Winter, for those in the know, is not a season to endure, it is a season to retreat. In the world of
fashion and creativity, the end of the year signals not only reflection but strategic disappearance: a
recalibration of the senses, the mind, and the body in landscapes as deliberate as a perfectly cut
coat.
St. Moritz, Switzerland, remains the canonical Alpine refuge, but its allure is more nuanced than
chalets and pistes. Luxury here is measured in quiet mornings spent on private slopes before the
lifts open, hot espresso in hand, the snowy silence unbroken except by the occasional distant echo
of skiers. Evening rituals are intimate: a fireside aperitif in a discreet suite, followed by dinners
where menus are as meticulously composed as a runway show, pairing heritage ingredients with
subtle innovation. Those who travel here do so not to be seen, but to be wholly present. We
particularly recommend a cozy stay at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel.
St. Moritz, Switzerland: Badrutt’s Palace Hotel
St. Moritz, Switzerland: Badrutt’s Palace Hotel
Across the border, Cortina d’Ampezzo offers a softer, more contemplative winter. Italian
craftsmanship permeates every detail: from bespoke ski boots to cashmere scarves worn without
effort, to chalets curated with objects collected over generations. The landscape itself, dramatic yet
restrained, mirrors the kind of luxury that speaks through experience rather than display. Extra
points if you stay at Cristallo. It is here that designers sketch, editors write, and creatives recharge indeliberate solitude.
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy: Cristallo, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa
For a decidedly different texture, the Scottish Highlands deliver elemental winter beauty. Remote
lodges tucked amid frost-laden glens offer the kind of restorative quiet that cities cannot. Nothing
compares to a stay at The Fife Arms, Braemar. Days begin with hikes across snow-dusted
landscapes, gloves and layered knits worn as armor against the cold, and end with whisky by peat
fires, the ritual of drinking as meditative as any practice in a studio. Luxury here is a dialogue with
nature, not spectacle.
Scottish Highlands, Scotland: The Fife Arms, Braemar
In the Nordic sphere, Åre, Sweden, embodies Scandinavian restraint. Modernist lodges, discreetly
designed, frame the season’s light: short, silvered days and long, reflective nights. Guests arrive
knowing that the real indulgence is simplicity: the warmth of wool, the purity of snow, the quiet
companionship of friends and collaborators, uninterrupted. Copperhill Mountain Lodge is the best
lodging in this location. Luxury is measured in moments of clarity, not volume.
Åre, Sweden: Copperhill Mountain Lodge
Even urban escapes have their winter sanctuaries. In Vienna, a city often associated with opulence,
insiders retreat to private apartments and Baroque salons for evenings of music, reading, and
intimate gatherings. Nothing will get you into a more festive spirit than a stay at Hotel Sacher.
Christmas markets are visited sparingly, chosen for artisanal quality rather than spectacle, and
moments are curated, not consumed. Here, winter luxury is cultural and intellectual, a contrast to
the Alpine physicality of other retreats.
What unites these escapes is not scenery, altitude, or décor: it is intention. Fashion insiders travel
not for visibility but for replenishment, to emerge at the end of winter with clarity, inspiration, and
energy. Each location offers a private rhythm, a carefully composed silence in which ideas can take
shape, rituals can be renewed, and luxury is felt rather than shown.
Winter, in these places is not a pause, it is a reset. An affirmation that the most beautiful escapes are
those chosen, curated, and owned by those who know where to go and why.
Words By Fabiana Gutierrez
