Upscale hotel south of Zurich city with splendid lake views:

Until recently, I was not aware of the existence of an upscale hotel on the the left bank of Lake Zurich. This changed when my son moved in the area and my husband and I decided to pay him a visit. So I came across Hotel Belvoir, a premier hotel on Lake Zurich, our choice of accommodation for this purpose. And it was also my first hotel stay since the Corona pandemic broke out and the so-called “extraordinary situation” still in place. Nonetheless, we had a good time here. Above all, I was thrilled about the tremendous lake views you can enjoy at this wonderfully located hotel! Also the room we had was nice. And the restaurant is a recommended place for gourmets, too. Another plus here is ample chance to take walks in the beautiful surroundings. I will propose one of the classics at the end of my post.

About Zurich & Lake Zurich

Zurich is not only Switzerland’s biggest city but also a mayor center for banking and finance. It is situated in north Switzerland on the north end of Lake Zurich.

It boasts a marvelous old town, idyllic waterfront promenades and great shopping possibilities. Of course, opportunities to stay and dine in style are also plentiful. Find here my reviews of two upscale hotels in Zurich that are great picks: Dolder Grand Hotel, one of the city’s leading houses, and Radisson Blue Hotel, probably Zurich’s best and most convenient airport hotel. For rewarding culinary experiences, have a look at my list of foodies’ places in town.

Lake Zurich is Switzerland’s fifth largest lake and a popular leisure destination, be it for swimming, sailing, boating or shore picnicking. The lake’s right bank (Kuesnacht, Zollikon etc.) is considered the Gold Coast

because it benefits from the evening sun and is the place where rich people live. The left one is called “Sniffle Coast” (“Pfnüselküste”). The reason for this is the topography here, meaning lying in the shadow of its mountains, so there is not much evening sun, especially in winter time.

High-end hotels on Lake Zurich’s left bank

As mentioned, I happened to stay at Hotel Belvoir in Rueschlikon for my first night ever on Lake Zurich’s left bank. More details follow in the next section. But let me mention first that there is another high-end hotel nearby, Hotel Alex Lake Zurich in Thalwil, just five minutes away from my choice of accommodation, directly on the lake. I hope to be staying here in the time to come, too. And it goes without saying that I will report on my experience once the time comes.

Hotel Belvoir in Zurich-Rueschlikon (four star superior)

In short, this is a great place to stay in style close to Zurich city yet with a rural touch. The hotel’s best asset is its stunning view of Lake Zurich. It is popular for conferences and weddings but also suitable for other business and leisure travelers. Hotel Belvoir was opened in 2011 and is housed in a modern building on top of a hill.

Location

As outlined before, Hotel Belvoir is situated on the supposedly less favorable bank, high above Lake Zurich. But my husband and I did not consider it as a disadvantage when staying here mid/end of May on a warm day. And the lake views are truly breathtaking! It is located in quite a posh neighborhood. The only thing that slightly disturbs the quietude is some noise from the street below the hotel. But it was not too bad.

The train station is nearby and you can reach the main train station in Zurich in a 15-minute ride. There are also several bus stops nearby, one of busses brings you directly to Zurich’s city center in less than a quarter of an hour.

Rooms/Pricing

There is a quite a selection when it comes to rooms (60 units). Out of seven room categories we opted for a Panorama Club Junior Suite with Whirlpool and Lake View (41 sqm). It is a corner room with lots of windows, located on the top floor. It features an open-plan layout

with double sinks, a huge tub, a spacious shower and a separate toilet.

And all this in an industrial chic style with these phenomenal views from the good-sized balcony.

Prices are very reasonable for what you get, starting at about 200 SFR/US$ for two persons per day. Our room’s cost were 340 SFR/US$ plus 40 SFR/US$ for two (continental) breakfasts.

Food and drink

1. Belvoir Restaurant & Grill

Since the appointment of chef Pascal Kleber in 2018, the Belvoir Restaurant & Grill is also a gourmet destination. The dining-spot, awarded 15 points Gault-Millau, offers quite a wide range of dishes, from more elaborate options to several grilled items. Its setting is in an open-plan manner, with lots of space, and of course with sweeping views of Lake Zurich.

Our party of four mainly went for langoustine with fennel, tarragon and orange as a starter

and a special from the grill as a main course. And this was a delicious piece from the Iberico pork Pata Negra, called Secreto.

This is one of the best cuts of the Spanish pork, an intensely marbled and aromatic piece of meat. And it fully delivered what it promised! To accompany it, I chose French fries and ratatouille as well as BBQ sauce. A dessert, made of passionfruit cocoa and aerated chocolate, was the right thing to end a very good meal!

2. Other places to eat/drink

Apart from the main restaurant there is an outside terrace and lounge

to soak in the views, a bar and a lobby lounge.

3. Corona restrictions

Due to the “extraordinary situation” in Switzerland due to Corona – although with decreasing new cases at the moment – , there were some restrictions. On the positive side, Belvoir Restaurant & Grill had been opened a week and a half ago after having been closed for almost two months because of the pandemic. However, the bar was still closed, the coffee machine in the lobby lounge was shut down and there was no breakfast buffet. Only a spartan continental breakfast was served and for additional costs you could order some small side dishes (muesli, cold cuts, eggs etc.) from a laminated menu.

In terms of dining, tables at the restaurant were spaced two meters apart. Apart from this, I did not notice many changes from “courant normal”. Sometimes, I would have wished the staff, wearing no face masks, to keep more distance. But of course, they have to serve and clear dishes.

Facilities

As mentioned, Hotel Belvoir is known as a place for seminars and festivities boasting different premises for these purposes. There is also a bowling area onsite as well as a wellness, gym and beauty area (400 sqm) complete with an outdoor jacuzzi whirlpool, a floating bath (1 – 2 persons, additional costs) and a group fitness room, but no swimming-pool. The spa area was closed on our stay, due to the Corona crisis.

Ambiance/Service

Despite of Hotel Belvoir being known as a conference and wedding venue, you also feel at ease here as leisure traveler. I liked the contemporary design of the place with its open-plan layout offering lots of free space.

But the true star here is of course the favorable setting overlooking Lake Zurich.

Service was of high level from start to end. All the employees we got in touch with were kind, helpful and accommodative. The hotel manager came to our table at breakfast to say hello, which was nice. The only thing I felt not wholly comfortable with was the partially missing distance in the dining-room in these Corona times.

Overall

Hotel Belvoir in Rueschlikon on Lake Zurich’s left bank, about a 15-minute train ride from Zurich’s city center, is a favorable choice when looking for an upscale hotel on Lake Zurich. Located in a quiet neighborhood and with the most perfect view of Lake Zurich, it has immaculate facilities including a foodie restaurant at very reasonable prices. The hotel is not a five star but a solid 4 star property offering almost everything a demanding traveler could ask for.

As announced, here my walking recommendation to get to know this area a tad better.

Felsenegg-Uetliberg, Zurich’s most popular “mountain” walk

The Uetliberg, part of the Albis mountain chain, is Zurich’s very own “mountain” (871 m/2,858 ft.) feet,

and by no doubt the most popular destination to view over the rooftops of Zurich. Here you have impressive panoramic vistas not only of the city

but also the lake

and the Alps.

The walk I am going to suggest starts further south in Adliswil, a town adjoining Zurich. Here you find the one and only aerial cableway in the canton of Zurich, Felsenegg (to reach from Hotel Belvoir in a 7-minute-drive or 40-minute-walk). From the bottom station you can either walk up or take the cableway to the top. As we stayed on Lake Zurich in the “extraordinary situation” due to Corona, the mountain railways did not run, so we had to walk (about 30 minutes, very steep, partly with stairs).

Once arrived at the mountain top, take the panoramic footpath leading along the crest of the Albis ridge to the Uetliberg (about 1h40min, 90 meters/295 ft altitude difference). During this easy walk, you will enjoy breathtaking views over Zurich city, Lake Zurich and – when looking back – to the Alps in the distance.

Sometimes you can also have a glimpse of the region of Knonaueramt (“Säuliamt”) in the west. After having admired the views from the top of Uetliberg, you might visit one of Uto Kulm‘s restaurants before heading back.

Instead of climbing down at Felsenegg, you might do so at Balderen (about 1 h from Uetliberg), which is also very steep (but no stairs). This brings you in about 40 minutes to Adliswil where you can take the bus back to Hotel Belvoir (about 15 minutes) or walk there in another 30 minutes.

Date of visit: May 2020

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