Grand Hotel Kronenhof

It’s a shame so many hotels see fit to call themselves “grand,” as the word, consequently, has lost a little bit of its power to convey just how extraordinary a hotel like Grand Hotel Kronenhof can be. Its setting, in the Swiss Alpine village of Pontresina, right next door to St. Moritz, is nothing short of majestic. And the hotel itself, an opulent 19th-century Neo-Baroque monument, looks like the Platonic ideal of the classic old-world luxury hotel. We all know looks can be deceiving, but in this case they’re telling the honest truth. The public spaces are, if anything, even more extravagant than the façade, full of finely rendered Swiss pine paneling and delicate ornamentation. The rooms and junior suites are exceedingly comfortable, classic in style but realized with a contemporary eye, while the nine themed suites, all unique, are slightly more visually conservative (but extremely liberal with their comforts). And the Kronenhof’s resemblance to the grand-hotel ideal is more than aesthetic; it’s got three restaurants, including a fine-dining option, it’s got an enormous and elaborate spa with a stunning (and massive) indoor pool, and — perhaps most importantly — it’s got the kind of ultra-discreet, ultra-capable, and ultra-professional service that you’d expect from the Swiss luxury hotel of your dreams. Beyond the hotel’s doors you’ll find no shortage of diversions, from golf and tennis in the summer to a natural ice rink in winter — and the skiing, naturally, is world-class.