When does a ski trip become a winter escape? At the newly opened, 70-room Nira Alpina in Silvaplana, Switzerland, it's the moment you arrive at the firelit lounge, sink into a comfy cowhide sofa--hot toddy in hand, of course--and watch the Alpenglow fade through panoramic windows.

Interiors are all restrained Swissness, full of natural materials such as spruce, suede, and granite. As the area's only ski-in/ski-out retreat, Nira Alpina provides powderhounds easy access to the 75 miles of pistes via a private glassed-in walkway to the Corvatsch cable car. And with private terraces and walls of windows, even lodge lizards can enjoy the great outdoors while waiting for their spa appointment.

Photo: Courtesy Design Hotels

Stay at this funky new chalet in the Swiss Alps and you might not even bother putting on your snow boots.

Opening this coming season in the village of Saas-Fee (near the Hannig lift station, if you do decide to venture out), Chalet Chloe is a three-floor property with four double bedrooms and a bunk room for kids. This place has the wood paneling and kick-ass views we love about traditional Swiss chalets, but it's the cool lighting, rotating fireplace, and buttery leather sofas that will make it impossible to extract yourself, especially after a couple of mugs of Glühwein. The huge sundeck and sauna don't hurt, either.

Suddenly the great outdoors doesn't seem so great.

Photo: Joe Condron