Sophisticated travelers have been staying at the Baur au Lac in Zurich, Switzerland, a luxurious grand dame hotel overlooking Lake Zurich since in 1844, and today it is still a sought after Luxury Experience where exceptional service and modern amenities complete its stunning package.
I stayed at the Baur au Lac in April 2009 where service began at the Zurich Airport with a uniformed chauffeur from the hotel waiting with a private limo to whisk Edward F. Nesta and me off for the short 20-minute ride to the hotel.
Welcome to the Baur au Lac
Entering the lobby, it was the same as I had remembered from previous stays at the hotel with attentive, courteous staff, smiling and helpful concierge, stunning large-scale floral arrangements, charming newsstand and tobacco shop recalling days of past, and with the recent renovations, it was gorgeous. It was nice to be back in Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city.
Baur au Lac Gardens
The family owned hotel has 120 total rooms with 25 junior suites and 17 suites, and with its boutique size, is able to provide personalized service for its guests. The hotel’s many amenities include having a large park-like garden overlooking the Schanzengraben River that is perfect for relaxing with a book or enjoying dinner, Business Center, as well as a multi-windowed rooftop Fitness Center where guests may exercise with incredible views of the city, Lake Zurich, and the Alps.
Fitness Center With a View
During our stay at the hotel we enjoyed aperitifs in the evening in the attractive wood-paneled Le Hall where we relaxed and soaked up the charming ambience and admired an opulently exotic grand scale floral arrangement of salmon colored anthuriums, daylilies, curly willow, white ling heather, assorted greens, and grasses in a blue and white cachepot placed on a wood stand that graced a polished round wood table in the center of the room. The hotel has their own in-house floral designers and as I enjoy flower arranging, I would have loved the opportunity to watch the obviously talented designers at work.
Le Hall
We also had a wonderful dinner at the visually appealing and casually elegant Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar. The restaurant is a delightful combination of historic and modern architectural elements where Swiss Chef Olivier Rais focuses on a Mediterranean grill menu. The restaurant has an excellent international wine list, as well as a creative cocktail and Martini menu.
Chef Olivier Rais
A few of the many highlights from our dinner at Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar, included Marinated Salmon on Cucumber Carpaccio and Tuna Tartar; Asparagus Cream Soup with Morels; and Giant Veal Paillard accompanied by Ratatouille.
Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar
Grilled Scallops with Asparagus
Our spacious guestroom featured a high ceiling trimmed with wide white decorative crown molding, gold patterned carpet, elegant floor-to-ceiling terracotta and gold stripe window treatments, with narrow gold stripes under draperies, and ivory sheers that framed the two large windows, and elegant furnishings and lithographs completed the opulent ambience.
The king bed featured an apricot, terracotta, and café au lait plaid headboard with matching bedcover, and a terracotta bedskirt, with an upholstered bench placed at the end of the bed. The room was well lit with fairy lights in the four corners of the ceiling, bedside tables with tall brass lamps with cream shades, a brass floor lamp, and a brass desk lamp.
Two comfortable pickled wood armchairs upholstered with an attractive gold and saffron print flanked a chest that held a large flatscreen television, CD/DVD Toshiba multi-player, and a mini-bar; and next to it there was a small round table that beckoned invitingly with an assortment of fruit and decadent miniature pastries.
Guestroom
Four lithographs graced the wall over the large desk accessorized with a gorgeous orchid plant and a selection of magazines, and was well stocked with stationery and a thoughtful amenity of post-it notes in the drawer.
The spacious beige marble bathroom featured a deep soaking tub, private enclosed toilet, and enclosed walk-in shower, plush terry cloth robes, hairdryer, scale, vanity mirror, a large mirror over the black marble double sink vanity, which held an assortment of Baur au Lac amenities, and a heated floor completed the luxurious feel of the room.
The hotel is conveniently located across the street from Lake Zurich where guests may take a boat ride, is easily accessible to nearby shopping, museums, Opera House, as well as close to the business and financial institutions, making it a desired location for both the leisure as well as the business traveler.
Baur au Lac
Read other articles on the Baur au Lac in the Restaurants section and in the Chefs’ Recipes section where Chef Olivier Rais provides a delectable taste of the Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar in English, German, and French.
Baur au Lac Hotel
Talstrasse 1
8001 Zurich, Switzerland
Telephone: +1-41-44220-5020
Fax: +1-44-220-6044
Email: info@bauraulac.ch
www.BaurauLac.ch
Read other articles on Zurich in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, and Travel News sections.
Read other articles on Switzerland in the Destinations section: (Zurich), Bern, Interlaken, and Lucerne; Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, Spas; in the Liquor Cabinet section: Swiss Vodka – The Art and Science, and Xellent Swiss Vodka, in the Wine Cellar section: Domaine Zweifel – The Art of Making Swiss Wine, and Lattenberg Rauschling 2005, in the Gastronomy section: 15th Annual St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, Emmental – The Art of Making Swiss Cheese, and Gastronomic Evening with Guest Chef Emmanuel Renaut, in the Luxury Products section: Confiserie Sprungli, and in the Adventures section: 24th Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow in St. Moritz, Skiing in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Snowshoeing in Arosa, Switzerland, Skiing in Arosa, Switzerland, Hiking Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, Hiking Mount Pilatus, Switzerland, Paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland, and Porsche 911 Carrera S Driving Experience.
For information on SWISS International Air Lines, please visit the website: www.swiss.com.
For information on Switzerland, please visit the website: www.MySwitzerland.com. For information on Zurich, please visit the website: www.Zuerich.com.
© May 2009. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
