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New York-based Indagare member Chris Meltesen is a passionate outdoorsman, whether it’s skiing, biking or hiking, and he and his wife, Tina, travel to Switzerland every year. Here, he shares his love for the Swiss Alps and gives advice on how travelers should tackle planning a short—or longer—hiking adventure in the St. Moritz area.

You mentioned that there are hundreds of hikes in the St. Moritz area: which are some of your personal favorites and why?

I like the short hike in the Bever Tal (valley) to Spinas, where there’s a lovely mountain restaurant serving good food. We live in the Bever, the small village where the walk starts, and it’s a good one for a rainy day or when you’ve just arrived and want some fresh air but haven’t found your legs as yet. It is no more than an hour up and back.

A really lovely valley is the Fextal, starting in Sils Maria, a charming town (Nietzsche lived here at one point). While it’s a walking valley without cars, there are horse carriages available to the various hotels and restaurants. We like the Hotel Sonne and further on the Hotel Fex. This walk is always a favorite – the valley is probably the most beautiful in the area. It’s a good one to take if some of the group can’t walk, as they can take the horse carriage.

More spectacular is a classic walk from Corvatsch to the Rosatsch. Take the lift to the Corvatsch middle station, walk up to Surlej, over into Rosatch Tal, back down to Hotel Rosatch and then down to Pontresina (you’ll need a car, taxi, bus to get back Corvatsch, unless you parked at the Pontresina entrance to the valley and took a bus to the Corvatsch lift station). The view of the Bernina mountain group as you go over the small pass to the Rosatch valley is remarkable.

If you like real alpine hiking, take the hike up to the Forno hut from Moloja. It’s a good four hours up and four hours back, and you pass over a glacier. The last approach to the hut (a 15-minute climb) is a scramble over rocks, so be prepared. The view at the hut is spectacular and the entire valley system ranges from lovely woods and a lake to real sparse alpine rocks and ice. It’s a taxing day but a rewarding one.

What should a traveler trying to decide between days versus overnight hikes ask themselves to figure out which one is right for him/her?

Time and ability. If you’ve never hiked, you can’t do the overnights and if you like multi-day hikes, you might find the day hikes dull. If you want to return to the same place each night (particularly a sumptuous hotel) and don’t like a heavy pack, then day hikes are best. I’ve done both and like them both. Using a service and a van to take your luggage to the next hotel can make overnight hikes easy as this allows for a lighter pack. Also, consider the type of holiday you are after: if you want to do multiple things, even say rest or shop one day, then overnights are not practical. Basically, day hikes are easier and overnights are more difficult, though anyone in fair shape can do them.

What were the accommodations like during the big hikes you did (Mont Blanc and Haute Route)?

A good thing to know is that you are not allowed to camp (in a tent) in any of these countries, so you must stay in accommodations, which range from very rustic dormitories to fancy hotels. Every place I stayed was very clean and comfortable, with nice innkeepers and good to terrific food. Some of the lovely old hotels were stops on the Victorian Grand Tour during the 19th century. For example, during the Haute Route hike, from Chamonix to Zermatt/Saas Fe, we stayed in a town called St. Luc, and there the Grand Hotel Bella Tola & St.-Luc was very nice and truly left over from Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty days. Based in Chamonix, I climbed Mont Blanc with a friend, while our wives treated themselves to a stay in Hôtel le Hameau Albert 1er. (I guess they figured if we never came back, they’d at least have room service.) It’s a splendid hotel.

If you had to do either one over, which one would it be and why?

Probably Mt. Blanc, because our excursion was such a well-run tour by Chamonix guides, and it has great scenery. But the Haute Route is just as spectacular, so it’s hard to pick.

What do you wish you had known in advance before setting out on overnight hikes?

I’ve done it so often that I know all the ropes. You need a good packing list and lots of details about where you are going. One book I would highly recommend getting Walking Switzerland (www.amazon.com), which has lots of maps and great advice. When we first started planning trips, we used it a lot. For instance, our Haute Route trip was planned based entirely on this book: no guides, no pre-booked itinerary and all the hotels were confirmed by phone and fax (it was pre-email).

What are some of the advantages of hiring a guide, like you did on the tour of Mont Blanc?

Lots and lots. They do it for you, particularly when you are doing overnights. I’d really recommend it, if one can afford it; a guide split amongst a few people is a minor cost and would be a great help. Even on day hikes they know unusual ones, can explain all the local flora and fauna. If you haven’t done much or are unsure of the area, then hiring a guide is invaluable. Once we stayed at a lovely guesthouse just up the mountain in Zermatt for a few days, and the innkeeper was also a Zermatt guide who took us for a day hike to an unexplored valley, telling us about the geology of the area along the way. It was a great immersion.

For foodies, are there hikes you would recommend based on the quality of the restaurants along the way?

Hotel Rosatsch in the Rosatsch Tal, and the restaurants at Hotel Sonne and Hotel Fex in the Fextal. But the best ones are the light lunches you pack and take with you and eat high up in the midst of a mountain saddle with a stunning view. Boy, does bread, salami and an apple taste great!

What was the most physically challenging hike you’ve done in the region?

The 10-hour approach to Zermatt or the hike to the National Park near S-Chanf, but Tina and I did it with a group of friends and everyone managed.

Could you recommend what you would rate as your top hikes for a day hike with great scenics and food; a moderately challenging multi-day route; a challenging multi-day route?

DAY HIKE: The Fextal is the best day hike with great scenery and lovely food. The Hotel Sonne was so good at Christmas, when a group of us ate there, that some folks are thinking of taking a room for someone’s big birthday this year.

MODERATE MULTI-DAY: A moderately challenging multi-day route: the Swiss National Park hike from S-Chanf, via the Chamanna Cluozza (overnight hut) and down the next day into Zernez. This was the best short overnight I have done. Top of my list is the three-day hike from Maloja south of the Bernina group in Italy where you end up at Lagalp, which I hear is marvelous.

CHALLENGING MULTI-DAY: I’d vote for the Tour of Mt. Blanc here, though everyone in our group did it with ease. Having our packs taken ahead and a guide carrying the wine and lunch helped, of course. Also, the Haute Route, ending up in Saas Fe, is a challenging multi-day trek.

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An Indagare member who recently traveled to Zermatt, returned raving about the quaint, car-free Swiss ski resort: “The best thing about Zermatt is not what’s new, but what’s stays the same! The best mountain restaurants like Franz & Heidi (Wiestistrasse 62, Zermatt, tel:027-967-2588), Zum See (Wichieweg 44, Zermatt, tel:027-967-2045), Fluhalp (Gebr. Taugwalder 3920, Zermatt, tel:027-967-2597) and Blatten (CH-3920, Zermatt, tel:027-967-4310) are as fantastic as ever. We did do one fantastic new thing over the holidays and hiked in the moonlight with our older kids to Blatten to have fondue and sledded down—that was truly extra special. In terms of skiing, there’s now a new bubble that connects you from the village to the base station of the glacier in less than 20 minutes. It’s fantastic and with all the new lifts and bubbles every year, skiing in Zermatt just keeps getting better, as you can easily move to different locations and ski miles on end. Julen Sports (Hofmattstrasse 4, Zermatt, tel:027-967-4340) still provides the best advice for new boots and even has gloves with heaters. Zermatt is truly a skier’s paradise, and we love it there!”

Read about a new high-end chalet company that has two new, stunning, well-located properties.

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Indagare member Carroll Pierce traveled to Peru with her husband, Bob, and four daughters, in December 2009. Their itinerary took them from Lima to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, to Cusco and finally, to the Atacama Desert and Santiago, in Chile.

Here are impressions from their journey to Machu Picchu. (Read also about their time in Lima and the Sacred Valley.)

December 24

We left the Hotel Rio Sagrado at 6 a.m. for a 7 a.m. train to Machu Picchu. I had the girls’ Christmas stockings and gifts in one of my daypacks. My other pack was stuffed with clothes for the night in Machu Picchu. Our train was delayed for three hours, as there had been a landslide over the tracks. Part of the tracks was damaged and covered in dirt and rocks. There was an air of expectation in the station. The time in the station passed quickly and the ever-increasing crowd of passengers made for great people-watching. We took the panoramic train up. Our guiding company had secured us seats in the first row of the train, and we appreciated the unobstructed view of the tracks. We stayed on until the end of the line in Aguas Calientes. The train stopped at “Kilometer 82” to let off hikers who wanted a four-day hike into Machu Picchu. The train also stopped at a station that was a four-to-five hour hike to Machu Picchu. (Some of our group might have considered this option if we’d known about it in advance.) Porters took our bags to the hotel while we went right to the bus for the final twenty-minute bus ride up to the entry gates of Machu Picchu. We had lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge. (We were glad to get in out of the rain and not have to eat in the cafeteria next to the lodge, but the food was overpriced and of disappointing quality, and the service was mediocre.) Only Emma wished we’d stayed at the Sanctuary Lodge, as she’d have preferred not having to ride the bus up and down. The rest of us were glad to be down in the town and appreciated the space of the Inkaterra and the town.

It was rainy and cloudy when we entered Machu Picchu late afternoon. This was the perfect time of day to go. The crowds were thinning. Having a guide is the only way to see the ruins, and we were surprised by how many people were walking around unguided. Machu Picchu is breathtaking. At 7,970 feet, the city is as one would expect from it’s reputation: staggering. We kept asking, How? And Why? and having our guide answer all of the questions enriched the experience. There are llamas that graze on the terraces of Machu Picchu. The clouds cleared and the sun came out as we hit the mid-way point of the ruins, and the “wow” factor went way up. Make sure to get the optional, and very cool, Machu Picchu stamp on your passport as you leave the gates.

We were all pretty shot by the time we checked in to the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel that afternoon. The early wake-up calls, vans, trains and outside time had caught up with us, so the duvet-covered beds and fireplaces in each room were a welcome sight. It was pouring rain during our entire stay but the hotel has umbrellas at every door so getting about and staying dry is easy. We lit a fire in our fireplace and cranked the space heaters to dry ourselves out. The girls decided to open their stockings Christmas Eve so that they could sleep in on Christmas morning. The large gathering room on the upper section of the property had a huge Christmas tree and blazing fires. The hotel was full for the holiday and it had a festive atmosphere. We ate Christmas Eve dinner down in the dining room close to the railroad tracks. There was a pre-set menu of nice-sized portions of turkey and fish, all washed down with Chilean champagne.

Word of Advice: Don’t try to visit Machu Picchu in one day. There are too many opportunities for glitches, as evidenced by our outbound train delay. Many of the travelers in the station were day-trippers and we could sense their anxiety. A leisurely guided tour of Machu Picchu is what the site deserves.

December 25

The girls negotiated to sleep to 9 a.m. This felt wonderful, as we’d been going hard. Being outdoors in the rain all day and trying to stay dry and warm is tiring. If the weather had been clear that morning, Bob and Emma had agreed to a 4:45 am wake-up call from Adriel and a sunrise hike to Wayna Picchu (scary). It was not clear, so we all slept late. Christmas morning breakfast was festive. There were mostly Americans in the hotel. At our mid-morning checkout, we left our luggage at the front desk. The porters would bring it down to meet our late-afternoon train. Despite the pouring rain, the girls rallied and we set off again up to Machu Picchu. Despite all wearing rain jackets, we bought some cheap “M&M” colored rain ponchos to help cover more of our body. Lillian was the smart one and wore her rain pants. We should have all remembered to pack them. Longer style ponchos would have been best as they fit over the body and a backpack. Our guide told us it was raining “alpacas and llamas.” We hiked up to the Sun Gate. It should be a 45-minute to and hour hike, but some in our group needed breaks and encouragement, so it took longer. The path is wide and safe. For only the last few minutes does the path turn narrow and one must use caution. One should think twice about doing this hike, or the Wayna Picchu hike, if fear of heights is an issue. The view from the Sun Gate is worth the effort and the bragging rights.

We ate lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge. It was the same experience as the day before, but again, we were glad to not have to eat in the crowded cafeteria. We took a late afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo. The train staff gave an informal modeling show of Peruvian fashions. It was cheesy but fun. We had front row seats and again an unobstructed view of the tracks. The skies had cleared and the light on the mountains and valley was that lovely late afternoon light. A van took us from the station to Cusco. The trip was two hours and we made our Christmas day calls back to the U.S. It was dark when we reached Cusco. We were tired, hungry, wet and still in our hiking gear when we walked into the Casa Cartagena hotel. We were instantly revived and felt we’d have made a much more appropriate entrance if we’d been in skinny jeans, boots and a well-cut jacket. We couldn’t wait to get showered and throw on some of the non-traveling dinner clothes we had. Despite being housed in an old colonial mansion, there were sleek Italian chairs at a bar with a hot pink under-counter light. The immaculate interior courtyard has a five-foot illuminated white orb set in a pool of water. It all felt right. (Notice the triptych of Machu Picchu in the entry.) Our bedrooms were enormous with high ceilings. The walls were whitewashed with frescos along the top. My bathroom was sleek white with a huge soaking tub. For contrast, there were four simple orchids hanging from palm-sized bits of bark on the bathroom wall. The shower was a simply a showerhead behind a plate of glass. All of it was luxe, cool and unexpected. There was only one other couple in the dining room for dinner.

(Note: When we were planning the trip, we had originally wanted to stay at the Monasterio, but it was fully booked. Overall, I am so glad we did not clear off the wait list. Casa Cartagena was much more exiting. Leeds and I poked around the Monasterio, which looked tired, boring, and predictable.)

December 26

Despite the urge to explore the charming cobbled streets, we took the van and guide up to Sacsayhuaman: another Incan ruins site. We also made a quick stop at an alpaca textiles shop, which offered not only a large and authentic selection of blankets, scarves and sweaters, but also a stunning balcony view of Cusco. We tried to eat lunch at Granja Heidi but it was closed so we ended up at the Inca Grill. It was the most comforting food we’d eating to date—pizza and Andean chicken soup. It was filled with tourists but we didn’t mind as it was warm and the food was fast, fresh and familiar. After lunch we made a quick stop at Peruvian crafts market (not worth it—the best market was in Pisac) and a somewhat rushed tour of the city. Some of the girls opted to find their way back to the hotel. Leeds and I hit three of the shops on Melissa’s list. Bob toured the cathedral. Bob, Leeds, and I toured the Temple of the Sun—a must do. The streets are so charming and are perfect for wandering and exploring that I wish we’d had another day here.

Back at the hotel, Lillian and I relaxed in the spa plunge pool. As it got dark outside, a spa attendant lit several dozen large pillar candles scattered throughout the pool. It was magical. We debated between eating at Map Café and Fallen Angel and opted to eat at Fallen Angel, a great choice. The interior was a most unexpected and pleasant surprise! We ate at a water-and-fish-filled glass-topped bathtub. Two of the gals sat on a brass bed strewn with red leather heart pillows. The rest of us sat on leopard and zebra striped stools. A DJ was spinning in a glass-enclosed room behind the bar. The bathrooms are a must-see. I don’t remember the food, but the pulse and energy of the restaurant woke us right up after a busy day.