Room 609, Badrutt's Palace Hotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland; 41-81-837-10-00; badruttspalace.com. There are 165 rooms; doubles range from $365 to $1,747. Room 609 is $1,737.

The majestic, snow-dusted swiss alps dominate the floor-to-ceiling view from your balcony at Badrutt's Palace Hotel, which just opened this month for the winter season and is the center of the Engadine Valley's glitziest après-ski action. During the last weekend in January, you'll also witness a curious scene on the frozen surface of the Lake of St. Moritz, when some of the best international polo players compete in the Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow. The storied 110-year-old hotel is a front-and-center vantage point for the four-day event, and should you want to test the ice yourself, the staff can have you galloping across the lake on pony-drawn sleds throughout the season. Chances are good that the weather conditions will be favorable, since St. Moritz averages 322 days of sunshine a year.