Nira Alpina

Swiss spruce runs through the building, from the frame to the panelling in the rooms, giving Nira Alpina a warmth that most alpine glass-and-steel hotels skip. The hotel sits at the top of Surlej, a covered walkway away from the Corvatsch cable car station, so skis go on at the door and off again at day's end. Rooms are compact but not cramped, each with a private terrace or balcony framing the Engadin peaks; bathrooms are finished in granite, with a deep bath and a waterfall shower. The Garden Room opens straight onto a private plot of lawn with mountain views and a glass-topped table for watching the light change over dinner. Upstairs, the Rooftop Bar runs whisky, wine and gin tastings alongside cocktails and a view that needs no commentary. Stars Restaurant serves alpine cuisine built on local, seasonal ingredients, while the in-house bakery turns out Engadin nut cake and fresh bread each morning. You can feel the shift in altitude on the terrace, where the air runs thinner and the lake below turns silver in low light. A gym, sauna, whirlpool and the Shanti Spa by Pure Altitude cover the wind-down after a day on the slopes or trails. It is a hotel built for movement, not for sitting still. St. Moritz lies five kilometres away; the airport at Engadin is closer still, at fifteen minutes by car.