Yes, ladies in fur coats carry pint-sized dogs. Yes, you can buy diamonds as big as your head in the jewellery shops. And no, the town will never win any cuteness awards. But there are a lot of reasons to visit St Moritz – like a superb range of skiing, some of the most picturesque scenery in the Alps, and a wealth of off-slope activity. The resort has worked hard in the summer season to bring in a range of skiers and boarders, not just those who park their private jets at Engadin airport.

Orientation
St Moritz is a fragmented resort; even the town is in two halves, Bad and Dorf. Bad, not surprisingly, is centred on the therapeutic spa and is set on the western edge of the lake. Dorf, with most of the shops, restaurants and hotels, is above the lake on the lower slopes of the mountain. But the ski areas are even more dispersed; Diavolezza is a 20-minute drive west while the two main ski areas, Corviglia/Marguns and Corvatsch/Furtschellas, are not linked. To get to the latter, it’s a bus ride or drive out of town to Surlej.

The slopes
It reminded me a bit of Chamonix; unless you have a car, and are prepared to take off your boots and schlep to a different part of the resort, you need to pick where you are going to be based for the day (or at least morning/afternoon) and stick to it.
Progression is OK for confident improvers, with long cruising runs down the Corviglia mountain especially over towards the western end of this area, Suvretta, and on the Furtschellas side of Corvatsch. But again, like Chamonix, many blues have steep sections, hence our warning about having a little confidence.
While most novices are encouraged to head for Celerina’s beginner slopes, or perhaps the nursery slopes at Salastrains above Dorf, one of the great features here is the large number of very small ski areas away from the busy mega-runs such as those on Corviglia. If you carefully scan the area map, you’ll see areas like S-chanf, and the Müsella slope near La Punt, which only have one or two short lifts and gentle runs to help you master the basics. Another, slightly bigger area, is the meadow high above Pontresina, and some instructors favour the practice slopes by the Survih ski lift in Samedan.
Meanwhile, there is an initiative throughout the Engadin area that will really help the improving skier – the ‘ChilloutRiding’ concept. It's a bit like SlowFood for winter sports, encouraging us to slow down, take in the scenery and the nature around us, rather than just trying to blast along at the edge of our abilities. Some designated pistes have been set aside for this.
By the end of your week, the red down under the Bernina Diavolezza chair should be within your grasp.

The town
Dorf consists of a couple of switch-back roads with some connecting roads in between; but packed into those few streets is a lot of buildings – the predictable fancy shops, restaurants, and hotels. Bad is, frankly, an architectural back spot.
Neither location really hums with après-ski bonhomie, with people more interested in a delicate cake and perhaps a herb tea than a couple of cold ones while reliving the day’s events. That’s not to say there is a total absence – Bobby’s and the Stubli offer as much fun as we can handle, that’s for sure. But there is a very different feel to St Moritz than in most ski resort towns.
The roster of events is impressive – horse racing and polo on the frozen lake, and of course the world-famous Cresta toboggan run. Gentlemen (ladies only by invitation) pay £200 for five runs, or for those with less testosterone (and probably more sense) there’s a toboggan run where you can be ‘piloted’ down. There’s a new pay-entrance pool and spa in Pontresina, the Bellavita, which has its own version of a Cresta run – a 75m slide into the water. There are lots of small satellite villages – we stayed at La Punt – which given that you have to drive to get anywhere other than Corviglia is not much of a drawback. Celerina is an attractive village, east of Dorf, with its own beginner area.

Our recommendations:

Hotel Suvretta House
Set in splendid isolation but linked to the Corviglia runs by a private lift, this is a great resort hotel away from the town. Public areas are spacious and diverse, there is a terrific pool and spa, an ice rink, a very good kid’s program and even a separate children’s restaurant. The views towards St Moritz and the mountains are fabulous. There’s a good ambience here, but the dress code is pretty formal on the ‘Grand Etage’ floor in the evening – 'dark suit and tie'. The ‘Club’ level with its Stube restaurant and bars is more casual. Half board from €500 per room per night.

Restaurant Marmite
Non-skiers can get to and from the complex of restaurants on Corviglia that run under the Mathis Food Affairs banner; and plenty of them do. Top of the chain is Marmite – it allegedly sells more truffles than any other restaurant in the world. Whether you choose to indulge or not, you can be sure of a great meal here and the views are terrific. There is also a cheaper brasserie-type offering in the same room, offering more down-to-earth plates.

Hotel Chesa Rosatch
This comfortable hotel, with excellent food, is in Celerina so is a good choice if you want access to the nursery slopes or the option of getting up Corviglia without the queues for the mountain railway you’ll find in Dorf. There’s a sauna and steam room and a shuttle to the Marguns lift, but it’s not far. Low-season prices for two from €126 per night including breakfast and afternoon tea.

Ski accessibility: 12345
Beginner’s area: 12345
Overall: 12345

Cost: High
Getting there: Allow three hours for the drive from Zurich or Milan airports. The train to St Moritz from Zurich takes about the same time, changing in Chur.