Villa Honegg stands 914 metres up on the Bürgenstock, high above Lake Lucerne, in an Art Nouveau villa built in 1905 as a summer resort. After a complete renovation it reopened in May 2011, keeping its Alpine exterior and giving the inside a calm, contemporary look in natural materials. There are 25 rooms and suites, from Classic Rooms to the 92-square-metre Master Suite with its lake-view balcony, and most look over the water, across to the Alps or both. The hotel's signature is its outdoor pool, heated to 34 degrees through the year and set on the hillside below the spa, so the lake and mountains seem to continue from its edge. On some days the valley below fills with a sea of cloud. The kitchen works with local, seasonal produce from the surrounding farms, and meals move out to the terrace in good weather. After dinner there is a fireside cigar lounge, with a second lounge for non-smokers. Lucerne lies below, and Zurich's airport is about an hour away by road, which makes Honegg an easy first or last stop on a Swiss journey.
- Nearest airport
- Zurich Airport (ZRH), about one hour by road
- Rooms
- 25 rooms and suites
- Taken whole
- The whole hotel: 25 rooms, events of up to 60 people (required for 40 or more)
Insider tip Specify the view when you book: Superior Rooms and Corner Suites can face the lake, the Alps or both, and the Master Suite has the lake-view balcony.
Why I choose it It is a small, quiet hotel with one of Switzerland's most memorable pools, an hour from Zurich, and the whole house can be hired for a celebration.
