Alex Lake Zürich: a great waterfront escape

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This article is part of a guide to Zürich from FT Globetrotter

The newest addition to the Living Circle’s small yet impressive group of properties, Alex Lake Zürich, a modernist waterfront hotel, has a more resort-y vibe than its city-centre establishments, the Storchen and the Widder. Situated out of town in the gentle suburb of Thalwil, it is still only a 10-minute train ride to Zürich Hauptbahnhof, or a quick dart across the lake in the Living Circle’s speedboat. There aren’t many places you can escape from quite so quickly or stylishly.

Many staying at the group’s other Zürich hotels will tack on a couple of days at the more relaxed Alex, especially during the summer months when you can literally plop into the lake to cool off after sunbathing on the hotel’s wooden deck. The water is even clearer — albeit a bit reedier — than it is in town, and by midsummer it can quickly warm up to a very comfortable 24C (minus the jellyfish that usually accompany these temperatures in the Med). 

The emphasis here is all on the lake. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows at the front of the hotel look out across the water to the village of Erlenbach with chalet-esque houses dotted on the green hillside, and to the right down to Rapperswil-Jona and beyond to the snowy peaks of the Glarus Alps.

Thalwil itself is a pleasant, quiet residential area, with small parks that run down to the water’s edge where, on our visit in May, young families were sprawled out, dipping into the lake’s shallows and grilling up sausages on communal barbecues. There isn’t a huge amount to see — but once we hopped on to the hotel’s sturdy electric bikes, we found we could zip along to the vast spaceship-like Lindt museum in a few minutes, or whizz up the steep hill past shuttered villas to get a glimpse of the countryside beyond.

Rooms 

Our first-floor room had the feel of a modern Swiss apartment, with a little kitchenette, parquet floor, modern lamps and grey and lake-blue furnishings. A spacious balcony was the ideal spot to sit in the late-afternoon shade and watch swimmers jumping off the jetty, and, further out, speedboats tearing down the lake to Rapperswil. 

Restaurant and terrace

The hotel’s interior is all wood and pale neutrals — light and calm pervades. A lobby leads through to the show-stopping lake view restaurant, The Alex, which offers — perhaps surprisingly for an out-of-town joint — a business lunch for SFr49 for two courses, or three courses for SFr59 and a more involved evening menu. The Living Circle owns a farm across the lake in Herrliberg, as well as a winery in South Switzerland — and the group prides itself on its locavore cuisine: fishermen are name-checked and all suppliers listed on menus, and the bread from Bakery Imholz has been producing bread, made with ancient grains, for over 90 years. 

On our visit, we made the most of a terrific brunch on the terrace that seemed to show no sign of abating when we had to leave for the airport mid-afternoon. The crowd was a mix of hotel guests and tables of glamorous Zürchers meeting friends for the generous charcuterie-rich buffet and Bloody Marys in the sun. 

Spa and gym

A small cosy wood-clad subterranean spa with a hammam, steam room and sauna looks has direct access to the lake, so you can plop into the water if you overheat, or retreat if you are starting to feel the chill. A little gym has all the usual equipment and is open 24 hours.

At a glance:

• Good for: An escape from the city, and lake access 

• Not so good for: Culture — you will need to zip into town for this 

• FYI: The hotel, and indeed the whole Living Circle Group, is plastic-neutral 

• Rooms: 41 rooms/junior suites, plus two penthouses

• Rates: Double, from SFr420 ($475/£377)

• Don’t miss: A trip on the hotel boat across the water to Herrliberg to dine at Buech, a wonderful hillside restaurant affiliated with the Living Circle. In warm weather, reserve a terrace sunset spot, and marvel as the light fades over the vineyard sloping down to the lake, with the snowy mountains in the distance. In winter, you will feel cosseted in the restaurant’s Heidi-like interior. 

• Website; Directions

Rebecca Rose was a guest of The Living Circle

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