, from traditional alpine food to Wiener schnitzel. 



At the end of the day, just ski to the front pochere of the Suvretta House and leave your skiis. The skiis are put away for you each night and ready for your use in the morning having been freshly waxed the night before. We never take our own skiis as they have the latest models every season and it eases the trip from California. Après ski is in the main hall with a full service high tea, traditionally around 5pm, or drinks. Afterwards, refresh in the Suvretta Spa--Sports and Pleasure--perhaps one of the finest indoor olympic size pools in the world with commanding views of the lower Engadin Valley and the only outdoor hot tub in St. Mortiz. Perhaps, only the pool at the Burgenstock is better.



Calm, restful, like being at your best friends' house, describes the special and unique atmoshphere of the Suvretta House--it is all about its location and its people! Tradition does survive.



Only minor changes have occured over the years--they now take credit cards finally bowing to the demand, but you can still wire your funds directly into the hotel's bank account. They now take small groups--like Barclays Capital from London. Their slogan used to be "the Oasis for the Individual Guest," but this is indeed a small change if it lets them continue this remarkable bit of heaven on earth.


Their rates run the gamut based on the accommodation type, but includes service, demi-pension, porterage and transfers from the station. I think that it is amazing value for the money--about $700 per day in the Winter and less in the Summer. You can't stay in a Four Seasons or like caliber resort in the USA for this anymore--and why do it when you can get the original concept rather than some poor interpretation. 



Going in and out Zurich, we recommend the Baur au Lac--which just recently completed a four year remodeling project. Their hotel car, typically a Rolls Royce Phantom in the Summer and a Mercedes S-Class in the Winter, takes you to the train for the three hour trip up to St. Moritz--you change in Chur for the Rhaetische Bahn--the narrow gauge train. The Suvretta meets you at the station train side collects your luggage and escorts you either to the hotel limousine or their fun antique livery bus for the short ride through town and up and out the hill to Suvretta. During the day there is complimentary hotel bus service to the center of St. Moritz, which departs every 30 minutes from the hotel and runs until to 7:30 PM, --no need for a car here; in the Winter a car becomes a downright hassle.



Enjoy this remarkable place and savor the service. Bon Voyage!
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View from the Hotel Room



In the Winter... taken from the ski lift



Southside of the Hotel



View from the Trutz Restaurant during Summer




The Trutz Restaurant outdoor seating area

 

wow

 

Awesome write up buddy! I haven't stayed there but I've had dinner at the Club a few times. While I personally don't think St. Moritz offers the best skiing in the alps (in terms of value for money and level of slopes/mountains), the overall experience there is hard to beat. Can't wait to go there in the winter again. I'll probably swing by in a few weeks though, just to check it out

 

BTW, where the hell have you been Russ? Haven't seen you around in a while!

 

It has been awhile, hasn't it? Took a little detox from all the forums to focus on some other things; wish they were fun things

As far as St. Moritz, probably isn't the best value for money, but the SH is a place that was introduced to me by my father. Without a doubt it was his favorite place in the world. Needless to say, I'll be going there for years to come.