The terrace of the Bürgenstock resort's Palace Hotel overlooks Lake Lucerne. Photo / Supplied
Justine Tyerman indulges at a historic Swiss celebrity haunt that's been newly-restored
There's nothing to differentiate between the sky, the pool and the lake . . . the elements merge into a seamless continuum, a landscape of blues. Suspended high above Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, the infinity pool at Bürgenstock Alpine Spa seems to float in mid-air. When I swim to the periphery of the structure, I look down a vertiginous 500 metres to the lake.
The 129-metre-squared outside pool wraps around a glass-walled inside pool, the water flowing continuously between the two. To move from one to the other, you press a button and glass doors slide aside. I discover other buttons that activate bubbles, whirlpools and a trio of giant nozzles that pummel me with warm froth.
Submerged in delicious 35 degree water, inhaling sweet alpine air, there's a surreal, dream-like quality about the experience.
There's no one else in the pool. In fact it's not officially open yet, and nor is the spa complex to which the pool belongs. Our group of international travel writers are among the privileged first to enjoy the facilities at the historic Burgenstock Hotels and Resort, which is reopening after nine years of planning, construction and restoration costing around CHF550m (NZ$796m).
The resort in central Switzerland has an illustrious past dating back to when tourism pioneers Franz Joseph Bucher and Josef Durrer built the first of three hotels on the site in 1873, followed by Switzerland's first electric cable funicular in 1888 and the audacious Felsenweg cliff-top path and Hammetschwand Lift to the top of the Burgenberg in 1905.
The rich, the famous and the titled came in droves from all around the world to admire the visionary technical innovations and swoon over the incomparable scenery offered by the resort's unique ridgetop location — deep-blue Lake Lucerne to the north, lush green meadows and layer-upon-layer of spectacular snowy mountain ranges and peaks to the south.
The Burgenstock soon acquired legendary status as one of the world's leading resorts, and its modern-day owners are determined to regain that prestigious tag and secure its position as the tourism flagship of Switzerland.
Without a compelling reason to get out, I could have stayed in my watery playground all day, my eyes never tiring of the mountains and the lake, my body floating weightless in a sea of bubbles, arms draped languidly over the edge of the pool.
Sheltered by a necklace of mountains, Lake Lucerne barely has a ripple. In the distance, sunlight catches the cablecar climbing 2128 metres to the top of Pilatus, a mystical peak that also boasts the world's steepest railway.
But I do have a deadline, a most inviting one — a massage a few paces away in the alpine spa.
Lisa welcomes me to one of 15 new treatment rooms overlooking the lake. Her expert hands and fragrant warming oils dissolve the residual tension in my neck and shoulders from hours of travelling and I'm so relaxed I fall asleep. Lisa wakes me gently and shows me to a sublime quiet zone with such mesmerising lake and mountain views, I slip into a fantasy about how to devise a cunning plan to stay in this Swiss idyll forever.
Rested, refreshed and revived, I explore the extensive new facilities including saunas, steam baths, Kneipp hydrotherapy bath, whirlpool baths, a hammam and private spas for massages and beauty treatments.
Fitness team leader Manuel Lussi proudly shows me the state-of-the-art equipment in the gym and yoga rooms. There's an outside exercise balcony too . . . with a spectacular view of course. How do they ever get any work done here, I wonder.
Then it's time to tour the resort proper with the director of sales and marketing manager Steve Nikolov. The sheer scale of the complex is difficult to grasp so the model Steve shows us is a welcome aid to understanding the site.
Reopening in stages from August 2017, the complex covers 60 hectares and encompasses four hotels, 383 luxury rooms and suites, 67 palatial residence suites and villas, 12 restaurants and bars, the alpine spa, a health and medical centre, conference facilities, ballrooms, wine cellars, gardens, a cinema, two event domes and a glittering array of boutiques . . . 30 buildings in total.
Some are brand-spanking new, like the Burgenstock Hotel, Alpine Spa and the Waldhotel Health and Medical Excellence Centre, while others including the 1879 Taverne and 1903 Palace Hotel have been lovingly preserved or restored.
The resort also has indoor and outdoor tennis courts — the latter converting into an ice skating and curling rink in winter — a nine-hole golf course, 70kms of hiking, horse-riding and biking trails, and a private lido on the lake for water sports.
Dealing with historic landmark buildings, environmental protection guidelines and Switzerland's stringent building codes required no less than 147 building permits.
"You can't turn over a rock here without a consent," says Steve.
The grand opening of the entire Burgenstock Hotels and Resort will take place in the spring of 2018 by which stage guests will be able to travel across the lake from Lucerne on a high-speed catamaran to the newly-restored funicular.
It's a pristine autumn day, so as soon as I'm free, I set off along the spectacular Felsenweg cliff-top path to the historic Hammetschwand Lift. Built in 1905, it still holds the distinction of being the highest outdoor elevator in Europe . . . and the fastest. In a few heart-thumping, exhilarating seconds, the glass capsule whisks me to a viewing point and restaurant 1132m above sea level. I take the ride twice for the sheer thrill of it. But don't even think about it if you suffer from vertigo.
Constructing the 165m lift tower and pathway into the rock-face in the early 1900s was described as "a perilous undertaking" for the experienced miners from Austria and Italy. But the daring plan paid off for Bucher and Durrer. The attraction was immensely popular and the Grand Hotel, and the Park and Palace Hotels that followed became the darlings of celebrities, royalty and heads of state.
During the 1950s and 60s, Hollywood actors flocked to the Burgenstock. The resort became a favourite of Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and husband Carlo Ponti, Charlie Chaplin, Sean Connery and countless others. Hepburn married husband Mel Ferrer in the resort's quaint white chapel in 1954 and lived at the Burgenstock for 14 years.
International conferences, symposiums, fashion shows and film festivals were held there, deals were negotiated and treaties signed. In 1954, the Hollywood Pool opened with portholes looking into an underwater bar.
I take the long way down via the little village of Honegg. The hillsides are ablaze with autumn colours, the cows are performing a symphony of bells and the air is so clear the distant mountains looked touchable — Pilatus, Rigi, Titlis, Jungfrau and a dozen other peaks whose names are less familiar.
I arrive back at the resort just on sunset. The green landscape turns dark and the lake becomes a Monet watercolour. Those gathered for drinks on the balcony of the historic Palace Hotel are awestruck . . . until the inevitable scramble for iPhones and cameras breaks the spell.
Dinner on our first evening is a grand affair in the Salle Palace seated beneath magnificent chandeliers and artworks.
Retiring to my sumptuous suite and sinking into the bathtub overlooking Lake Lucerne is the ultimate luxury after a long day. The tub is big enough for two or three and has a fireplace in the wall beside it, the flipside of the one in the lounge. The only sounds are the occasional ferry horn, the funicular making its ascents and descents and the tinkling of cow bells.
The following three days are a whirlwind — we dine on exquisite French, Asian, Middle Eastern and Swiss cuisine at the resort's restaurants, chat with obliging chefs, sample stunning local and imported wines and enjoy a full day with local guides exploring the history, culture, gastronomy, art and architecture of the beautiful city of Lucerne.
One of my favourite haunts at the resort is the Museum Corridor which links the new Burgenstock Hotel and Alpine Spa with the 1903 Palace Hotel. Numerous photos of famous guests adorn the walls, along with a montage showing the resort and staff through the ages.
Another is the RitzCoffier restaurant in the Palace Hotel, the domain of one of France's most celebrated chefs, Marc Haeberlin.
Having travelled from Lucerne to the Burgenstock by ferry and the shiny red funicular, I convinced myself we were on a remote and beautiful island. It was quite disconcerting, several days later, to drive to Lucerne by coach and discover the Burgenstock was part of the real world after all.
And as for my cunning plan . . . when I find that elusive money tree with CHF20m (NZ$29m) hanging on it, I'll buy a residence at the resort.
Meanwhile I'll just have to make do with the occasional sojourn in my Deluxe Lakeview suite at around 650 CHF a night. (NZ$940).
Staying there:
The
are at Obburgen on Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. Phone: +41 416 126 000. Email: information@buergenstock.ch
Getting there: See swiss.com for flight information.
Getting around: Details on Swiss rail passes can be found at myswitzerland.com/rail
Further information: See myswitzerland.com.
Justine Tyerman travelled courtesy of Switzerland Tourism and stayed at the Burgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne.
The chef chats to Herald Travel about unforgettable foodie experiences in Aotearoa.