An Insider's Guide to Davos

pThe mere mention of Davos may compel oneandrsquo;s mind to picture nothing but the World Economic Forum that this town hosts annually. However, dig deeper and one would discover that this town may be a playground of the rich and famous by January every year, but for the rest of it, it turns into a melting pot of history and myriad experiences. Our recent visit to Davos helped us dive right into and excavate its rich history and heritage, acquainting us with this relatively quaint town, one ski slope at a time.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pStretching all the way from Rinerhorn south-west of Davos to Pischa in the north-east, at 1,560m, Davos is one of the highest known ski resorts in Europe. Together Davos Klosters (Davos and Kloster's mountain railways and ski lifts were merged and rebranded in 2003) has as many as five winter-sport areas with more than 300 km of well-groomed pistes, 140 km of prepared winter walking trails and 140 km of cross-country ski trails. While thereandrsquo;s so much in the universe about Davos as a ski resort, much about its growth as a wellness retreat, the fascination authors have for it and the rich experiences it offers have managed to stay under wraps.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pspan style="font-weight: bold;"Winding back in time:/span/p pandnbsp;/p pToday, all and sundry may wax lyrical about Davos and the World Economic Forum, but between the 1930s and 40s, the rich and well-heeled often flocked to the mountains of Davos to cure themselves of the dreaded Tuberculosis and get a break from the rather polluted air of the cities they dwelled in. Davos soon became home to a number of sanatoriums, getaways to which were duly prescribed by doctors.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emSchatzalp Hotel as a sanatorium/em/p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pBalmy sunny mornings at these sanatoriums were all about patients sitting out in the balconies on deckchairs and soaking in the sun. With time, once science found allopathic remedies for the lung disorder, these sanatoriums lost their charm as health resorts and were transformed into luxury stays, another plus Davos is known for. If youandrsquo;re visiting Davos, make sure you drop by these sanatoriums to get a taste of this slice of its history. The long corridors of these sanatoriums and cosy rooms still seem to tell fresh tales about its inhabitants. Many hotels have retained the old sinks, telephones and other relics that are sure to take you back in time./p pandnbsp;/p pOf the numerous, there are, be sure to take the Schatzalp funicular that has been running up and down the south-facing sun terrace since 1899. It will take you straight to the Hotel Schatzalp, a former sanatorium. Apart from the breathtaking views it offers, every nook and corner of the hotel have interesting stories to tell. andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emThe Schatzalp Funicular/em/p pandnbsp;/p pDavosandrsquo;s tryst with tuberculosis ended up attracting a number of authors to it, thus becoming a focal point in their careers. The narration goes straight from Thomas Mann who found his inspiration in Davos for one of his popular novels, The Magic Mountain to Robert Louis Stevenson, who surmounted his writerandrsquo;s block on a visit to Davos. It is said that Stevenson was struggling hard to bring an end to his first novel Treasure Island. However, a trip to Davos seemed to have kicked the block out of the authorandrsquo;s way, and the author finally managed to penandnbsp;the perfect end to his novel. andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pspan style="font-weight: bold;"The Way to Davos:/span/p pandnbsp;/p pIf you plan to land in Zurich, be sure to take on a 3-hour long train journey on the Rhaetian Railways from the airport to Davos. The journey may seem a tad bit tiring, but the gorgeous views pretty much make up for everything. Alternately, you can even take the daily bus that runs between Chur and Davos. andnbsp;/p pspan style="font-weight: bold;"br //span/p pspan style="font-weight: bold;"Stay:/span/p pandnbsp;/p pWhen it comes to staying, Davos has a sea of offerings; those wanting to experience the old-world charm of Davos can always check into one of the sanatoriums that have been converted into hotelsandmdash;we recommend the span style="font-weight: bold;"Waldhotel Davos/span, a 4-star retreat that was once a sanatorium. In fact, it is here that author Thomas Mannandrsquo;s ailing wife Katia was being treated. In fact, she was one of the sanatoriumandrsquo;s first patients. Thomas Mannandrsquo;s visit to this 1911 woodland hotel inspired him to pen down his novel The Magic Mountain; one of 20th-century German literatureandrsquo;s most iconic works that is set around the time Davos was popular for offering cures to lunch diseases like tuberculosis. andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emWaldhotel/em/p pAnother popular sanatorium-turned-hotel is the 100-year-old span style="font-weight: bold;"Hotel Schatzalp/span. Opened in 1900 as a luxury sanatorium, it was touted as the most advanced health resort of its time in the region. It was connected to the Swiss telephone and telegraph network and had its own post office and telegraph office in the house. Even in todayandrsquo;s day and age, it stands to be quite popular among tourists. In fact, Hotel Schatzalp is the only sanatorium that has a mention in Mannandrsquo;s novel by its real name. Even today this plateau-sanatorium is flocked by a fleet of andlsquo;Magic Mountain pilgrimsandrsquo;.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pIf the sanatoriums donandrsquo;t fascinate you enough, we do suggest you make way for span style="font-weight: bold;"InterContinental Davos/span, fondly called the golden egg of Davos, thanks to its futuristic shape. With its opulent yet modern interiors, this oneandrsquo;s a luxury property that promises the comfort of a high-flying city hotel, offering a breathtaking view of the mountains it sits amidst. All the 216 guestrooms have private balconies. So be sure to soak in the beauty of the picturesque mountain. Weandrsquo;re certain the property is bustling with whoandrsquo;s who of business when they flock to the quaint valley every January for the World Economic Forum.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emThe Golden Egg of Davos/em/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongAround andamp; About Davos:/strong/p pandnbsp;/p pOne of the things that are bound to strike the traveller in you, as it did me, is that the best way to unravel the beauty of this quaint resort village is on foot. Davos is essentially divided into Platz and Dorf (village), Dorf being the calmer of the two. andnbsp;While architecturally Davos isnandrsquo;t as rich as one would expect it to be, a few structures in the street and the mighty mountains surrounding the town strike the perfect balance for Davos. If you insist on soaking in some picturesque views, we recommend you pay a visit to Davos Monstein,andnbsp;a typical Walser village on a sunny plateau. The gorgeous chalets at the foothills of gigantic mountainsandmdash;with windows decked in flowersandmdash;create the perfect ambience a city-dweller often longs for.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emA chalet in Monstein/em/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongEating:/strong/p pandnbsp;/p pWhen it comes to food, there is a wide variety of options to choose fromandmdash;be it Wein-Restaurant Mann and Coat the Waldhouse (a wine restaurant that will connect you on different levels to Mannandrsquo;s The Magic Mountain) to Al Pino, InterContinental Davos that simply serves warm, home-cooked Italian delicacies. And between these parameters come options like Hotel Ducan and Alpenhof that stand true to what Davos really is all about. Weandrsquo;ll begin with Hotel Ducan, a cosy hotel situated in Monstein./p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emHotel Ducan/em/p pandnbsp;/p pAn old-school wooden cafe-like space, the restaurant will, with its charm, instantly transport you to the world that isnandrsquo;t in the present times. Cosy and warm, just how one would like to feel in a rather chilly Davos, the restaurant will make you feel at home almost instantly. Make sure you try their hot chocolate served in ginormous cups with cute impressions of Heidi, the fictional little, orphaned girl whose life in the Alps was weaved by Swiss author Johanna Sypri. andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pOnce youandrsquo;re done sipping on your hot chocolate, head to Alpenhof. Another cosy set up, perfect to go with the weather, youandrsquo;re bound to fall in love with the ambience and the attentive service they offer. A timber construction, right at the entrance, you are greeted with gorgeous colourful flora that sets the perfect mood for your meal. The beautifully presented servings were definitely the highlights of our experience. The eatery is ideal for large groups as well as a couple looking for a quiet and fine meal. andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongThings to Do:/strong/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongGo Skiing:/strong/p pandnbsp;/p pIf youandrsquo;re in Davos during the winter you simply cannot miss skiing. One of the worldandrsquo;s most popular ski resorts, Davos is home to as many as 300 km of well-groomed pistes to go skiing.andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongKeep Walking:/strong/p pandnbsp;/p pOne of the experiences we strongly recommend is touring the resort village on foot as much as you can. For a city-dweller like me it was a welcome change to see the visibly empty roads of Davos. Moving around in a vehicle cannot possibly match up to the experience of getting to know Davos on foot. andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongVisit the Wiesen Viaduct:/strong/p pandnbsp;/p pA single-track railway viaduct built by Henning Friedrich, the then chief engineer of the Rhaetian Railway, between 1906 and 1909, it feels strangely relaxing to walk along the separate pedestrian bridge from one end to the other. This is one spectacular creation to watch!andnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"emWiesen Viaduct/em/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongWatch a Game of Ice Hockey:/strong/p pstrongbr //strong/p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p p style="text-align: center;"spanemVaillant Arena/em/span/p pandnbsp;/p pIce hockey is seemingly a tradition in Davos. The Swiss record-holding Hockey Club Davos (HCD) is largely responsible for this. Make sure you visit the Vaillant Arena, formerly known as Davos Ice Stadium. It is the home stadium of HC Davos and the venue for the Spengler Cup. If you visit sometime between Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, you could even catch the tournament that takes place annually. andnbsp;/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongMore On andgt;andgt; a href="http://www.luxpresso.com/lifestyle/travel" target="_blank"Travel/a/strong/p

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