Alpine chic fantasy – St. Moritz

Since a couple of years ago, I started to fantasize of going to St. Moritz, either it is the phenomenon of the upscale and prestigious snow polo game that holds early every year, or, the jet-set ski chic influence from high fashion, after all, this renowned resort destination has become one of the hot spot for elite and famous, thanks to the spectacular and picturesque view, a small town that embraces in the arm of the mother nature – the gigantic Alpine mountain formed like a warm arms of a mother holding a precious child in the middle, which in a way, it creates a perfect picture this way because the water is the source of life, which inherently, the St. Moritzersee became the heart of the town.

I have to admit it was not the perfect timing during my visit to St. Moritz this time, no snow polo game, the lake is defrosting, ski season is just over and almost all the hotels are closed, on contrary, perhaps it is the perfect time to have a bit of tranquility, and, a pure connection with the mother nature itself without all the packed crowd and noises. Choosing to arrive in the morning is possibly be the wisest option (in return to sacrifice by waking up very early in the morning which is a kind of headache), as in this renowned ski resort destination, St. Moritz has the bright sun above the sky almost 300 days in a year, which means, as much as you like to capture a post-card like photos in an amazing weather, you can basically do it perfectly with no doubt. After a almost 2-hour regional train journey climbing up through the range of mountain of the Alps, I took a quick nap but occasionally waking up to enjoy the scenic view outside the train, one of the joy of being in Switzerland is to experience their incredible countryside – mountains, the forest, the small villages along the rail-line which some of them are dated back to the Medieval period yet preserved in a very good condition.

I am always curious about what makes St. Moritz so fascinating and attract so many elite and famous having their vacation there, in order to find out, ones need to travel back in time to September 1864, starting from the story of the Swiss hotelier, Mr. Caspar Badrutt (also the founder of the luxurious Hotel Badrutt now in St. Moritz) made a wage with four British guests by offering them a reimbursement if they return in winter, and find out the attractiveness of St. Moritz during winter time, eventually, the four guests did return in the end, and this is how the word being spread around about the beauty of winter tourism in this incredibly beautiful town. Of course, after the years went by, with the Winter Olympic Games being held in St. Moritz in 1928 then subsequently 1948, this small town starts to bloom and become a famous winter sports playground with quintessential winter resort style, makes it such unique and stylish.

Of course, even without the skiing nor the polo game crowd, this beautiful small town is just as incredible as it looks, and the weather is not as cold as I anticipated (luckily). First thing to do upon arrival, is to stretch your arm out as far as you can, take a deep breathe of the refreshing and cool Alpine air into your body, feel the sensation of the mother nature and this precious gift from her, from this lovely resort destination, then, take a walk along the lake side.

Postcard doesn’t usually tell how spectacular it is, not until you see that in person, the widespread St. Moritzersee looks absolutely magnificent when it contrasted with the gigantic snowy Alpine mountain range, that literally is a breath-taking experience as it feels like watching a sci-fi movie, that enormous and power of mother nature; since the lake is partially defrosting, I can still visualize the spectacular view of the fully frozen lake, all in snowy white, feel the handsome and passionate snow polo players playing on the field like a heroic warrior, with all the stylish guests gathered around, the sound of the running horses, and the celebratory cheers of the champagne glass.

Apart from the attractive and picturesque view of the lake, there are plenty of things to explore in St. Moritz, for starter, why not go up to the hill and see the famous leaning tower? A landmark dated back to the 12th century which it used to be part of the old Church of St Mauritius, you can also see this beautiful town from a higher ground too. Then, walk down to the famous shopping street – Via Serla, surrounded yourself with some jet-set glamour and style with all the luxury stores on both sides of the road. One of my wish is to sit back and relaxing over the sumptuous afternoon tea in Hotel Badrutt, however, not the right timing for me this time around unfortunately. For anyone who loves history and art, the Engadiner Museum should possibly be one of the best place to go, with its history over a century and showcased the collection of Riet Campell’s, who is also the founder of the museum, the precious items included furniture, books, textiles and so on, also of course, the typical Alpine wooden interior, a full pine interior, which covers from 13th to 19th century.

I am truly thankful to have this opportunity to finally see this beautiful ski resort destination in person, and I am possibly sure that my Alpine fantasy is just getting started, and hopefully, I would love to return to St. Moritz once again in winter time, to experience the literal winter sport chic with dynamic fun, and of course, its sumptuous chic and beauty.