Reviews – Page 25 – European Traveler

Zurich’s Hotel Schweizerhof

Convenient, high-class luxury

By Don Heimburger
Photos by Don Heimburger and courtesy Schweizerfhof Hotel

Especially if you’re traveling by train to Zurich, finding the famous five-star Schweizerhof Hotel isn’t hard. It’s right across the street from the ornate Neo-renaissance Hauptbahnhof, and a 12-minute ride from Zurich’s airport. A few steps out of the station, the hotel’s beckoning facade looms before you.

Not only is the Schweizerhof convenient, it’s highly rated. Trip Adviser, for example, shows it to be the third-rated hotel in Zurich, out of 124 hotels.

One Trip Advisor reviewer said, “I was very impressed with the outstanding service from all the staff, in particular the reception girls Carmen and Dominique, Michael (a porter) and Hans, who provided us with a private butler service and free champagne and chocolates! Okay, I did say we were on honeymoon, but it did not cut much ice anywhere else!”

He added, “This hotel is out to impress (you) and wants you to go back.”

CLOSE TO THE BAHNHOFSTRASSE
The six-story stone-front hotel is also only a few steps away from the famous Bahnhofstrasse, that mile-long elegant street dating from 1864 that’s a combination of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, New York’s 5th Avenue and Los Angeles’s Rodeo Drive.

In good weather, locals gather early in the morning at the sidewalk cafe in front of the hotel to read their newspapers, talk about politics or the day’s happenings and order coffee and pastries.

With 114 rooms and suites, the Schweizerhof can provide an economy single room with a bath, a moderate single room with a shower or bath, or a standard-plus room, which affords a bit more space.

At a higher price, double rooms with a queen-size bed are offered, as are twin-bed rooms, corner rooms, a junior suite, and a premium deluxe suite. The rooms are decorated with Italian designer furniture, and bathrooms feature Italian granite.

The rooms are comfortable, with firm mattresses, plenty of lighting around the room, and the entire hotel is air conditioned. One great feature also is the triple-glazed windows: noise from the street below never was a problem when I was there.

The hotel offers high-speed internet service, flat screen televisions, beds are electrically adjustable and all rooms have a handy make-up and razor mirror. A mini-bar, hairdryers, trouser press, umbrella, safe, complimentary fruit plate, and pickup service from the railway station is also included.

In the morning, guests can enjoy a complimentary champagne breakfast buffet which includes a personal pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice, assorted juices,various breads, croissants, assorted jams and jellies, cold meats, fruits, yogurt, coffee to order, including expresso, and there is a menu card just for tea.

In addition, assorted cereals, crepes, Nutella, made-to-order eggs, including eggs benedict if desired, bacon and sausage are available. A special Japanese breakfast of miso soup, salmon, vegetables and fried potatoes is offered.

As an added touch of ambiance, little stools are available just to hold ladies’ handbags next to the table.

The staff is attentive to special requests and diets, and they make notes of special needs for the guest’s next stay. I was told that if I came back next year for breakfast, the staff would remember what my breakfast preferences were. Breakfast is served in a room on the mezzanine, with pleasant surroundings and a cheerful waitstaff.

While restaurants abound in Zurich, the hotel offers Restaurant La Soupiere, a traditional French-style restaurant serving seasonal, market-fresh cuisine and Swiss specialities. The Cafe Gourmet et sa Boutique du Caviar is a cozy, small cafe serving snacks, salads and caviar.

For meetings and business travelers, the hotel offers a number of meeting rooms and banquet facilities.

With style, this Zurich hotel serves a clientele that expects a little bit more, and they get it.

Jörg Rudolf von Rohr is the managing director of the hotel.

More more information, go to www.hotelschweizerhof.com.

Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich
Bahnhofplatz 7
8021 Zürich / Schweiz

Tel. +41 44 218 88 88
Fax +41 44 218 81 81

To learn more about Zurich, go to www.zuerich.com, or www.myswitzerland.com/en/zurich.html

Interlaken: A Winter Wonderland to Suit Every Taste

Photos courtesy Interlaken Tourism

Winter and spring in Interlaken has fun to offer at the foot of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. While superb sledge runs attract snow enthusiasts to the mountains, the region between the lakes has a wealth of cultural highlights in store.

INTERLAKEN CLASSICS
The tradition-steeped concert series in the Interlaken Kursaal features the stars of tomorrow playing works by old masters. At Kleine Scheidegg, rock music greats share the stage with local music legends, and the many folklore clubs practice yodeling and alphorn sounds.

SLEDGING BY MOONLIGHT
In Saxeten, after an uphill walk to Alp Nessleren near Wilderswil, guests are rewarded for the effort with a 2 1/2-mile-long sledging session. Culinary well-being is guaranteed with a stop for mulled wine, followed by a tasty fondue in traditional rustic surroundings at the end of the sledge run.

YODELING
Swiss folklore clubs promote traditions yodeling and alphorn playing first hand. Yodeling choirs offer a unique blend of beautiful harmony and players create a powerful sound from a long wooden pipe, which echos through the valleys.

53RD INTERLAKEN CLASSICS
You can meet tomorrow’s classic stars at the 53rd Interlaken Classics Festival from March 24 – April 8. The festival has grown into a summit meeting for younger and already internationally-acclaimed musicians. The consistent staging of this podium for young artists is based on close cooperation with Europe’s best youth orchestras, namely the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra.

SnowpenAir Concert on April 6 is the highest-altitude open-air concert. This breathtaking setting on snow at 1 1/4 miles above sea level attracts thousands of concert visitors who will enjoy top acts such as Roxette and OneRepublic, the founding father of Swiss dialect rock Hanery Amman and promising young talent MC Juli.

Schilthorn Summit near Interlaken, Switzerland offers panoramic views.

For more info, go to Interlaken Tourism

Raise a Glass to Ireland’s New Whiskey Trail

Photos courtesy Ireland Tourist Office

History, heritage and “a drop in your hand” of the finest whiskey in the world combine in one of the Emerald Isle’s newest visitor attractions, the Ireland Whiskey Trail.

IRISH WHISKEY TOURING GUIDE
Heidi Donelon has created a touring guide for whiskey lovers to Irish pubs, hotels, whiskey shops and distilleries throughout Ireland. The trail features nearly 40 different places, ranging from the famous old Jameson Distillery in Dublin, to less well known whiskey emporiums such as Fairhill House Hotel in Connemara, which boasts a stock of more than 170 different whiskies.

Donelon says: “The trail is a great way for people to experience the story and magic of Irish whiskey, while discovering the heart of Ireland through the Irish characters they will inevitably meet in the pubs and bars across the island. It is a great touring guide for whiskey lovers, but also for anyone who wants to find that perfect Irish pub during their trip, whether they are whiskey drinkers or not. Some of these pubs are the last links to old and forgotten distilleries. These are not just great whiskey pubs, but also some of the very best traditional Irish pubs in the country.”

IN addition to the in-depth tour guide, the Ireland Whiskey Trail gives information about the history of Irish whiskey, insight into the difference between brands, Irish Coffee and whiskey recipes and details of whiskey tasting events. The Irish are credited with inventing whiskey, called uisce beatha in Gaelic, which translates as “water of life.” For 1,500 years whiskey has warmed the hearts of the Irish and their guests, and today it is a worldwide success with sales of brands such as Jameson, Bushmills, Tullamore Dew and Kilbeggan increasing at an unparalleled rate.

For more info, go to www.discoverireland.com or www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com

New Addition at the German Emigration Center

Photos courtesy of the German Emigration Center

View of new wing at the German Emigration Center (on right).

The Emigration Center at Bremerhaven, Germany, just added a new wing to the museum. Until now visitors ended their journey back in time through the staged and reconstructed rooms at the Ellis Island Receiving Station in New York; the journey now continues.

The new room “Office of the New World” is dedicated to the question: what did immigrants and the countries of immigration know about one another? Against the backdrop of a train station as a place of transit, the new staged and reconstructed room “Grand Central Terminal” shows the history of German immigrants in the U.S.A.

The new bridge connects the history of emigration with the history of immigration.

HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION IN THE NEW EXTENSION
On the first floor of the new building a mall with several commercial stores in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1973 has been reconstructed. Visitors trace the roots of immigrants: the shop windows display common, everyday objects together with the memorabilia of immigrant families, illustrating the stories of 15 immigration groups that came to Germany in the last 300 years. On the ground floor general information on immigration to Germany between 1685 and today can be found, as well as the family research area and the new “Roxy Cinema.” For more information, visit www.dah-bremerhaven.de/english.php

Christmas Activities in London’s Royal Parks

By Don Heimburger

This holiday season, Royal Parks in London are celebrating with special events in places including Richmond Park, Greenwich Park, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.

Diana's Walk

Visitors to the parks can partake in the festivities by choosing their own real Christmas tree, wander through four of the Royal Parks following the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, visit the deer enclosure in Greenwich Park, or take a timeless winter horse carriage ride.

While in London, take in the Winter Wonderland Hyde Park, where you can hear live music, go ice skating and visit the Angels Christmas and Yuletide Markets.