gegarrenton

Hi all, I trolled through the thread a bit, and it seems most of the comments and stays in the Lake Brienz area are a bit old at this point. My wife and I are doing our usual August stay in Como, but would like to add some time in Switzerland. We will probably do a couple days up in Andermatt at the Chedi, but we thinking either heading over towards Zermatt, or up to Lucerne. If the latter, staying somewhere in the middle would be nice. We typically like enough of a town to go out to stroll for lunch and dinner, not sure if Brienz would be big enough. Interlaken seems on the bigger side, but doable. Heading up to Grindelwald would obviously be great if there was a good option up there.

Thanks for any info!

Smiley90

Park Hotel Viznau might fit the bill?

gegarrenton

Definitely on the list if we head that way. Though I think Hotel Honegg is number one choice for us in that area

Smiley90

How about the Alpina Gstaad? I haven't been but there's a great YouTube review from luxurytravelexpert of it.

WandertheWorld

The Alpina Gstaad is a true five star gem. We stayed there last September and loved it. Service especially was amazing. However, we found the town, while charming enough, to be somewhat sterile focused mostly on uber high end shopping befitting the winter clientele. Also, the scenery was pleasant enough but lacked the in-your-face drama of Zermatt or Saas-Fee where the mountains and glaciers loomed everywhere.

In Grindelwald we stayed at the Boutique Hotel Glacier. Fine enough but far from five star.

While, personally, I have no experience, a Six Senses property recently opened in Crans Montana. You may want to investigate it.

Outside Lucerne on the lake we stayed at the Burgenstock. I know that PHV gots all the love on this thread. But we found the B’s perch high above the lake with its cantilevered pool to be stunning. Also, the B has a funicular that takes guests down to the lakefront where a shuttle boat will take them directly across the lake into town.

It may not be geographically optimal for your itinerary, but our favorite Swiss mountain village is Zermatt. The Matterhorn towers over the village. We love the Omnia here. While perched above the village, it has a wonderfully engineered lift that drops you into the center of town. Great personalized service too.

gegarrenton

Much appreciate the rec, but we won't be in Gstaad this trip.
Great stuff, thank you. The pool and the mountain top location of the Honegg is a huge draw for us as well.

We are choosing between Lucerne area and Zermatt, so that is definitely on our radar

price123

In Zermatt, I also love the Omnia - great to sit in the jacuzzi with mountain views.

I personally think Villa Honegg is overrated - we stayed on a travel agent rate (50% off) but it felt like one of our worst value stays in Switzerland. It is a nice pool with a hotel attached - the restaurant was terrible, service poor and there seems little of value unless you want to post on Instagram. I'd suggest staying at Bürgenstock (we usually stay in Waldhotel as value peace and quiet above all else) and walking to Honegg for the view (easy 30 min stroll).

Chedi has some decent 3-for-2 offers or check with a TA if staying less time as Vita agents often get special rates.

I haven't been for a few years but the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa could also be interesting (between Como and Chedi)

Smiley90

Zermatt is my #1 suggestion for anyone visiting Switzerland, so you really can't go wrong. I'll also add that Lucerne is very accessible by train, so you could branch out to stay in Zurich and just do a day trip into Lucerne, check out lake Zug (underrated IMHO) by going to Arth-Goldau, take the funicular up to the Rigi... you're spoiled for choice in that region. Zermatt requires a dedicated journey there, but is amazing to see at least twice, winter and summer.

Saas Fe is also very nice for being car-free. (Or Braunwalden, but there's nothing luxurious there as far as I'm aware)

schriste

Pardon if I'm nitpicking here, but do you mean the Eden Roc in Ascona? That would be between Como and Chedi and is the same ownership as the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa.

gegarrenton

Thanks for thoughts. Car free sounds pretty nice.

Zurich unfortunately is not on our itinerary this time. We are spending 4 days on Como in Tremezzo, then heading up to Andermatt to stay at the Chedi for two nights. The question then becomes go to Zermatt, or up to Brienz area or Lucerne.

price123

I actually meant Arosa but have clearly skewed the map of Switzerland in my head as it's nowhere near en route. There goes my shot at citizenship...

lightwalker

Brienz: small town, nice for a stroll by the lake, but not a place to stay in my opinion
Interlaken: here you have the LHW member Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa - it could prove a good home base to discover the area - bigger town than Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen - Interlaken is not the cute alpine town you might expect, though, it's not that nice in my opinion (of course it's all relative) - the surrounding lakes Brienzersee, Thunersee are quite nice and have some impressive waterfalls and caves to discover (e.g. St. Beatus).
Grindelwald: I would add the Bergwelt Grindelwald to the already mentioned Boutique Hotel Glacier. And I concur that both are nice but not top-tier like the other hotels mentioned. I also saw the Aspen alpin lifestyle hotel Grindelwald on the map - but have not yet visited it myself.

While you are there you should at least do: Jungfrau Joch by cog railway (expensive but an experience that is worth it at least once) and go to the beautiful Lauterbrunnen valley.

All that said: as others mentioned, the car-free Zermatt or Saas Fee are the more romantic and "alpine" options
Hotel recommendations:
Saas-Fee: the Capra
Zermatt: the Cervo or Chalet Hotel Schönegg

Honorable mention: Not to forget that Lucerne now has a Mandarin Oriental by the lake, quite nice.

Shameless plug: if you're still looking for someone to give you Virtuoso perks at the Chedi and the others, send me a pm

livefromtuscany

Friends of ours stayed there over NYE. They had the weirdest stay, non-existent service and the hotel full of Asian influencers who all stared at their phones during meals. I think they have firmly positioned themselves in that niche, taking advantage of their pool and view drawing enough people.

gegarrenton

Fantastic stuff, thank you.

I have a Virtuoso rep already, but will certainly let you know if I ever need a change!

Good to know, thanks.