Zurich’s Luxury Lakeside Resort: Alex Lake Zurich

Alex Lake Zurich

Living Cirle

You need to reorient your expectations when you check into Alex Lake Zurich, which is unlike any other luxury hotel I’ve ever stayed at in the stately Swiss city.

This is not the formal and proper Baur au Lac, the reborn Eden au Lac with its whimsical Phillipe Starck design, or the billionaire’s mountain lair, the Dolder Grand, to name but three of the city’s five-star hotels.

The Alex Lake Zurich is sleek and modern and has the profile of a white-clad International Style building that Swiss architect Le Corbusier might have designed. Lying outside the city proper, it hugs the shores of Lake Zurich, a waterfront hotel that commands a panoramic view of the vast lake and the Swiss countryside beyond. Küsnacht, the long-time lair of the late Tina Turner, lies directly across the lake, and the snow-capped Glarus Alps are the backdrop.

The hotel feels like a resort, yet Zurich is nearby, a mere 10 minutes by train. The property is situated a few miles outside the city core in the tranquil suburb of Thalwil, so quiet that you may wonder where everyone is. That quiet sets the tone because Alex Lake emanates an almost meditative calm from the moment you check in and glimpse your first view of the lake from the lobby.

Alex Lake Zurich is part of a group called The Living Circle, which includes hotels, restaurants, organic farms, and a vineyard in Ascona, in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino. Sister properties include some of Zurich’s most storied city-center luxury hotels, the Storchen and the Widder.

Studio room at Alex Lake Zurich.

Living Circle

The rooms, which consist of 43 studios and penthouses, have an almost Scandinavian feel. They are minimalist and subtle in design, with a wall of glass overlooking the lake and a balcony meant to be enjoyed, a place to linger. It’s a clean, streamlined cocoon that allows the lake to take precedence in all its mercurial Alpine moods. Each studio offers a sleek kitchenette, dining and sitting area, primary bedroom, and en-suite bathroom. Penthouses come in one, two, or three-bedroom configurations.

Alex Restaurant.

Living Circle

A stroll through the lobby leads to the dramatic lake-view Alex Restaurant, which has indoor and outdoor seating, while the Alex Bar has couches, comfortable chairs, and those same views. The menu is as local as you’ll find in Zurich, with menu information like “Adrian, our heroic fish supplier, eagerly embarks on his adventure every morning to supply us with the most delicious whitefish from Lake Zurich” and “The eggs are sourced from happy chickens at our Schlattgut farm in Herrilberg.”

Enjoying the waterfront at Alex Lake Zurich

Living Circle

The hotel has a long dock alongside the waterfront, ideal for sunbathing or launching yourself into the water. In the morning and on a warm afternoon, hotel guests can be found doing laps in Lake Zurich, which ranges from eye-opening cold to chilly to just right, depending upon the season.

Dinner at the hotel is excellent, but the best experience comes when you book a table at Storchen Zurich, the grand five-star in the heart of the city, and a sister property to Alex Lake. You get there by reserving seat in the Alex Lake’s high-tech Finnish-built motorboat, captained by a retired Swiss pilot, and speed off towards the city, which rises at the lake’s end, 20 minutes of sightseeing as a prelude to dinner.

La Rôtisserie

Living Circle

Nothing can beat the grand entrance into the Limmat River, past the swans and the milling crowds onshore, or the finale, when you pull up to the private dock of the Storchen. Here, you disembark like a royal and walk upstairs to the hotel’s magnificent La Rôtisserie, a classic among Zurich restaurants. Chef Stefan Jäckel oversees this restaurant, which has earned one Michelin star. The double-height windows overlook the twin towers of the Grossmünster, the most recognized landmark in Zürich.

Dinner starts with the champagne cart passing by, with a choice of Perrier Jouet, and moves on to something from the ever-changing menu, like a praline of Skate Wing Viennese Style, with Kristal caviar and pickled lemons, or lobster tartare with beetroot, carrot, and coconut foam in pastry. Mains might include Veal à la Rumohr from the Grisons in puff pastry or Miéral Duck served in two courses. It’s a refined yet friendly space, filled with well-heeled Americans and sophisticated Zurichers, a grand European restaurant with a grand view. The best part, after dessert and coffee? Returning to your waterfront hideaway at Alex Lake and waking up to sunrise over Lake Zurich.

Visit Alex Lake Zurich.

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