The Tamesis
How is the atmosphere?
Escaping the soft snow and entering the grand lobby of Suvretta House, it felt like entering an elegant, unique warp of time and space: I was greeted by waiters in white jackets serving strawberry and lemon curd tarts, and a pianist played to the jingles of Frank Sinatra. The design vocabulary is firmly rooted in the luxury of the 1920s – carved columns, marble accents, high ceilings, 181 wood-beamed rooms and suites, and the smoke-filled Anton’s Bar, where you can indulge in a Negroni revelry.
Somehow, Suvretta House doesn’t have a sense of whiplash across the ages, transforming from Alpine grandeur to a recently revamped modern spa that always smells of rosemary and thyme – the three-story structure is designed to blend seamlessly with its surroundings. Designed by Swiss architecture firm Ritter Schumacher, the massive 50,000-square-foot facility includes infrared and herbal saunas, steam rooms, a women’s-only spa and an outdoor infinity pool. If you’re brave enough, there’s also a glacier cold pool where you can dive. (I was, twice!)
Suvretta House is St. Moritz’s only ski-in/ski-out hotel, and with so many restaurants to choose from – the Grand for tableside drama and delicious beef tartare, the Stube for Swiss cuisine and fondue, and the Chasellas and Trutz for mountainside cuisine – you’ll find no reason to look further afield. But if you’re keen on exploring legendary St. Moritz, Suvretta’s charming old-school shuttle bus regularly shuttles guests in and out of town.
Photo: Courtesy of Suvretta House
history?
First opened in 1912, this fairy-tale manor on a hill has been managed by seven generations of the Candrian-Bon family (its name literally means “the house above the woods”). The main hotel building remains true to the style of the original hotelier Anton Bon and architect Karl Koller, who was known for his luxurious and ornate Swiss style. Since its opening, it has been valued for its private access to the Corviglia ski slopes, which comes in handy when you’re back from a morning on the slopes (for me, beginner-friendly Rabbit Hill) and craving cheese fondue in the cozy Suvretta Strube.
Recently, the hotel has begun to focus on alpine sports. Since 1985, the Snow Polo World Cup has been held every year in late January on a frozen lake in the valley below Suvretta. (This season is the town’s most vibrant.) In 2018, Peter and Esther Egli took over, and they focused on sports and health services. During my stay I met several members of Bon’s extended family who were dining in the restaurant and seemed to be enjoying themselves.
