The Memories in a Cup of Hot Swiss Chocolate

Any doubts one might have about this place being the reigning doyenne of Swiss resorts, kept so by a steady influx of worldly, well-heeled and ultra-loyal visitors, are soon dispelled at the sight of an impeccably dressed gentleman having his regular brioche roll and Moet et Chandon over the morning papers at Hanselmann’s, a popular pastry shop.

Hanselmann’s holds more prosaic memories for us. It makes us think of a cup of hot chocolate we had there almost three decades ago.

St. Moritz comes by its international ambiance honestly, being set in the Grisons’ glorious Inn Valley of the Engadine Mountains, adjacent to Italian- and German-speaking areas that mix their dialects with the local Romansch.

But it is hoary tradition that has set St. Moritz apart with a special appeal since 1864: apres-ski at the ancient but lively Chesa Veglia, unless one of the Onassis family has it rented for the evening; lunch or cocktails at the venerable Palace Hotel; a bracing ski run down the Piz Nair or a scarier go at the Cresta Run toboggan chute; perhaps a polo game, even in winter, on frozen Lake St. Moritz.

Citizens number 6,000 and there are twice as many hotel beds for their guests, winter and summer.

Here to there: American, TWA, Pan Am and Air Canada will get you to Zurich. Use a Swiss Holiday Card to board a train beneath the airport for the 3 1/2-hour run to St. Moritz, checking your bags through to this or any other Swiss town.

How long/how much? One week is the usual skiing vacation, half that for a summer stay. Lodging and dining costs are high-moderate to expensive, yet not all that bad for a first-class international resort.

A few fast facts: The Swiss franc was recently valued at 1.48 to the U.S. dollar. Come anytime. Late spring to fall is beautiful; the best skiing is January through March. St. Moritz is divided into Dorf and Bad. Take a bus between them for about $2, walk comfortably around either.

Getting settled in: The town has low, medium and high seasons, each split into as many as four date brackets. The following hotel prices are for a double room with sturdy Swiss breakfasts during the medium season.

Languard ($75-$87) is at the heart of the village, knotty pine rooms from top to bottom, a cozy house with huge arrangements of mountain flowers, antiques spread about, one gorgeous chest dating from 1667. Glistening bed linens and comforters, views of the valley superb, every bit the super-neat Swiss hotel.

Eden ($95-$109) is right next door and, like the Languard, a hotel garni, which means breakfast only. Pleasant lobby with piano, books and fireplace, old painting and petit-point chairs. Cheerful breakfast room with windows overlooking everything. A most helpful staff and management.

Sonne ($82-$102) is in St. Moritz Bad, a four-minute bus ride from the main village. It’s more Swiss inside than out, rather informal and serves all meals (see below). Rooms rather small, some with balconies, breakfasts on an outdoor terrace.

Regional food and drink: Bundnerfleisch , an air-dried beef, is a Grisons delicacy, delicious with butter and the marvelous dark peasant breads. Plenty of fondues and raclettes here, as you’ll find anywhere in Switzerland, with many hotels and restaurants going heavy on the Italian dishes of nearby Ticino.

Charnigna engiadinaisa , about the same as Zurich’s emince de veau , is the local version of one of the world’s great veal dishes: thin strips in a white wine and cream sauce spiced with scallions, white pepper and often mushrooms. And no matter what region you’re in, look for rosti , a thin cake of shredded potatoes pan fried and then roasted. Rosti goes great with leberspiessli , skewers of bacon-wrapped liver on a bed of spinach.

Neuchatel and Fendant are crisp white wines, Engadiner nuss-und-mandeltorten a heavenly torte of almonds and other nuts.

Moderate-cost dining: The restaurant of Neues Post Hotel at village center has been a stop for us these many years, with tables beside windows having wonderful views. The plat du jour here is $11, a three-course menu of local specialties $14.

Sonne Hotel’s dining room is a large and busy place filled with locals that turns into a pizzeria in the evenings. A three-course menu for $13, spaghetti carbonara at $4.50. Also a fondue for two, $14.50.

Dine inexpensively on pizzas and calzoni at one of the town’s best spots, the upper room at Chesa Veglia. Rustic country furnishings on old wooden floors, masterfully carved doors. Just don’t stray into the downstairs dining room without plenty of traveler’s checks.

Hotel Steffani gives you a choice of grill or stubli , both very traditional, with moderate-for-Switzerland prices, a meeting place for the younger crowd.

Going first-class: Europe’s major cities and resorts always seem to have one hotel that’s almost a historic landmark, and in St. Moritz it’s the Palace ($286-$435 double including half-pension, medium season). Everything about the Palace is regal, including what is said to be the only original Raphael in a hotel’s lounge. Caspar Badrutt brought St. Moritz to the limelight when he opened the Palace beneath its medieval Swiss tower in 1896. Just say that the Palace has everything, old and new, that a superlative hotel should have.

For the town’s finest dining, settle in at the Palace’s Grill Room, Suvretta House hotel’s Le Miroir, or Chesa Veglia, a 1658 Engadine farmhouse restored by the Badrutt family.

On your own: In the summer there’s sailing or windsurfing on four mountain lakes, tennis and golf, two summer ski areas, nature and wildflower walks, skating on an outdoor artificial rink, horseback riding and mountain picnics.

In winter, try a “taxi ride” down the world’s first bobsled run, 200 miles of downhill ski runs, four indoor tennis and squash courts, horse races on the frozen lake and unlimited cross-country ski trails. The cultural events and lively night life go on year-round, so get in shape for before and after dark.

Contact the Swiss National Tourist Office, 250 Stockton St., San Francisco 94108, (415) 362-2260, for brochures on St. Moritz and the Engandine, a hotel list with seasonal rates, “Travel Tips” booklet and details on the Swiss Holiday Card for getting around the country on trains, buses and lake steamers.