Instantly recognizable to Britons as the favoured winter getaway of Prince Charles, little KLOSTERS – about 9km northeast of Davos – steals quite a march on its neighbour in terms of ambience. Where Davos has traffic, bright lights, street bustle and concrete multistorey hotels, Klosters has peace and quiet, an appealing huddle of dark-wood chalets and a village atmosphere. Furthermore, Klosters is linked to Davos’s famous Parsenn ski slopes, and the two share a lift pass covering each other’s pistes and mountain transport: in choosing a base in the area, you could do worse than shun Davos altogether.

Practicalities

Klosters also has a Platz and a Dorf, with the usual division between the two: Platz is the centre of things, while 2km to the north sits the smaller, quieter Dorf. Both are on the Landquart–Davos train line, and are also linked by town buses, which are free with the resort’s Guest Card. The main tourist office is in Platz, to the right of the station (Mon–Sat 8.30am–noon & 2.30–6pm; June–Oct Sat closes 5pm; Dec–April also Sun 9–11.30am & 3.30–6.30pm; 081/410 20 20, www.klosters.ch), and there’s a branch office in Dorf, also to the right of the station (mid-June to Oct & Dec to mid-April Mon–Sat 8.30am–noon). The Platz post office (CH-7250) is opposite the station. As in Davos, almost everything is closed in the between-seasons, but unlike in Davos, the winter price hikes won’t break the bank.

The cosy HI hostelSoldanella is at Talstrasse 73, a fifteen-minute climb above Platz (081/422 13 16, fax 422 52 09), with dorms from Fr.26. The weathered-wood Sonne, Hauptstrasse 155 (081/422 13 49, fax 422 19 48), is the best low-end deal, with small and simple shared-bath rooms, some with balcony, while the Madrals, Monbielerstrasse 4 (081/422 12 78, fax 422 49 60; b), is in a slightly elevated location, all its rooms with south-facing balcony. The Chesa Grischuna, Bahnhofstrasse 12 (081/422 22 22, fax 422 22 25, chesagrischuna@bluewin.ch; e), may look like a tumbledown old chalet from the outside, but is in fact one of the liveliest and chic-est places in town. Prince Charles’s establishment of choice is the dignified Walserhof, Landstrasse 141 (081/422 42 42, fax 422 14 37; e). Moving away from Platz, the rustic, peaceful Malein, at Landstrasse 120 halfway to Dorf (081/422 10 88; a), has a handful of en-suite or shared-bath rooms, while in Dorf itself, you’ll find comfortable, peaceful rooms at the logwood-style Rätia (081/422 47 47, fax 422 47 49, hotelraetiaklosters@bluewin.ch, www.hotelraetia.ch; c).

There’s less choice for eating and drinking than in Davos. Most of the hotels listed above also have restaurants attached: the Sonne (closed Mon & Tues) is especially well thought of, with good regional menus starting from Fr.16, and the Walserhof was recently awarded two Michelin stars for the first time. The Vereina restaurant in the heart of Platz serves quality pizzas. Wynegg, Landstrasse 205 (081/422 13 40; winter only) enjoys royal patronage, serving beer and hearty meals that are surprisingly affordable; while to eat at chichi Chesa Grischuna (see above), you should book a week or so in advance and expect to lose a fistful of francs.