Hotel Nolda

The hotel is a great base for skiing. It’s only a short walk to the signal cable car, and we could ski right down to the entrance. There’s a ski room with lockers for safely storing your gear. The town is an easy walk of about 20 minutes, and several bus stops are close by. The bus system is easy to navigate, and the price was great for this location. Our room was clean and had a decent amount of storage. There’s no spa, pool, or sauna onsite, but they do offer access to nearby offsite facilities. I’d recommend staying here for a ski trip.

We like this 3-star hotel enough that this was our second stay, and we appreciate its unusual, slightly nostalgic atmosphere. But there were several problems. The roughly 50-year-old building shows its age throughout: dated furniture, very small rooms, an unpleasant smell that often lingered in the first-floor corridor, a squeaky old wooden bed, and pillows so uncomfortable they couldn’t be replaced. There were few power outlets, and some didn’t work. The bathroom drain gurgled for minutes after use. Customer service didn’t really follow the idea that the guest is always right. We were charged CHF 27.5 for a liter of syrup prepared with mineral water, which we hadn’t asked for. That felt very expensive, even by local standards. There was a strong diesel smell in the ski room, and sometimes at reception and in our room when the windows were open. It seemed to come from a snow-clearing vehicle. The ski lockers needed Swiss 1-franc coins, making it hard to secure expensive equipment overnight. Cleaning staff could also be very loud in the hallways, sometimes shouting or playing music.

Breakfast was a real highlight, with fresh cheese and yogurt on a well-stocked buffet. Dinner was good too, with generous portions. Prices were high, but in line with Swiss standards, around €19-20 for a pasta dish. Hotel Nolda is just outside St. Moritz, with lovely mountain views and the alpine architecture you’d expect there. Check-in and checkout were quick and easy, and staff were welcoming, helpful, and impressively fluent in Italian, German, and English. Wi-Fi worked perfectly everywhere. The main drawback was the small room and lack of basics: there was only one plug, no bathrobe, and no simple kits like slippers or dental sets. Still, it was a great stay for the service and food.

The only thing going for Hotel Nolda is its location. Outside the hotel, everything was dirty and full of trash, with a horrible smell. Inside, the rooms were tiny, cleanliness was questionable, and the bathroom was so cramped you could shower sitting on the toilet. At St. Moritz prices, it felt like a scam. Outdated, uncomfortable, terrible, and not worth a single franc. I wouldn’t stay here again even if it were free.