Because it is among the sunniest, friendliest and most relaxed resorts in the Swiss Alps — a mountain village at 1,800 metres, ringed by peaks and reached by a beautiful scenic railway, that puts nature and family ease ahead of glamour. In winter it offers 225 kilometres of linked ski slopes with Lenzerheide; in summer, 200 kilometres of hiking, two swimming lakes and the moving Bärenland bear refuge. Quieter and greener than the big-name resorts, and a genuine two-season destination, it suits anyone who wants their Alps with calm and a conscience.

Arosa or St Moritz — which should I choose?

It depends what you want from the Alps. St Moritz is the glamour — the grand hotels, the designer shops, the see-and-be-seen winter scene; Arosa is its quieter, greener, more family-minded opposite, sunnier and far less expensive, with a stronger summer and an easy-going, nature-first character. Both sit in Graubünden and both ski well. For status and nightlife, St Moritz; for calm, value, fresh air and a clear conscience, Arosa — and the scenic railway in is part of the appeal.

Is Arosa good for skiing?

Yes — and especially for families and intermediates. Linked with Lenzerheide, the Arosa Lenzerheide area offers around 225 kilometres of well-groomed slopes rising to the 2,653-metre Weisshorn, in a sheltered, sunny setting with reliable snow. It is less crowded and less expensive than the marquee resorts, with good ski schools and gentle terrain alongside enough challenge for stronger skiers. Many hotels sit close to the pistes, and from the right one you can ski almost to the door.

What is there to do in Arosa in summer?

A great deal — summer may be its finest season. Walkers have around 200 kilometres of marked trails, including the Ten Lakes route past clear mountain tarns and the high path down the Schanfigg valley to Chur; cyclists have 700 kilometres of biking routes. The twin lakes, Obersee and Untersee, are good for swimming and boating; there is Europe's highest golf course; and the Bärenland bear refuge and the hand-feeding Squirrel Trail are family highlights. At altitude and in the sun, it is a cool, active mountain escape.

Boutique Hotels in Arosa, Switzerland

Where to go and what to do in Arosa

In winter, Arosa is a ski resort with a quiet confidence. Its slopes are linked with neighbouring Lenzerheide to make one of the largest ski areas in Graubünden — some 225 kilometres of pistes — rising to the Weisshorn at 2,653 metres, with the bonus that you can often ski back to the village, and even to the door of the right hotel. Sheltered and famously sunny, it suits families and intermediates as much as hard chargers, and the marked winter walking and snowshoe trails give non-skiers the run of the mountains too. The Weisshorn cable car lifts you to the summit and its panoramas, a fine outing whether or not you ski.

Come summer, the snow gives way to one of the loveliest walking regions in the eastern Alps: around 200 kilometres of marked trails, including the much-loved Ten Lakes hike past a string of clear mountain tarns, and the high path down the Schanfigg valley to Chur. There are 700 kilometres of mountain-biking routes, the twin lakes of the Obersee and Untersee for a cold swim or a row, and Europe's highest eighteen-hole golf course for the curious. But the resort's most surprising and most moving attraction is the Arosa Bärenland, the bear refuge reached by the Weisshorn cable car: a forest home for brown bears rescued from cramped captivity across eastern Europe, with viewing platforms and a conservation story you can see at work. Families should also seek out the Squirrel Trail, the Eichhörnliweg, where the local red squirrels will feed from your hand.

For where to stay, the club's choice in Arosa is the Valsana, a fossil-fuel-free lifestyle hotel on the Obersee lake — run on geothermal energy and a pioneering ice battery, with an 800-square-metre spa and eclectic, design-led interiors. Its quiet conscience and year-round, summer-and-winter spirit suit Arosa exactly.