Park Hotel, Lake Lucerne, Vitznau
Room type: Lake Residence
Setting: Fantastic. Vitznau is a village on the north shore of Lake Lucerne, around 30-40 minutes from Lucerne or 45-60 minutes from Zurich. The Park Hotel is located right at the lake, with a 180° view of the lake and the mountains on the opposite shore. There is sun all day long, and nice sunsets in the evening.
The Park Hotel is housed in a historical building from 1901 but the interior was completely redone in a contemporary style in 2013 The hotel is owned by Austrian investor Peter Pühringer, whose family office is located on the top floor of the building.
There is a terrace and very nice gardens leading to the lakeshore. There is also a boat dock, and a swimming platform with a waterslide inside the lake. One slightly cheesy feature: A large bronze sculpture of a bull and a bear, constantly turning.
Room: We stayed in a Lake Residence. There are in total 47 rooms. Each room is differently designed and named. Our room was the “Winner’s suite” – each floor has a theme, and we were on the “Finance” floor. The suite was stunning. There was a lake view to two sides, as well as two lakeside balconies. Sitting on the balcony watching the sunset was nice.
Inside the suite, there was a living room with a chesterfield sofa, armchairs, and a small kitchenette, a bedroom with a desk, and a partially open plan bathroom in a contemporary design with a freestanding tub and Antonio Lupi fixtures. Overall very comfortable.
In terms of room selection, there is quite a price premium for lake view (e.g., lake view junior suites are substantially pricier than mountain view suites), but a lake view is an absolute must at this place, I feel.
Food: Fantastic. There is a two-star Michelin restaurant on site, a one-star Michelin restaurant, and an outdoor restaurant on the terrace directly at the lakeshore. Very impressive for a place with less than 50 rooms.
We tried the one-star Michelin restaurant (Prisma), and were extremely happy. The setting is very nice, on a shaded terrace facing the lake. Cuisine has an emphasis on natural dishes with regional ingredients, such as fish from the lake. The chef was flexible to change the preparation of some dishes to accommodate our food preferences, and the staff was very kind to our young child, so this is not at all a stuffy place, just excellent food in a relaxed setting.
We also tried the lakeside restaurant, where the emphasis is on grilled meat and fish. Much simpler cuisine, but well prepared. Great selection of desserts on display.
There is also an extremely extensive wine list, with many rare varieties, such as magnums of Chateau Petrus from different vintages.
Breakfast is a combination of à-la-carte and buffet, with a bread basket, cheese and meat platter brought to the table. Excellent pastries, juices, fruit.
Pool/Spa: The pool is a real highlight. It is an indoor/outdoor infinity type pool, with a view of the lake. There is also an additional hot outdoor pool. The spa is done in a sleek modern design with a large saltwater aquarium.
Service: Excellent from start to finish, and very personal. Staff always knew what we were up to. Very nice welcome amenity with macarons and fruit and fresh flowers. And a great upgrade from a deluxe junior suite to a lake residence.
Overall: Our stay was excellent from start to finish – great location, great room product, great food, great pool, great service. The hotel is pricey even for Swiss standards (CHF 1,700 for a Deluxe Junior Suite for our dates), but after having experienced it, I would say its justified: low room count, high staff-to-guest ratio, very high quality build and upkeep. Will be glad to return.