Hotel Terrasse am See, Lake Lucerne / Switzerland
Those who travel to Terrasse am See in Vitznau can easily imagine just how it felt to have a holiday 50 years ago. The old residence on the lake is our new favourite, but doesn’t mean that the place is anywhere near perfect.
The tranquil town of Vitznau lies directly on Lake Lucerne, 40 minutes south of Zurich and 30 east of Lucerne. Vitznau itself isn’t very spectacular, but its mountain railway to the famous Rigi, which was the first one of its kind, managed to entice tourists to the lake as long as 140 years ago. Talking about lakes: Lake Lucerne lies majestically in front of the hotel just like the Caribbean Ocean and when you manage to bag a room with a direct view to the lake, you get an idea of just why many prominent and wealthy people decided to live here, past and present. You have a view to the Bürgenstock, which is an offshore peninsula, which when seen first thing in the morning, reminds you of a natural elevation as seen on St. Lucia. The State of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is currently in the process of investing approximately 500 million euros to build three luxury hotels at the top of Bürgenstock and a few hundred metres along the shoreline, the Austrian, Peter Pühringer has invested 200 million in the renovation of the Park Hotel Vitznau.
The hotel Terrasse am See doesn’t have much in common with all this pomp and swank. This becomes obvious when checking in. The lovely bosses, Pia Nussbaumer Scherrer and her husband, Roland greet every guest personally and even give them a choice of rooms. You get a little basket filled with room keys and then go looking for a room that fits your taste. All the rooms are wonderfully furnished, including antiques and small accessories. Of course, what needs to be highlighted are the rooms that lead directly on to the terrace. When the weather is lovely, you get the feeling of being in the french Provence and as soon as the window shutter is raised, you walk barefoot right into your holiday.
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The hotel terrace overlooking Lake Lucerne.
The facade with the rooms and their entrance to the terrace.
Our favorite room: 106 with direct access to the terrace.
Room 106.
Room 108.
Romantic: room 207.
The view to Bürgenstock.
And everywhere: nice antiques.
And small, lovely details.
Another highlight: the authentic terrace, where dinner is also served.
The dessert.
And the dining room.
However, it’s important to know just where you are: Not in a 5-star hotel, but actually in the opposite. During the day, daily excursion ships spit out tourists right next door to the hotel. The Rigi railway makes the same racket as a neighbouring railway station and to top it all, luxury apartments are in the process of being built next door. The dining room is charming, but it’s still miles away from the glamour of an Orient Express dining car. But in the long run, it’s exactly this, that gives you pleasure: The perfect holiday experience in a completely imperfect hotel.
Ideal for: a sunny, romantic long weekend for two, preferably in one of the rooms with access to the terrace and a perfect view to the lake and Bürgenstock.
Measures for improvements: some of the bathrooms have not been fittingly renovated (it’s supposed to be happening soon) and the weather wasn’t the best we’ve had this summer in Switzerland. The bosses have promised solemnly to improve this.
Location on google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/M6n2s
Prices: In summer from 145 Swiss Francs per person with half board per day. In winter from 135 Swiss Francs.
Contact:
Hotel Terrasse am See
Bahnhofstraße 2
6452 Vitznau / Switzerland
Hotel Terrasse am See
Bahnhofstraße 2
6452 Vitznau / Switzerland
photography: 25H pictures
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