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“St. Moritz has come roaring back. It’s the only place I can think of that you could spend $100 million on a villa and still be on the wrong side of town.

There are two St. Moritzes, the very private St. Moritz, which revolves around the Suvretta neighborhood where everyone seems to have a title or a billion dollars or both. The neighborhood restaurant is Chasellas (Highly recommended, you’ll feel like a regular rather than a tourist).

The other St. Moritz revolves around St. Moritz Dorf, the exuberant part of town that more or less centers around the Palace Hotel. This area is a magnet for international big money that likes to ski, eat, shop but most of all spend. This area is not low-key. This is sable coats, body guards, and serious spending.

We went into the Prada shop after lunch one day; it looked like it had been robbed, hardly any merchandise on the shelves or racks. My friend thought maybe they were going out of business. “Are you closing the store?” she asked. “On no,” said the clerk. “We just had a group of Russians in this morning, they bought everything.”

From W. Hudson, January 2008

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“Because Switzerland lies at a northern latitude, the best skiing is often found at lower altitudes, and the top of the mountain is only slightly higher than the town of Vail. As a result, living in St. Moritz is free of the ultra-dry atmosphere typical of the Rockies, where it can take two days to acclimate. The essence of skiing in Switzerland is also very different from what you experience in the U.S., emphasizing atmosphere (Gemuetlichkeit) and the wide-open slopes above the tree line, as opposed to mid-mountain cafeterias and bump runs carved out of the woods under the lift line. Older parents and infant children often venture up from the valley to join their families for lunch, and to enjoy the view and fresh air.”

From a longtime regular visitor from N.Y.