
We had a dreamy winter wedding in December and decided to go on a minimoon to Lucerne (or Luzern), Switzerland. After having a winter wonderland style wedding, we could think of no better place to go than the snow-capped, medieval town set amongst cascading mountains and a picturesque lake. It was our idea of a wintery heaven.
I’ve never really stayed in a really high-end hotel like this. I usually tend to go for rustic-style accommodation with bags of character. But for our minimoon, average wasn’t going to cut it. We needed to stay somewhere special. Somewhere luxurious. And somewhere where we’d wake up each morning and be like yeah, we’re on our romantic honeymoon. The Hotel des Balances was right on the money.
Location
You really can’t fault the location of this hotel. It’s right in the middle of the old town. If you go to Lucerne defo stay in the old town area as it’s so picturesque. The exterior of the hotel is like a work of art, just look at the detail on that impressive building. Inside, it feels luxurious as soon as you walk up the staircase. There’s a super cozy lounge with chandeliers, a fireplace and some seating where you can chill out.
The hotel is nestled right on the banks of the river. You really can’t beat the view. What’s better than looking out onto a pretty river, snow-capped mountains and the city’s charismatic old town? Walk outside the entrance and you’re right in the midst of shops, restaurants and cafes. The train station is also a five-minute walk away, as well as the boat station that takes you to nearby spots around the river and to the mountains.
The room
I think what really made this room so soothing and relaxing was the little touches. The classical music CD’s and stereo system. The starry lighting on the ceiling above the bath and bed. The sumptuous L’Occitane products. We went on plenty of adventures on this holiday, but boy did we max out on down time. We had so many naps in the ridiculously comfy bed.
You know the kind of bedcovers that make you want to stay wrapped up inside them forever more? Pure bliss. And top top it all off, the bath was out of this world. Who doesn’t love an open bathtub with a whirlpool function surrounded by candles? Inviting much? I think we had a bath every single day. I want to go back just so I can have another bath with classical music and mood lighting.
The view from our balcony was like a postcard. No filter needed. I got photos of the view on a gorgeous sunny day, and also when we woke up to a snowy fairytale. I bet these balcony’s are sooo lovely in the summer months too when you can sit out and have breakfast. Oh, and they kept bringing free chocolates to our room and they were sooo tasty.
The food
On our first night we had a seven-course meal. Yes, seven courses. You may be wondering how we ate that much. But the portions are light, and, well, I can eat a lot. Granted I was very full afterwards. We had a menu that consisted of salmon and cucumber, lobster salad, pike fish, veal steak with fresh pasta, a pre-pudding sorbet, and probably the best pudding I’ve ever. tasted (pumpkin and passionfruit). Oh and a cheese board, of course.
Each cheese was sooo delicious and you could tell it was exceedingly high quality. My favourite was the local swiss cheese. I have to say the service was exceptional. Our waiter tended to our every need and took the time to explain about every course (because I was one of those customers asking tons of annoying questions). He even brought over three different ages of port for us to try, so we could pick our favourite to have with our cheese board.
One thing I would say was frustrating was that despite being pretty pricey, the hotel price doesn’t include breakfast. And their breakfast works out about £25 per person. We had it on one of the mornings as a treat, and to be fair, it was amazing – but a bit too pricey for us.
They had smoked trout and salmon and these little tiny place of yummy breakfast delicacies to choose from. Plus all the normal trimmings like pastries, fresh fruit, cereal and juices. What I was most excited about was that the champagne was included in the buffet breakfast. #winning Because you kind of need to have a champagne breakfast on your honeymoon, right?
The bar
There’s a lovely bar downstairs. For us, it was the perfect place to come back to after going out for dinner. It’s quite swanky and super chill – the ideal spot to enjoy a low key cocktail or glass of wine. There was a wide selection of cocktails, and not just your usual standard ones which was nice. My personal faves were the brandy alexander and Muai Thai. The bar staff are very professional and attentive and if you order a drink you can some nibbles to go with it.
Overall thoughts…
We’ll always remember our stay here. I’m so glad we splashed out to stay somewhere extra special. I will be dreaming of that bath and fairytale bedroom for years to come. The hotel is so well located and the views from the balcony really are exceptional. The hotel didn’t have much in the way of additional facilities (e.g. spa, gym etc.) but from my research, this seems pretty standard for hotels in this region. Normally for a hotel of this caliber, I’d expect state of the art facilities. But the amazing room, fab cocktail bar and gourmet restaurant more than made up for it.