We, as travelers, love big cities; so when our TA (ChateauMargaux, not very active here) recommended to us a hotel in a sleepy village, we were a little skeptical. We are so glad we went there and experienced the property. Our TA got us upgraded to a lakeview suite and arranged everything for us for the most seamless experience from Lucerne to Vitznau and then out to Zurich. We would definitely make this property a repeat destination.

TLDR about the incredible aspects of the hotel:

- Partially covered heated infinity pool, multiple hot tubs.

- 5+ hot and cold sauna rooms

- 65,000 liter aquarium

- two restaurants with michelin stars

- amenities only open to hotel guests - no outside guests will occupy your table with a view

- Lake-view rooms and suites

TLDR bads:

Not really a bad but mountain view suites leave much to the desired. You are here for the lake view, so your TA should have the pull to upgrade you from mountain to lake view, or you should book the lake view to start with. Trust me, it's worth it to wake up and walk out to your balcony overlooking the lake. You don't want to wake up and walk out to your balcony looking at other buildings and a tennis court.

Check In

The Park Hotel Vitznau (PHV) is located outide of the small town of Vitznau on the west side of Lake Lucerne. The property offers complimentary pick up and drop off at the nearby Rotkreuz and other train stations. Rotkreuz is about a 30 minute ride from Zurich HB, which is about 20-30 mins from ZRH.

We called the hotel once we were boarding the train to Rotkreuz, and when we showed up, a new Mercedes GLE was there to pick us up. The driver was incredibly pleasant and assisted us with our luggages.

Our TA got us the Maybach for a drop off at the train station when we checked out.

When we entered the main lobby, our breath was taken away by the view.

Room

We stayed in the Theater Suite, a deluxe lake view suite. The room decor was traditional with modernity sprinkled throughout. The living room had a chaise and a chair, coffee table, and a kitchennet with complimentary minibar. The bedroom was spacious. The only downside is that there was no one big walk in closet. There are small closets throughout. However, all rooms are different, and there are other suites with one big closet.

Most impressive is the view of the lake. The balconies had retractable awning. The sliding window/door is vacuum sealed to ensure AC efficiency.

The living room and bedroom had separate TVs. There was also a Bose soundbar. Music can be mirrored in the bathroom in ceiling speakers.

View from one of our two balconies

Service

Every interaction we had at the hotel was incredibly pleasant. No complaints.

Dining

The hotel houses three restaurants, one with two michelin stars, and one with one. All restaurants have view of the lake. We dined at the one star property on the vegetarian omakase - lots of very creative dishes, very good. Price is reasonable for Switzerland. We also dined at the casual grill/restaurant. The meat somelier had a good selection of steaks and seafood. We tried a Swiss steak and Cod, both were incredible.

The most impressive thing is probably the wine cellar. The hotel houses over $28,000,000 of wine. Lots of first growth Bordeaux, many of which in large formats, lots of DRC, every vintage of d'Yquem. If you love wine like we do, this place is for you.

Our TA arranged a cellar tour + tasting for us. It was simply incredible. I have no other words aside from incredible to describe most aspects of the hotel.

The breakfast had a very small buffet and a full a la carte menu. The portion sizes were small, so we often found ourselves trying 3-4 dishes each morning.

There is a cognac/armagnac bar with a great selection, and a cigar bar. We did not try these.

Location

The propert is located outside of the town center of Vitznau on Lake Lucerne. It is incredibly scenic.

Before covid, the property used to allow outside guests to come and enjoy a beverage on the terrace. But since covid, the property has become in house guests only, which makes it feel very exclusive. Like an Aman but much more well appointed in terms of pool and spa amenities.

Pool

The hotel has a 65ft heated infinity pool - half of the pool is covered, the other is not. So on hot summer days or snowy winter days alike, the pool is an incredibly scenic place to spend your time. Aside from the pool, there are 4 cabanas in the building on the side of it. On warm days, about half of the glass walls can slide away. There are loungers on the side of the pool and on the lawn in front of the pool. There is a hot tub fully outdoor, and one fully indoor.

During our stay, there was only one staff member servicing the pool and the sauna level downstairs. But there are hotel phones available you can use to call them if you need anything.

Loungers on the side of the pool:

Below the pool is a level with the following things:

Dry sauna at 95C

Dry sauna at 65C

Steam sauna at 45C

Ice room at -10C

Ice water pool/bath at unbearably cold

Tanning room

8 or 10 footbaths

A 65,000 liter salt water aquarium with four loungers and two chairs in front of it. This was pretty incredible. There are some interesting unicorn fishes there along with the common tangs, clowns, etc. We spent the better half of a day lounging in front of the tank. The aquarium is right next to the water/tea/snack station, so you don't go thirsty/hungry.

Amenities

The hotel offers complimentary transfer to nearby train stations (all about 30min from Zurich HB). Also complimentary car rides to the nearby towns. There are bikes, ebikes, and scooters complimentary as well.

All the TVs in the property have AirPlay.

Gym

The gym is pretty small - it has a treadmill, an eliptical, and some weights. It overlooks the pool.