Buergenstock Resort, a staycation in Switzerland’s most prestigious resort

The hotel is located only a bit more than one hour’s drive from my home town and – more importantly – it is exactly the same distance from Zurich, in case you fly into Switzerland’s most cosmopolitan city. A more pleasant way to get here than by car is it to take the train to Lucerne and then to arrive via boat at the Kehrsiten-Buergenstock pier, where the Buergenstock Funicular will bring you up to the top. Here, an idyllic lake-and-mountain setting awaits you. The biggest asset is certainly the view, you look down at the beautiful Lake Lucerne with the backdrop of close and more distant mountains, it is really one of a kind vista!

Facilities

As one might expect – in light of a project with so many superlatives – the facilities are impressive, be it from their sheer number or how they present themselves.

Hotels

Out of the lodging possibilities, the newly built 5-star Buergenstock Hotel with its 102 rooms is the most upscale one.

This is also the place where I spent the night. Details about my experience here follow further on. Apart from this showpiece, there are three more accommodations: the adjoining Palace Hotel (4-star, 109 rooms) with its Belle Époque flair and specially conceived for conferences and events,

the Waldhotel (5-star, 160 rooms), excelling in the area of health/medical and overlooking the alpine panorama,

as well as Taverne 1879,

the alpine chalet style accommodation with its 3 stars and 12 rustic rooms.

I had dinner here and liked what I got. Also the favorite bar of the resort can be found here, the Lakeview Lounge and Bar.

This place has not only a vibrant flair but a tremendous view over Lake Lucerne as well. We had an after-dinner drink here and enjoyed the pleasant ambiance.

Adjacent to the Hotel Buergenstock Hotel and part of the Alpine Spa there is the Oak Grill 

with its original oak beams and its impressive grill offering a variety of grill specialties from the land and the sea.

In the Palace Hotel you find the Ritzcoffier (since March 2022: upscale brasserie)

an exquisite French restaurant with kitchen equipment from times gone by and overseen by the three Michelin Star chef Marc Haeberlin.

boasting oriental delights and a few steps further the Taverne 1879

with typical Swiss dishes is located.

Continuing further along the road, you encounter the Waldhotel with its Verbena Restaurant.

Here well-balanced healthy food is on offer. Unfortunately, my lunch experience here was a bit underwhelming. Neither was our party of four nicely welcomed nor proceeded the meal to our (high) expectations. Hopefully, this incident falls under the category of initial teething problems.

There is not one Spa but two of them, the smaller one at the Waldhotel and the major one – the Alpine Spa – next to the Buergenstock Hotel. The latter one extends across 10,000 sqm (110,000 sqf) and three storeys with an indoor pool, an infinity-edge pool, a Hollywood pool, a sauna, a gym and 15 treatment rooms amongst other offerings. The highlight – the only thing I made use of – is by any accounts the infinity-edge pool with amazing views of the lake and mountains scenery.

The Buergenstock Hotel has recently even been awarded for being the best wellness hotel in Switzerland by one of the country’s most important hotel ratings, Sonntagszeitung Hotel Rating by Karl Wild.

Other features include a 9-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor tennis facilities, an ice field for ice skating in winter, a cinema (free of charge for guests of the Buergenstock Hotel) and a shopping arcade with a Sky Terrace – a small platform made completely of glass.

Of course, there are also hiking opportunities onsite. If you feel like doing an easy – and rewarding – hike, then do the cliff walk (Felsenweg), built between 1900 and 1905, with outstanding views of Lake Lucerne.

Take the path along the cliffs until the Hammetschwand Lift, Europe’s highest exterior elevator.

In case you fancy a daring ride, take it to the top and continue towards Hotel Villa Honegg – another recommended hotel to stay and a good spot for lunch or drinks and snacks.

Alternatively, follow the cliff path as far as the mentioned hotel and return to Buergenstock Hotels & Resort. The walk will take you about 1 ½ hours in total.

As already mentioned, I spent one night at the “crown jewel” of the Buergenstock Hotels & Resort, the Buergenstock Hotel. This modern, contemporarily styled hotel has large rooms starting at 42 sqm (452 sqf), all with panoramic windows overlooking lake and mountains.

We opted for the least expensive room here, a Deluxe Part Lake/Mountain View Room, coming not inexpensive at all but with a stiff price tag (1,000 SFR/night). In the Palace Hotel or the Waldhotel you get a room at less than half the price!

Having said that, the room is a real gem equipped with finest materials and designer furniture such as walnut floors or natural quartzite walls. The room is split into two parts and a double-sided fireplace is positioned between the room and the bathroom.

In such a way, both parts have exactly the same stunning view, in the bedroom from a comfortable sitting area,

in the wet area from a panoramic bathtub!

The atmosphere of the accommodation is warm and inviting, there is a spacious walk-in closet and a wooden desk enlighted with cowbell pendant lamps, a nice detail.

The panoramic windows cannot be opened and although the room is air-conditioned the room temperature was too high when we stayed at the Buergenstock Hotel on a moderately warm day. When we complained about this, staff was not able to do anything about that. They brought us a fan and offered a free upgrade on our next visit! I hope this issue can be settled soon, an inadequate room air-conditioning is unacceptable, especially for a room with this hefty price tag!

The rate included breakfast at the Spices Restaurant, which offered an appropriate selection and was of good quality.

and sweeping view of the region.

There is a delightful mix of Japanese, Indian and Chinese cuisines on offer, awarded 15 points by Gault Millau. We were told that experienced chefs from the specific countries are employed here.

Everything we had was immaculately prepared and nicely arranged. Good starters were the Nigiri Sushi

and the Dim Sum (Traditional Siu Mai),

a delicious main was the Red Curry with BBQ Duck, Assorted Fruits and Sweet Basil (Kaeng Phed Ped Yang).

For dessert I ordered the Spices Special, Coconut with Yuzu Gel, Banana Puree, Mango Passionfruit Sorbet and Coconut Foam.

While it was a treat, I considered the portion as too small and the price as too high. All the other dishes we sampled were just right in terms of portion size and adequately priced.

Service was paced exactly right and present when needed. Staff was attentive and helpful at all times, we really enjoyed our dinner here!

Date of stay: May 2018

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