The Best Hotels Near Fracia, by the Record
-
The carved wood ceiling in the lobby has been there since the hotel opened, and the staff behaves as though it always will be. This is a grand Alpine resort in St. Moritz, old-school glamour at altitude, with an ice-skating rink on the grounds and complimentary laundry for children under twelve, which tells you something about who stays here. The Hitchcock Suite is self-explanatory. Forbes Five Star and a spot on the World's 50 Best Hotels list.
-
Every suite faces south, which means Lake St. Moritz and the Engadine mountains fill every window without exception. This Forbes Five Star hotel sits just outside the town center, all-suite throughout, with butler service and a 24-hour car on call. The Bel Etage, anchored by two historic fireplaces, is where guests gather before and after dinner while someone plays the grand piano, which is either charming or a lot, depending on your mood.
-
The natural ice bobsled run outside is the oldest still operating anywhere, which tells you something about the ambitions of the place. This grand Swiss alpine hotel has been the center of St. Moritz winter life for as long as anyone can remember, with an ornate lobby, seven restaurants and bars, a vast spa, and rooms with balcony views that make it hard to get dressed. It holds a Forbes Four Star.
-
Floor-to-ceiling triangular windows frame glaciers, silver peaks, and the River Sacra from nearly every room in this eco-friendly Alpine resort. Suites come with warm tones, a fireplace, and more of those views. The spa, one of the Alps' largest, runs four floors and includes an indoor saltwater lake infused with magnesium, which sounds made up until you're floating in it. Skiing, hiking, and two golf courses handle the rest. Forbes Four Star.
-
A neoclassical facade on the Lake Como waterfront in Menaggio, with the kind of ornate molding and chandeliers that make you feel underdressed just walking through the lobby. This hotel pairs that old-world bones with freshened interiors and modern furnishings, so it reads more lake house than museum. Balconies look straight out over the water, the spa is properly calm, and the pool is the sort you photograph before you get in.
-
A grand belle époque hotel on the western shore of Lake Como, with views straight across to Bellagio and the Grigne mountains. The 90 rooms, two private villas, and five restaurants are draped in Como silk and tended by local artisans, and an immense botanical garden rolls down to the water's edge. It has been family-run from the start, which shows in the way the service feels unhurried rather than corporate.
-
Tucked into a hillside above Lake Garda, with 27 acres of woodland and olive groves between you and the outside world, this luxury wellness resort earns its Forbes Four Star. Every suite faces the lake, the spa stretches across 46,000 square feet and blends Chinese medicine with Western science, and two restaurants plus a cigar lounge handle the rest. The kind of place where doing nothing feels like a full itinerary.
-
Perched on the western shore of Lake Garda, this grand old lakeside hotel has been turning its terrace into an argument for doing absolutely nothing all afternoon for well over a century. Vaulted ceilings, antique furnishings, and a spa filled with natural light set the tone inside, while the hotel's own boats offer a way out onto the water when the view from your glass of red wine stops being enough.