Burgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa

My wife and I chose the burgenstock hotel for the first leg of our honeymoon, and had a wonderful stay. The staff went above and beyond to make our arrival romantic and luxurious. Upon entering our room, we were greeted by champagne, chocolates, and roses. You can’t beat that! Waking up each morning to a view of lake Lucerne was magical. Words can’t really describe how wonderful this place is. We enjoyed the sauna and spa amenities on both days of our stay to help with jet lag and felt rejuvenated. Last, the breakfast was phenomenal. We will be thinking about that breakfast for the rest of our lives… Thank you for the wonderful stay!!!

I am a regular traveller to Switzerland and this lake and I was excited to finally discover the Burgenstock hotel. This property has distinct advantages and disadvantages that I would wish to be aware of before deciding to book. Architecturally beautiful, sitting atop lush dramatic mountains, it couldn’t be better situated for jaw dropping views of Lake Lucerne and beyond. Location wise it can’t be topped. The flipside of this coin is that its desirability makes it incredibly popular with day trippers so if you’re accessing the hotel from the funicular and ferry, be prepared for crowds. The weekends are super busy. The lobby sometimes resembles a Convention Centre more than a luxury hotel. The above isn’t a criticism of the hotel, merely a noteworthy point. The following are my pros and cons of the property, where it did well and where I felt let down CONS: 1. Incredibly inept junior F&B staff. It’s evident that the hotel needed to take on a whole load of seasonal staff to cope with high demand and they don’t seem to be very well trained. Examples include waiting 30 mins for a coffee at breakfast, requests ignored and forgotten at breakfast and the lobby bar, waiting over 40 mins for a beer at Spices restaurant terrace and strained squabbling between some of the staff at the breakfast room. The Senior F&B staff take these points extremely seriously when we mentioned them. It’s clearly not their fault, they’re trying their best with the team they’ve been given. 2. A concierge comms blunder with a taxi company meant that we were waiting 45 mins for a pick up off site because a mistake wasn’t dealt with effectively. Again the senior concierge staff were incredibly apologetic and displayed incredibly professional customer care to rectify the error. PROS:
 1. Senior staff are brilliant and what you’d expect from a top end Swiss establishment of this level 2. Spa staff amazing. They keep the (huge) area tidy and clean even when there are a considerable number of guests. The spa is extensive and beautiful. 3. The food that we had on site is lovely. Great meal at Spices and good breakfast selection. 4. The housekeeping (both daily clean and turndown) was excellent. High end service received. It’s a shame that the property is a victim of its own success. It feels very ‘Disneyland’ due to sheer numbers of visitors pouring into the Burgenstock area. It didn’t affect the stay as such, but for such an expensive property, a guest at this level might prefer something a bit more private or discreet. The day guests at the spa make it feel super busy, especially those with an appetite for social media footage in the pool at the weekend. Due to the size of the hotel itself, it feels rather like a business hotel or conference centre when checking in and out, and in the lobby in general. That might not affect some, but I would prefer something smaller and more exclusive for the price. It’s not the fault of the hotel. We’ve stayed in a property across the lake which has significantly less rooms and it felt much more discreet. I would rather forego the views, accept a spa area half the size, and visit this kind of property, but I guess this is down to personal choice. For the price you pay for a room I would have expected a better more seamless service, which is generally why I like coming to Switzerland. I would recommend this hotel with a whole load of provisos and ‘beware of…’s. The views are unparalleled. It’s a privilege to experience staying a such elevation at such a beautiful property. Try and go midweek for a more peaceful experience. Know what to expect so you aren’t disappointed. And don’t even bother checking the extras bill, it’s expensive.

The hotel and grounds were filled with day trippers even on a Sunday in May. The cruise and the funicular were all unbearably crowded with no sense of luxury at all. As well as the hiking trails and the "lift". Service inside hotels and restaurants were fine but the food was supremely expensive. But the staff outside the hotel at the funicular ticket and lift ticket office were absolutely maddening and very rude. I am quite disappointed. This place is very hard and expensive to get to. The funicular plus cruise ride costs over 60 dollars each way. Overrated

Amazing property. The view, the service - top class.

Truly one of the most unforgettable hotel experiences that we have ever had. The facility is unmatched, the views incredible, the spa and infinity pools are unbelievable, and the service levels are very high. No doubt, Burgenstock is expensive. But if you can afford it, as they say on the TV show Parks & Recreation, "Treat Yourself!"