St Moritz, SWITZERLAND
Airing Date: Apr 28th, 2003
St Moritz attracts the big spenders and the big names - and more than half of them don't even go there to ski!
Despite being at the forefront of the winter sports scene in the 19th century, St Moritz has yet to become a mass market holiday destination the way many other resorts have.
The main reason for this is the town's reputation of exclusivity. With the huge array of fur coats on display and the flashy sports cars, just about everything in St Moritz costs money, and the town's not ashamed of its profile.
Two-third of the hotels are in the high end of the price range, but it's the extremely exclusive Badrutt's Palace Hotel that makes the biggest splash. Every room has spectacular views and offers only the grandest of dcor and furnishings. Among the celebrities who have stayed here are Claudia Schiffer, Alfred Hitchcock and Pierce Brosnan. Some people have even stayed here just for a chance to hit the dance floor below! The hotel's nightclub is very popular, but a table costs $500 if you're not a guest.
If you're looking for nightlife at just a fraction of the price try heading down to Bobby's Pub, where entrance costs between $18 and $35. Despite an antique-looking entrance etched in Engadine-style line drawings, the music is contemporary and the decor is intimately lit and modern.
Although the nightclub, chic cafes and elegant boutiques are great places to people-watch, the magnetism of the almighty mountains beckons. To get up the mountain everyone has to take the funicular. Once the funicular reaches the top of the mountain you'll be rewarded with spectacular views of the landscape and town.
There's a variety of snow-boarding and skiing activities to try. When the lake freezes over you can also try a number of fun sports on the ice, including cricket, golf, polo and even curling, a sport which resembles lawn bowls on ice.
The facts:
Jetset offer packages flying Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong with connections on British Airways to Zurich. Prices start from $2148 from the east coast and $1950 from the west coast.
Jetset
Tel: 13 63 83
Double rooms at the Hotel Hauser start from $287 per night.
A standard room at Badrutt's Palace will set you back from $483 per person.
Hotel Hauser
Tel: 0011 41(0)818 375 050
Badrutt's Palace Hotel
email: reservations.palace@rosewoodhotels.com
Car hire through World Cars costs $71 per day.
World Cars
Tel: 1300 656 601
A day pass for the funicular costs less than $60. A game of curling costs around $30.
Switzerland Tourism
