Balanced like an eagle’s nest atop a forested reserve, 500 metres above Lake Lucerne, the 60-hectare Bürgenstock Resort presides over glass-like vistas, cow-filled meadows and serrated Alpine horizons. There’s road access and a car park, but the best way to arrive is by high-speed catamaran from Lucerne, then funicular train up to the resort. The high-speed catamaran cuts the journey time from Lucerne to only 30 minutes.
From its origins in 1873 to the Fifties and Sixties, when Hollywood stars such as Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn lived here, the Bürgenstock Resort has quite a long and deep heritage. Its image following a nine-year, 500 million Swiss Francs renovation is fittingly spectacular. An architectural collage of four hotels melds 19th-century grandeur with ultra-modern design.
The 10-storey cube-shaped Bürgenstock Hotel cuts a striking contrast beside the Belle Époque Palace Hotel – although the two share a polished lobby with colossal windows. More discreet properties are the larch lattice-clad Waldhotel and chalet-style Taverne 1879. A network of broad panoramic terraces gives the impression the resort is suspended in mid-air.
The resort’s 8 restaurants, lounges and bars, open year-round, encompass Asian specialities, hearty Swiss offerings and ‘clean’ menus free from animal fats and salt. Enjoy French fine dining at RitzCoffier, which has Renaissance-style marbleised pillars and features 3 Michelin Stars. Also worth a taste is Oriental restaurant Sharq, located in a cube clinging to the mountainside. Not to forget the beautiful “Lakeview Lounge” overlooking the stunning alpine view, the lake and the city of Lucerne. Finally, there’s Spices restaurant, a Pan-Asian venue with grand-views and the Oak Grill which has a classy steakhouse atmosphere. All meals during my stay were delicious; and were cooked with the freshest ingredients.
I stayed at the Palace Hotel and my room was spacious, offering the newest state-of-the-art fittings in a contemporary design. There was a Nespresso coffeemaker, a kettle, free soft drinks and beer in the minibar and many other amenities. The bathroom offered a spacious shower, a separate toilet with closomat, Bulgari amenities and a towel heater.
The hotel also features the 15,000 sq.m. Alpine Spa which is a an attraction in its own right. A large variety of treatment programs are available and both the indoor and outdoor pools offer above-the-clouds views. The Alpine Spa is simply beautiful and complementary access is included in most room rates. (Attention: not all room rates include complementary access to the Spa, check the website carefully not to get any bad surprises. The Spa alone charges about 90 CHF for day-use access.)
The Bürgenstock Resort was voted as Switzerland’s Number 1 hotel in 2018 and I truly enjoyed my stay. I was there during December and there was so much to see and to do. Be sure to allow enough time for a visit. All the hotel staff I met were super courteous and helpful. Everyone was professional, friendly and always open for a chat.
SWISSTRAVELMANAGER 