I have been in 6-star hotels and slept badly, then on another occasion found myself in a youth hostel and slept like a log. The class of hotel does not determine how well I will sleep. Unfortunately I did not sleep well in the Hotel Nira Alpina in Silvaplana-Surlej near St. Moritz. Our schedule involved meeting my group at 18h30 for an aperitif in the hotel bar on the 5th floor, the top floor of the Nira Alpina. Then we had dinner in one of the Michelin starred restaurants in the hotel or in the area. This meant that food landed on the plate at some time between 20h00 and 20h30, which is very late for me. Usually I have a large lunch and very little, sometimes nothing, in the evening. So, with all that rich food along with the high quality wines and digestives, getting a peaceful sleep was a bit of a distant prospect. But there were other things that bothered me, such as the warmth of the bedclothes and the too soft nature of the pillows, as well as the extremely dry atmosphere (which left your mouth feeling like slimy sandpaper), typical of chalets.

In the Nira Alpina hotel the service was excellent, truly impeccable without ever getting obsequious. The lady manager approached everyone personally and took a genuine interest in the details of each person's stay. As premium guests, everything was laid on for our group of 8 people, including two chauffeurs who transported us from and to St Moritz railway station. But they were also on call to drive us anywhere at any time, which was useful for visiting the museums of St Moritz. My room was a suite with plenty of sitting and storage space, a fridge, minibar, flat screen television and a coffee machine. The bathroom facilities were top quality, with separate facilities and a decent sized bathtub, as well as a shower that worked properly in all senses. The spacious terrace offered a panoramic view over Silvaplana and a large hot tub occupied some of the space. I never got around to using it, because of the extreme snowfall (1 meter of fresh snow) that we experienced.

On the first night we had an excellent fondue in the Pichalain (an external wooden hut) just outside the entrance to the hotel. The second night we had an outstanding meal in the Stars restaurant, which occupies the same space as the breakfast room. The third night saw us eating in the Italian restaurant Stella Veglia down in the depths of the hotel, a good meal but not extraordinary. For the final dinner, we found ourselves in the Michelin starred Talvo by Dalsass in the neighbouring village of Champfer. The food was excellent, but the portions were extremely small and I found the place too pretentious for my liking. That meal must have cost MasterCard several thousand Swiss francs. The Nira Alpina hotel provided an excellent breakfast, with a high quality buffet and cook to order egg dishes, as well as good quality coffee and a decent tea selection.

This 4 night stay was offered by UBS MasterCard Priceless Experiences.



The entrance to my room in the Nira Alpina, which was actually a suite


Here you can see the dividing wall between the "living room" and sleeping area


A luxury bathroom with shower, bath and multiple sinks


There was a cosy fireplace in the bar where we met and had the aperitif


At the entrance to the restaurant on the same floor as the bar


The bar in the Pichalain, where we had the fondue on the first night