My husband and I just returned from a 5-day trip to Switzerland to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. The Grand Hotel Kronenhof was the only hotel with availability in the entire St. Moritz area for our 2-night stay. It was fairly expensive ($445 a night) but the rate included breakfast, dinner and transportation to and from the train station as often as you liked.

Location: The hotel is situated in Pontresina, Switzerland, which is about a 10-minute train ride from St. Moritz. We had a Swiss Railpass and took the train from Zurich - about a 3.5 hour trip. Upon arrival at the rail station, we called the hotel and they sent a driver to pick us up within about 5 minutes. In the summer, it would probably take 10-15 minutes to make the uphill walk to the hotel. Our driver (also the 2nd concierge) was Alexandra and she was great. She's from Moscow, grew up in Berlin and is working in Switzerland through this summer. She's been in a management training program with Ritz Carlton and hopes to end up at one of their properties in Florida. She speaks English, Russian, German and French! From the hotel, everything in Pontresina is just outside your door.

Arrival: We were greated enthusiastically by the front desk staff and wished a happy anniversary. The guy that showed us to our room actually spoke English very well but he kept apologizing when he didn't say things exactly right - very cute! Within minutes of arriving in our room, an appetizer tray of meats, cheeses and bread was brought - along with a bottle of wine and a congratulatory note from the staff.

Room: The hotel was built in the late 1800's and is beautifully restored. Our room was fabulous and everything appeared to be brand new. However, as we walked down the halls when housekeeping had the doors open, we could see that some rooms were outdated and not nearly as nice as ours. We booked a Double Comfort Room - one category up from standard - Room 522. Our view to the west was awesome and we had a small balcony. There were automatic shades that could be raised or lowered with the touch of a button.

The room had every amenity you could ever want. Our bed consisted of 2 twins put together under a king headboard. It was VERY comfortable, with down pillows and comforters. The bathroom had HEATED tile floors (heavenly!), a double vanity, large tub, and a separate shower. It was equipped with scales, robes, slippers and excellent toiletries. We were also wowed by the closet - a beautiful walk-in room with automatic lighting, built-in shelves, a bench, drawers, tons of hangars and a safe for your valuables.

Dining: Our rate included breakfast and dinner, both of which were served in the beautiful Grand Dining Hall. We called to ask if we needed reservations but were told that our table was reserved for us for our entire stay and to arrive at our leisure. A dinner menu is posted daily outside of the dining room.

On our first evening, we arrived for dinner and were promptly taken to "our" table. The menu (in both English and German) explained the various items that were on the appetizer and salad buffet and then presented your choices for dinner. There were 2 soup choices - Fennel cream soup with orange oil and vermouth - Clear soup with ham dumplings - and both were excellent. Entree choices included salmon, halibut, breast of duck and chicken. Dessert consisted of a chocolate torte, fresh fruit or a selection of cheeses. Everything was very good and the servers were eager to please.

Breakfast was served buffet style and included meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, cereals, yogurt and juice. Excellent coffee was served in individual pots and you could also order hot egg dishes.

Upon arriving for dinner our 2nd night, we found our table to be lavishly decorated with ribbons, roses and candles. The dinner was Italian-themed and again included an appetizer and salad buffet. Soup was minestrone - the best we've ever eaten! Pasta dishes included lasagna, spinich ravioli with walnuts, penne pasta with several sauce options, and farfalle with salmon. Dessert was tiramisu, pannacotta, chocolate mousse and more. However, once our dinner plates were removed, the dining room manager brought us a beautiful cake inscribed with our names. After we had eaten a couple of pieces, they even offered to keep it in the kitchen for us and package it for travel. They had it ready for us at breakfast the next morning.

Overall impression: We couldn't have had a more pleasant stay! The hotel was beautiful, service was outstanding and the entire staff went out of their way to make us feel very special as we celebrated our anniversary.

When we arrived at Grand Hotel Kronenhof, we were greeted immediately outside by one of the front desk managers which was a very nice way to start a trip. As we entered the lobby, the manager, Henry Hunold who couldn't have been more charming, was waiting to greet us as well. The hotel was very old (1848), but beautifully restored and formal (not at all what we expected in a ski resort town). We were checked in to our room right away and our bags (we had to bring carry ons with some overnight things since we may not have gotten our bags until the next am) were brought up immediately.

Our room, although decorated like the Golden Girls living room (very florida like and not mountain like enough), was large, comfortable and a had a big renovated bathroom with bidet and two sinks. Each night the beds were turned down with slippers and a mat on the floor, dim lighting and of course, a swiss chocolate!

Included in our package was breakfast and dinner in their restaurant every night which basically totalled to about $100 for both of us per/day. We had no idea what we were in for when we saw this price. The first night we were told the restaurant was casual and we entered a grand ballroom in jeans. We felt very underdressed. It was a gorgeous room, you can almost picture the very formal dinners that used to take place in this space and that I'm sure still do. We were greeted by the maitre de and brought to what would remain our table for the rest of the trip - yes, I know sounds a bit like Kellermans from Dirty Dancing, but it really made you feel so welcome and warm in the hotel. We received a 4 course - white glove - phenominal meal. They also had a large salad display set up for in between courses. The service was excellent and the people couldn't have been nicer.

The next morning our bags arrived and someone from the hotel picked them up for us and brought them right to our room. We were on the slopes before 11.

WHENEVER, we needed a ride anywhere, the staff would run to get us a car immediately. It was never a problem going anywhere, we were always dropped off and picked up whenever we called. One day, we wanted to go to the mountain and they didn't have a car available, and the manager was in his car ready to take us when another staff member got his own car and pulled around front, and this was Christmas! This is why being 5 minutes from the mountain is not a big deal.

If we were ever sitting in the lobby, no matter what time of the day there was always someone to ask us if we needed anything and we were never waiting at the front desk for someone to help us. The manager attended each meal and made a point of coming around to each table to make sure you were well taken care of. I have never, EVER been to a hotel before where the people were so incredibly eager to please and the service was impeccible.

For pictures and more info about the area, go to [-----------]