Nira Alpina

If a hotel in Surlej, Switzerland wanted to indulge its quaint side, all the ingredients are in place: the alpine village is nestled in the picturesque Engadin Valley, offering an unobstructed view down the mountain pass to Lake Silvaplana. Here, the sun is shining almost every day of the year, the climate is dry and pleasant, and hardy pleasure-seekers put skis to slopes in winter and bikes to trails in summer. Thankfully, Nira Alpina eschews chalet kitsch in favor of modern construction defined by glass and locally sourced timber. After all, Surlej is just a few minutes’ drive from St. Moritz, the next lake up the road — presumably its visitors are no strangers to contemporary architecture and design.

The five-story structure is appealingly low-slung, and its seventy guest rooms have all been designed in service of the mighty views helpfully provided by the valley. Each room boasts its own terrace or balcony, and the abundance of floor-to-ceiling windows ensure that you’re never far from the panorama. Clean-lined furniture and a preponderance of blond wood chase away any lingering folksiness from the village, while deep baths and waterfall showers make each bathroom a sleek yet welcoming haven. There isn’t a whole lot of aesthetic variation between the rooms, but the junior suites practically double the living space.

While one of Nira Alpina’s three restaurants is all about cheese, fondue and regional beers served among vintage local décor, the rest of the public spaces feel curiously urban-inspired. At the rooftop bar, guests snack on Asian fusion dishes around the glass cube of a fireplace. The same goes for the spa, which makes elements like an underwater relaxation bed and color-changing fountain feel like après-ski classics.

How to get there: Nira Alpina is 2 hours and 30 minutes away by car from Zurich.