Hotel Review: Kulm Hotel post disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to products I love! If you choose to click a link and buy something, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you!

Mountain View from Kulm Hotel Lobby

Visiting the Swiss Alps had been on my bucket list forever! I just couldn’t get images of snowy mountains and adorable little villages and sipping tea by a roaring fire out of my head!

So when my friends and I booked a river cruise starting in Germany last December, I knew I had to add it to the itinerary!

Why did I choose the Kulm Hotel?

View of Kulm Hotel in Winter

When I started researching this trip, I knew I wanted to be right in the Alps, not close by or at the edge or able to see them from a distance! I needed to be right in the middle of them! So I started looking for places that met those criteria!

Eventually, we needed to end up in Regensburg, Germany, which is in south-central Germany. We wanted to be as far north-east in Switzerland as we could get.

After some Pinterest research, I narrowed the choices down to Lucerne and St. Moritz. Since St. Moritz is more of a mountain town, we went with it!

Once I started researching where to stay in St. Moritz, the Kulm Hotel just kept popping up! All the travel bloggers and influencers seemed to have been there. It looked luxurious and historical, and I had to see it for myself!

Kulm Hotel Overview

Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

The Kulm Hotel is definitely a luxury hotel! It is a 5-star establishment, after all! The service is unbelievable, and every single room and space is decadent and gorgeous. It’s the fanciest hotel I’ve ever stayed in!

During the holidays, the hotel transforms into a holiday dream! From the Christmas lights and decorations outside the hotel to the over-the-top decorations inside, every inch of the hotel feels like a real life Christmas card!

The hotel is surrounded by the beautiful Swiss Alps and Lake St. Moritz in the Engadine. At 1,856 m above sea level, the views don’t even seem real!

The hotel is tucked into the mountain town of St. Moritz–one of the most famous resort towns in the world! St. Moritz has the feel of an adorable mountain village…that has been taken over by millionaires!

The town has that Swiss charm you want while being incredibly upscale. It’s full of designer shopping, upscale restaurants, and fabulous hotels. (I’ve never seen that many pairs of expensive snow boots in one place!)

The Kulm Hotel isn’t just luxurious, though! It’s also brimming with 160 years of history. It’s said to be the birthplace of winter travel! And the first Winter Olympics was staged here in 1928!

Pro tip: Pick the view you want when booking! Some rooms look over the town, and some look over the mountains.

Kulm Hotel Christmas Decorations

What the hotel has to offer:

  • seven restaurants (One has a Michelin star!)
  • five bars (Don’t miss tea time in the Lobby Bar or live music in the Altitude Bar!)
  • the famous (2000 square meter!) Kulm Spa
  • fitness center and group classes
  • legendary service and hospitality
  • winter activities: ice skating, winter hiking, sledding, skiing, curling, carriage rides, horseback riding, snowmobiles
  • very different summer and winter seasons
  • access to first-class shopping

Pro Tip: The hotel has different wings, and the decorations vary. Ask for the one you like! 

Pro tip: We arrived at the Kulm Hotel on December 11th at the very start of the winter season. Some of the restaurants weren’t open yet, and the natural ice rink wasn’t frozen yet. Check opening dates before you go! (But arriving early meant it wasn’t crowded, and we felt as if we had the entire place to ourselves!) 

Getting There

Pro tip: If any leg of your flight is with a European airline, check to make sure your carry-on is sized for International travel! The rules aren’t the same there!

Snowy Road in Swiss Alps

Pro tip: Rent your car ahead so you’ll be sure it will be waiting for you when you land! Sometimes, you can get a deal if you bundle it with your flight!

Our Flight

We jumped on our flight in Little Rock, Arkansas early in the morning and landed in Zurich the next morning at 6:00 am. Zurich is the closest airport to St. Moritz. The drive takes about 3 hours. I linked some long flight products below! I love the Vera Bradley travel blanket/pillow!

Pro tip: If you fly out of Little Rock, stay in the Holiday Inn Express Airport! It isn’t the Kulm, but it’s comfortable! Most importantly, it has a park and fly program. If you stay the night, you can park for a flat rate of $30- $40 with no time limit! That can mean huge savings over parking at the airport for a long trip! They shuttle you to the airport at any time! Check and see if there’s one at your airport! (And there’s free breakfast! Anyone secretly love those little cinnamon rolls?)

Renting the Car

Once we landed and had our bags, we grabbed a coffee and a couple of those cute little man pastries in the gallery below. Then we picked up our pre-rented car! We got a cute Volkswagon! (After a small upgrade to a bigger car to hold all our luggage…) We got a sticker at the car desk allowing us to drive through Austria since we knew we would need it later.

Pro tip: Check with the car rental desk before you leave to make sure you have everything you need to drive between countries if you plan on leaving Switzerland!

The Drive

We followed our car’s navigation to the hotel. I was nervous about renting a car because I’d never driven in Europe! But my friend Amanda was brave and got us there! The trip wasn’t bad, and the street signs were easy to interpret! 

When we got to the mountains, it started to snow, but the roads were well maintained. Seeing workers on the side of the road shoveling snow and the little road markers to show where the road would be if it wasn’t covered in a foot of snow was pretty weird for this Arkansas girl!

In hindsight, studying some Swiss road signs and our route might have been smart before we set out!

Arriving at the Hotel

Before we could reach the doors of the hotel, our bags and car had already been whisked away! We walked in and gaped at the grand lobby for just a moment before the concierge walked us to the check-in desk.

We knew we were too early to check-in, so we asked to have our bags stored. Instead, the attendant walked us to the Lobby Bar and settled us in by the fire with a cold bottle of water and a warm, scented towel each! After 24 hours of travel, we were in heaven!

We made it to our rooms in just a few minutes where we found more water waiting for us along with a plate of fruit and fresh flowers!

 Then we crashed for a long nap before tea time in the Lobby Bar!

Pro tip: Rent a car with 4-wheel drive in case you hit some snow or ice and with navigation if you aren’t getting an International cell plan! And make sure it’s big enough to fit all your luggage!

General Tips for International Travel:

  • If you’re renting a car, always bring your driver’s license and a a copy of your insurance.
  • Bring extra medication. Medications vary per country and can be hard to replace.
  • Always keep essentials like medications, identification, and credit cards on your person while flying. Then lock them in your hotel safe as soon as you arrive.
  • Call your bank ahead to let them know you’re traveling so they won’t cancel your credit cards.
  • Bring two ways to pay and keep them in separate locations. Lock one in your safe, and keep one on your person.
  • Invest in a secure travel bag. (I LOVE my Arden Cove bag!) 
  • Pack a copy of your passport in your bag. Take the copy with you if you have to have your passport replaced.       `

Our Room

Kulm Hotel View from Room

Room

Our room was beautiful! Our view of the town was amazing. We loved to throw our massive windows open to watch the snow!

The plaid carpet, wood paneling, and heavy textiles gave it a modern but timeless winter chalet feel!

We kept our coats in the wood-lined coat closet, and one wall was full of huge, built-in wardrobes. So we had plenty of room for our luggage! (There was a lot of it!)

We had a king bed and a sitting area with a couch.

The bathroom was wood-paneled with black marble. It had a separate toilet room and a huge shower and separate bathtub.

My favorite part was the fluffy towels that housekeeping hung on our towel warmers every day!

Service

Housekeeping kept our room stocked with water bottles (still and sparkling, of course!), fresh fruit, and fresh flowers all day!

Housekeeping came every morning when we were at breakfast to open our curtains and make our bed. Since we had a third person in our room, they also put our couch and seating arrangement back together for the day.

And they left the morning papers!

In the afternoon, they refreshed our fruit stash and straightened the room.

Every night they snuck in while we were at dinner to make the couch bed and turn back the bed. But they didn’t stop there! They left fresh water on the nightstands, turned on the towel warmers, and shut the curtains! They even picked up our mess from the day! And if you picked a pillow from the “pillow menu,” they delivered it as well!

After the first night, I decided that I lived at the Kulm! I’ve never felt more pampered! I don’t know how many times I said, “I live here now!” during our stay!

The Spa

Outdoor Pool Kulm Hotel Spa

Pro tip: It’s totally acceptable to walk from your room to the spa in your robe and slippers!

This spa, though! 

I had seen all the Instagram pictures of the pool and read about how big the spa is, but IT IS BIG! Sure the snow and mountains and winter fun are great, but this spa is a whole destination!

When you walk into the spa (in your slippers and robe!), you’ll probably forget to make your appointment at the front desk, because you can see the massive indoor pool below you! The pool looks magical with its lights!

Kulm Hotel Indoor Pool Spa

Indoor Pool

Once you finally make it down the stairs to that lovely pool, you’ll probably forget to get in. Because you’ll see the wall of glass looking out over the lake and mountains! This has to be the best view from a pool in the entire world! 

There’s also a hot tub in there with the same view!

Of course, I stopped to inspect the snacks! The spa always provides hot tea, infused water, nuts, and dried fruit. And sometimes you’ll find fun treats like juice shots!

Outdoor Pool

The indoor pool does have underwater music, but it isn’t the only showstopper! The outdoor pool is fabulous too! You walk down the steps into the heated outdoor pool from the warm indoor pool area before ever opening the door to the outside. You never have to get cold at all! 

Swimming in the outdoor pool is incredible! The air around you is freezing, and sometimes full of snow, but the water is warm and comfortable. You can sink your hands in the deep snow without ever leaving the water. And of course, there’s that view again! 

(Don’t forget to push all the buttons around the pool for fun jets, lights, and bubbles!)

Kulm Hotel Spa View

Spa Areas 

Once you get past the pools, there’s still more spa! There are aromatherapy saunas, humid saunas, dry saunas, a salt grotto, and more!

One of my favorites was the relaxation room with warm waterbeds, a fireplace, and a view!

Most of the spa requires swimsuits and is co-ed, but there’s a women’s nude area with its own showers, sauna, and a room full of comfy loungers with a view. And then there’s a co-ed nude area with its own saunas and showers.

Spa Area Breakdown

Let me just list all of them for you!

  • welcome area (with reservation desk and shop)
  • indoor pool
  • indoor hot tub
  • outdoor pool
  • outdoor whirlpool
  • children’s pool
  • saltwater grotto
  • steam baths (swimsuit and nude areas)
  • Finnish sauna
  • Bio-sauna for women with essential oil
  • infrared sauna
  • Kneipp footbath (walk through cold and hot pools)
  • relaxation room with waterbeds
  • treatment suites with lounge area
  • private spa suites
  • hair salon
  • fitness center
  • group fitness class area
  • personal training area
  • locker rooms

My Treatment

I went with a full body massage for my spa treatment! It was heavenly! (Although, I did fall asleep because JET LAG!) If you’re looking for something else, there’s a giant treatment menu! After my treatment, I loved relaxing with my friends in the lounge area with a warm tea, a magazine, and a mixed nut and date snack! The lounge area looks over the pool! 

Two Americans with Absolutely No Clothes On

My friend Kaley and I actually experienced the co-ed nude area! They host aromatherapy sessions in the larger sauna in that area, and I had to go!

We showed up in our swimsuits–as Americans do. (It was worth a try!) Of course, the spa attendant told us you had to be nude to enter…but we could keep our towels.

I glanced at Kaley. She rolled her eyes but headed toward the changing rooms. In the end, we stripped! But we kept our towels…

When we entered the sauna, we quickly realized a couple of things. 1. We only saw one other woman. 2. No one else was using their towel for anything other than a seat cover.

Aromatherapy Session

We found out the aromatherapy session consisted of the attendant putting balls of snow filled with essential oils on the hot coals. She then waved a towel over the steam to spread it around the room in time to instrumental One Direction music.

I loved it! It smelled great! One Direction is my jam! I was having a unique experience! 

But then I had to leave after about 1 minute because I thought I might actually die of heat exhaustion! (Not really.)

It was all okay, though! After the session was over, I followed the attendant outside and rolled around in the snow for a while!

Pro tip: Ask for a massage room with a view!

Kulm Hotel Food

Kulm Hotel Dinner Swiss Cheese

Pro tip: You can book a “Room and Board” package that includes your room plus breakfast and dinner for a more all-inclusive experience!

Kulm has a ton of fun food options–from pizza to a restaurant at the bobsled run to a restaurant with a Michelin star!

We only had 2 nights, so we ended up going with the Room and Board package and eating in the Grand Restaurant for dinner both nights and both mornings! (You can use the package at other restaurants, but they weren’t open yet when we were there.)

The Grand Restaurant is such a fun experience! 

Kulm Hotel Breakfast

Breakfast

This was a fabulous breakfast!

Breakfast in the Grand Restaurant is more casual than dinner but still the fanciest breakfast I’ve ever seen! 

People did wear casual clothes, though. We just went dressed in our leggings and sweaters for the day.

Drinks

When you sit down, the waiters will bring you fresh-squeezed juice, coffee, and specialty coffee drinks. The first day I got plain coffee because I was tired after that flight. But, y’all. The creamer was warm! We also tried out capuccinos and lattes and everything was great!

They’ll even bring you the morning paper, but who has time to read with food waiting!

Buffet

After the drinks, breakfast is a buffet, and you’re on your own! Unless you want eggs made to order!

I wanted some Swiss cheese while in Switzerland, and the Kulm Hotel delivered! There was a whole drawer of local cheese available every morning. 

The breakfast spread was huge. They had everything from European favorites like beans and mushrooms to a yogurt bar with any topping you could want. There were even some American favorites like cereal and pancakes! 

My personal favorite station was the make your own mimosa bar with fresh juices! And I loved the whole honeycomb! Don’t worry, though, if you don’t want to mess with the comb they have tiny jars of local honey too!

Kulm Hotel Dinner

Dinner

Dinner was a fancy affair! It lasted for hours and included six courses! Everything was incredibly elegant from the intricate place settings to the dim lighting in the ballroom to the gloved waiters! (I mean, they bring your purse a seat!)

Dresscode

The dresscode said “elegant wardrobe” so my friends and I decided that meant the sparkliest dresses we could find! Looking around the dining room, I think you could get away with a simpler dress for sure! I even saw a lot of ladies in pantsuits.

As for us, we just had to sparkle.

Courses

The first course was soup, rolled out in a toureen and served tableside. Then came a salad bar. But this wasn’t the Western Sizzlin, y’all! Your waiter accompanied you to the bar and made your plate for you.

Then we had an appetizer. My favorite was a lightly battered seafood platter.

On the first night, we chose beef filet for our main course. The second night my friend Amanda had local venison, and it was incredible! The waiters actually brought it out and carved it in front of her!

Then comes the cheese trolly full of Swiss cheeses and a few French cheeses! And of course, honey, mustards, fruit, and crackers come out as well!

The first night the waiter asked what we wanted to try, and Kaley just said, “All of them.” I loved that they made sure you got all the right accompaniments to make the best bite of cheese!

The last course was, of course, dessert! The first night we had ice cream covered with a marzipan and hazelnut mixture. Yum! The next night we had molten chocolate cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream. The server suggested a side of ice cream, and it came out in an adorable silver bowl!

Then you got Turkish Delight and chocolate covered hazelnuts with the check! 

We liked to stop by the Altitude Bar next door for after dinner drinks and live music before bed!

Pro tip: Specialty coffee is included with breakfast. Make-your-own mimosas are included with breakfast. Alcoholic beverages are NOT included with dinner.

Tea in the Lobby Bar

kulm hotel high tea

Our first day we slept through lunch but woke up just in time for tea in the Lobby Bar! 

This was actually one of my favorite things we did at the hotel! The fire was roaring and we watched the sun go down from our window! Ask for a seat by the window if it’s available!

Pro Tip: Share the tea food spread, but get a whole pot of tea for yourself!

Winter Activities

Greeting Horses Before Carriage Ride

We really only had time for one winter activity during our stay. You can ice skate, ride horses, curl, ski, hike, and more! 

We chose a horse drawn carriage ride, and I’m so glad we did! Riding around in a carriage in the Swiss Alps has to be a once in a lifetime experience! There were actually jingle bells!

Our driver let us greet the sweet horses before we left, and our concierge packed us a bottle of wine for the ride! I think the wine really made Amanda’s ride!

I worried about being cold, but the seats are lined in sheepskin and you sit under a huge sheepskin blanket, so it wasn’t cold at all!

The carriage was actually a great way to see St. Moritz quickly. We road through town, then into the forrest, then around the frozen lake, then we caught an amazing view of St. Moritz on our way into town.

I had never seen so much snow! I got the best pictures of the trip during the ride!

Pro tip: Don’t forget your sunglasses! St. Moritz is cold and snowy, but it’s famous for its year-round sun!

People always ask me what my favorite thing I did in a location was. This was it in St. Moritz!

Carriage Ride in Swiss Alps

Pro tip: The concierges at the hotel are amazing! Want to book a winter activity or any experience? Just ask! Want a picnic or bottle of wine for the ride? Just ask! They can make anything happen!

What to do in St. Moritz

St. Moritz Swiss Alps

On our first day, we napped, went to tea, explored the hotel, and went to dinner. We didn’t even make it out of the hotel!

On the second day, we knew it was time to explore the town! We ate breakfast at the hotel then set out because we had to be back for our carriage ride at 2 pm!

We explored the town with no real agenda, loving walking around while it snowed!

St. Moritz is full of designer shops! We’re talking Bvlgari, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana! We wandered in and out of shops and had a great time window shopping. Most of the stores had adorable Christmas displays in their windows!

We also stopped by Badrutt’s Palace Hotel to check out the Christmas decorations. It’s another of St. Moritz’s historic hotels!

Swiss Chocolate

Swiss Chocolate Shop

Of course, we had to stop and buy Swiss chocolate!

We wandered into Hanselmann Cafe when its Christmas displays caught our eye! We left with bagfuls of Christmas chocolate to take home for gifts and some treats for ourselves!

Having tea at the cafe is an apres-ski ritual in St. Mortiz, and it’s been around since the 1800s!

Swiss Chocolate

What to Wear: Resort

Kulm Hotel Christmas

Around the Resort

We saw people wandering around the hotel in all kinds of clothing–from robes and slippers on their way to the spa to elegant dresses at dinner!

Breakfast was casual with people dressed to head out to ski or sightsee around town. We went in our leggings and walking shoes and didn’t feel out of place.

Most people hanging out in the lobby bar for drinks or tea seemed to stick to resort casual. I didn’t feel out of place in a nice sweater and my velvet leggings. We saw lots of apres-ski sweaters!

All of the restaurants have a dress code ranging from casual to elegant wardrobe. Just make sure you check the website before you pack!

Elegant Wardrobe

So what in the world is elegant wardrobe?! 

Honestly, I still don’t know! 

After some Googling, I found out that it’s formal, but not black tie. It’s flexible, so you can wear a long or short dress. Men must wear a suit.

Of course, we interpreted elegant wardrobe as “find a dress as sparkly as possible.” And we had a lot of fun in our sparkly dresses! Were we the sparkliest ones in the room? Yes. Did we care? No!

Outfits in the room varied from simple pantsuits to our sparkles! I think you should just have fun with it!

Kulm Hotel Grand Staircase

What to Wear: Winter Gear

St. Moritz in Winter

Winter Gear

I’m not going to lie. Pretty much everything you see in the picture above was new. This Arkansas girl was not prepared for the frozen Alps and had to SHOP!

    What I learned about winter wear:

    • dress in layers (If you get wet, you can pull off the damp layer. If you get hot, you can pull off top layers.)
    • buy wool gear (It dries quickly, keeps you warm or cool, wicks moisture, and doesn’t get smelly if you wear it over and over!)
    • look for winter boots that are insulated, have a good walking insole, and are waterproof
    • pack polarized sunglasses (That snow is bright!)
    • make sure your coat is waterproof or pack a rain jacket
    • wool clothing will have a number rating, a bigger number means warmer and thicker
    Pro tip: Don’t forget your sunscreen! You can still burn!

    What I wore, head to toe!

    • Smartwool hat, mittens, and scarf (I loved the mittens because they opened to fingerless gloves! I’ve had tech gloves before, but they just didn’t work as well!) 
    • polarized Ray-Ban sunglasses
    • Smartwool long-sleeved tee (under my sweater)
    • cute sweater from Main Attire in Batesville, AR
    • long Columbia coat
    • long Eddie Bauer raincoat (not pictured)
    • Smartwool base layer leggings
    • insulated Eddie Bauer leggings (over Smartwool pair)
    • Smartwool ski socks (I like socks with a bit of cushion and compression for travel.)
    • Sorrel snow boots (SO COMFY and LIGHT!) from Dillard’s
    • Arden Cove travel bag (waterproof, slash-proof, converts to a shoulder bag, locking zippers)
    After a lot of research and testing, I was totally pleased with my clothing and shoe choices! Here are some similar styles!
    Swiss Alps Sledding

    My Arden Cove Travel Bag

    I LOVE this bag! It was an investment, but worth it in the end!

    It’s slash-proof and has locking zippers. Depending on where you are, pick-pockets can be a huge problem. Losing your credit card or cash can be an inconvenience. Losing your passport can take a day out of your trip if you have to travel to a US embassy to replace it. Knowing that you have that extra protection can be a huge relief!

    It’s waterproof! You never know when you’ll end up soaked in a rainstorm, and this bag will keep your camera and phone and passport dry!

    It has a handy built-in wallet and phone holder to keep you organized.

    It converts to a shoulder/crossbody bag. Even with all the safety measures, you sometimes just want to see your bag in a crowd!

    It’s ADORABLE! A lot of travel bags are just a little ugly. But this one isn’t!

    It’s a backpack! I love being handsfree when I travel to read maps and take pictures. You can stash snacks, purchases, and jackets in a larger bag too! And it’s easier on your shoulders!

    So what's the final verdict on the Kulm Hotel?

    Kulm Hotel Christmas Decorations

    Well, y’all. The Kulm Hotel, tucked into the town of St. Moritz right in the middle of the Swiss Alps, is magical. Seriously. Magical.

    As soon as you see St. Moritz, you’ll think you’re inside a snow globe. When you walk inside the Kulm Hotel, you’ll think you’re inside a Christmas card. And there is so much snow!

    I really don’t know how you could visit St. Moritz and not be in total awe of the beauty of the Swiss Alps. I wonder if a bad hotel stay could even ruin the visit? But the Kulm Hotel manages to make the magic even more…magical.

    The hotel’s views don’t even seem real, showcasing the beauty of the surroundings. The resort manages to embrace everything the mountains have to offer–winter sports, unforgettable winter experiences, and amazing Swiss food. And the friendly staff and unbelievable service make you feel right at home.

    If you ever get the chance to stay, take it!

    As for me, I’m dreaming of returning. And I just had to add a summer season stay to my bucket list!

    Winter Carriage Ride Around Frozen Lake

    Want to read more?

    • Check out some more travel posts!
    • Love cool hotels? Read about the awesome TWA Hotel!
    • Find a fun article on my Pinterest travel board!
    • Want a change of pace? Check out a different category on my blog!

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    Some Helpful Links:

    • Kulm Hotel Website (Just book your visit now!)
    • U by Uniworld River Cruise Website (This was our cruise company!)
    • This blog post was super helpful when deciding where to stay in St. Moritz and what to do there!
    • I checked out this post when deciding where to stay in St. Moritz.
    • This post helped me decide what to pack for winter travel. (Really cold weather and snow isn’t something we’re that used to down here in Arkansas!)

    2 Comments

    Callie · June 14, 2020 at 9:44 am

    I love all of your helpful details and gorgeous pics. Now I need to stay there too 😭

      mholifield09 · June 14, 2020 at 10:56 am

      Let’s go! They have outdoor yoga in the summer!!!

    Comments are closed.