Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, St. Moritz

Text and Photography by Mart Engelen

The first tourists were not attracted by the mountaineering or the skiing; they came for the carbonated and iron-rich Mauritius spring after the famous physician Paracelsus spread its renown far beyond Switzerland. The Grand Hotel des Bains was built directly next to this, the highest-altitude therapeutic spring in Switzerland, in 1864. The hotel received its first renovation less than twenty-five years later and the two towers were added in 1905. In those days, St. Moritz was already one of the most exclusive destinations in Europe although guests, attracted by the spring, only came during the summer months. Today, the Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski is an elegant, contemporary hotel welcoming sports lovers and leisure travellers throughout the year to its 184 rooms and suites and 29 spacious residences with one to five bedrooms which offer luxurious living, individual design and space for a private retreat. The three award-winning restaurants offer culinary delights: Les Saisons for Grill & Dine, Enoteca (14GM) with the best the region has to offer and the gourmet restaurant Ca d’Oro (1 Michelin star, 17GM) with Mediterranean cuisine. And, of course, there is the 2,800 square metre Spa, which offers relaxation with Alpine flair with healthy, purifying water from the Mauritius spring. Last but not least, thanks to its perfect location at the foot of the Signalbahn cable car and the legendary Hahnensee ski-run, guests can ski to and from Corviglia and the Corvatsch ski area, while cross-country trails and walking paths through the hotel’s huge park lead directly to the lakes, forests and idyllic valleys of the Engadin. Standing in front of this gigantic iconic building in a winter wonderland, you really feel you have landed in a picture-perfect location in a Leo Tolstoy novel.