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This article is part of a guide to Zurich from FT Globetrotter
The Dolder Grand is a rare and attractive hotel hybrid. A few minutes after leaving the big city of Zurich, you'll arrive at a place with the look and facilities of a mountain resort. The hotel has a very traditional yet contemporary feel: The original building's impressive turn-of-the-century towers rise, in the shape of a crown, from Zurichberg's hill forest above the city, but as you approach, the undulating Foster + Partners suites unfold before you to reveal a playground filled with spas, bars and restaurants. The Magic Mountain meets James Bond, with an occasional sprinkle of Walt Disney.
The hotel is an excellent place for a longer stay in the city. It is close to but separate from downtown Zurich. You wake up to a panoramic view of the city and lake below, with the Alps in the distant background, eat breakfast on the terrace, and you can walk in the woods behind you, swim in the 25-metre pool or choose to play golf or tennis. When you're longing for city life, take the hotel shuttle or the charming 1970s Dolderbahn train and reach the city in 15 minutes.
Hotel Dolder has a surprising local feel. Its many facilities serve local clients as much as hotel guests, and it's a country getaway for city dwellers. Our room overlooked the wedding garden and the pavilion from which on a sunny weekend afternoon wafted the gentle hum of Schweizerdeutsch against the backdrop of the Un homme et une femme theme tune.
The hotel is large and diverse enough to meet the needs of all types of guests. Those in need of pure luxury are catered for with a pop-up Krug and meze bar, a gold-and-crystal-covered main restaurant and private spa suites. But the cheerful concierge team will also tell you where the best river swim is, how to walk to the nearest farm or where to bike in the forest.
Rooms
Most of the bedrooms are located in the Foster Suites and are very comfortable and in a very modern and elegant way. Floor-to-ceiling windows slide back so you can enjoy the views, sleep with the windows open, and wake up with the birds. Stone-walled bathrooms with multi-nozzle showers and beautiful Swiss products, and in the bedroom, Bang & Olufsen audio-visual equipment, matching desks and good lighting contribute to a feeling of considered and functional luxury.
The hotel has a large collection of contemporary art, as diverse as the hotel's clientele: Barry Flanagan's Rabbit Leaping from Port Kosher; Duane Hanson's worn-out “Traveler” lies next to the bar; Multicolored ballerina Niki de Saint Phalle greets you on your way to the spa. QR codes are posted next to the artworks for those who want to learn more about each piece.
Restaurants and bars:
The hotel's main restaurant, Saltz, is a modern and cozy brasserie with a large terrace. The breakfast buffet is exceptional, whether you're looking for lively breads and birch muesli, steak tartare or dim sum, Bündnerfleisch and blueberries, or a daily special like Eggs Dracula (poached eggs, hollandaise, rösti, spinach, and truffles – prepared first) for a party. At the Dracula Club in St. Moritz). The lunch and dinner menu offers simple, immaculately prepared food, and Sunday brunch is available.
The restaurant offers a fine-dining menu, offering a six- or eight-course menu at dinner (CHF 300 and CHF 340) and lighter offerings at lunchtime. While the room itself may be too formal and shiny for some, confident and innovative dishes quickly take over. It's very upscale (it uses ingredients like turbot, wagyu beef, and osetra caviar) but it's also seasonal and local (potatoes from the Albula Valley, white asparagus, alpine antelope meat), with some strong flavors (lobster with watermelon, estragon, fennel, And spinach). green curry). The wine list reflects this mix of great international bottles alongside a comprehensive selection of Swiss and other regional wines. Chef Heiko Nieder is a reassuring presence, an artisan at the peak of his career who is clearly still enjoying himself. The service is focused and friendly.
Additionally, a pavilion has been converted into an eight-seat omakase bar, and there were a variety of pop-ups when we visited: lobster pop-up restaurants, Krug Champagne, and meze. The large, cozy Canvas Bar also serves casual classics such as club sandwiches and salad niçoise.
In a glance:
Suitable for: Destination pampering; opinions; Feeling of nature
Not so good for: City life is not on your doorstep and requires a small amount of effort/planning to get there
FYI: In the summer, this is a great place to watch fireworks displays on Lake Zurich below. But it's also quite far from the lake if you want to swim in it
Gym and Spa: There is a huge (4000 sqm) and luxurious spa with a 25 meter pool, a beauty salon and every type of treatment you can think of.
Sports facilities: Five tennis courts, ice skating in the winter, and a gym (plus a nine-hole golf course and a driving range nearby)
Rooms and Suites: 115 rooms, 60 suites
Prices: starting from 790 Swiss francs, including breakfast
website; directione
Andrew Jones was a guest at The Dolder Grand
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