Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne
You can reach the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne by taking a boat and a funicular that climbs 1,500 feet from the shore of the Swiss lake to the top of the Bürgenberg mountain ridge. It’s well worth the transfers.
Completed in 2017, the flagship “contemporary” Bürgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa is one of two hotel concepts that span four buildings on the 148-acre property. It takes full advantage of its setting from the infinity swimming pool suspended above the lake to the Lakeview Bar and adjacent cigar lounge.
The resort offers 10 restaurants, bars and lounges, plus the stunning and massive Alpine Spa, in addition to Waldhotel Health & Wellbeing with Alpine valley vistas right out of Heidi. For active pursuits, there’s a nine-hole golf course, tennis, swimming pools, horseback riding and biking and hiking trails.
Ever since the original hotel opened here in 1873, the Bürgenstock Resort has attracted glitterati. It hosted Hollywood royalty, including Charlie Chaplin, Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn, who wed Mel Ferrer in the resort’s chapel in 1954. These guests are honored with special cocktails created in their memories.
In 1964, Sean Connery and the crew of Goldfinger spent a month here, shooting at the Hollywood Pool, the underwater Bull’s Eye Bar and at the nearby Hammetschwand Lift. Special Bond activities include the Aston Martin and Alpine summit helicopter experiences. There’s even a 007-inspired private-dining experience at the Bull’s Eye Bar with a Bond-inspired menu complemented with a special selection of Bond-style cigars paired with his preferred dry Martinis—shaken, not stirred.
Cigars are celebrated—from the expansive cigar lounge to cigar-themed events and a Cigar & Whisky package. Last year, to mark its 150th anniversary, Bürgenstock partnered with Swiss cigar specialist Raymondo Bernasconi to roll a limited-edition, custom-blended, private-label cigar with a blend of four tobaccos from the Dominican Republic.
