Brace yourself for unparalleled luxury. The Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich is divine. If you go to the Dolder Grand, you must allow at least two days to marinate in this incredible atmosphere. It’s a soul-feeding destination in itself.
A fascinating combination of a fairytale palace and ultra modern luxury hotel, the Dolder Grand is the kind of place that will interfere with your sightseeing plans because you won’t want to leave. Conveniently located on the Zürichberg hill, you are close enough to town (and the airport) to get there quickly, but far enough to enjoy sweeping views of the city, Lake Zurich, and the Alps.
Pulling up in front of the Dolder, you are warmly greeted and made to feel welcome immediately. From the grand entrance, to the dining room and spa, the Dolder is dripping with luxury but somehow remains completely unassuming. There is not a trace of stuffiness in this place. The staff is extremely nice and anticipatory of your needs. Apparently, they have been trained to read minds, because they will offer you whatever it is you are thinking of, sometimes before you complete the thought.
World renowned artwork from the likes of Andy Warhol, Henri Moore, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Salvador Dalí are found throughout the property, but you won’t know it unless you look. It’s just there. You have to notice it on your own, nothing is calling attention to it. By all means, visit the Kunsthaus art museum, but if you are on a quick layover, you can feel satisfied that you got a healthy art fix right there at your hotel.
The Room
Rooms are contemporary and comfortable. I stayed in a Junior Suite that was extremely spacious and perfectly appointed with purple accents, a rounded somewhat futuristic and comfortable leather couch, and fresh orchids. A balcony offers an outdoor seating area with panoramic views.
There is an espresso machine and everything you could think of that you would want in the room. Everything is high tech—it took me a couple of minutes to discover how to work everything, but it was so fun figuring everything out. Even the backlit room numbers and doorbell is cool, but be careful not to accidentally turn on your “do not disturb” light.
The Bath
The bathroom felt like a mini spa. Heated floors, a shower with multiple jets to give you a standing massage, and a large jetted soaking tub makes you want to linger. An integrated television in the the mirrors will keep you company while you’re in the bath or brushing your teeth. Amenities at the Dolder are fabulous and include a comb, nail brush and dental kit. I’m often unable to use hotel amenities because I don’t like synthetic fragrance, but these were fine.
The Dolder’s shampoo, lotion, conditioner are made with essential oils and quality ingredients. They give you a candle to enjoy while you’re soaking in the tub—which I did to end my days there. From the tub, I could see twinkling city lights. I hated going to sleep in this room because I just wanted to make it last as long as possible. But sleep I did, like a baby.
The Spa
The Dolder Grand Spa is probably the best I’ve ever experienced. And that is saying something, because I’ve been to some amazing spas. You can read about that here. If you stay at the Dolder Grand (and even if you don’t), I strongly recommend a visit to this magical spa.
The Pool
The sleek black tiled infinity pool is long enough to swim laps. It has a giant window with alpine views and lounge chairs for relaxing, or you can head to the über cool Chillout Room and curl up in a round hanging chair. Or you can literally chill out in the cold Snow Paradise Room.
The Restaurant
Food at the Dolder is excellent and top quality. I enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the Garden Restaurant, a bright open space with lovely views and beautiful water feature outside huge windows.
Hand crafted pastries like chocolate croissants hit the spot with my cappuccino. I rarely eat breakfast, but savored every bite of my pastry and wild mushroom omelet. You can have anything you want here, and feel free to expect it to be fabulous. The tableware is pretty and coordinates with the flowered walls at the spa.
The dinner menu is just as good, offering light European cuisine. This restaurant knows its way around truffles, so if you see something on their seasonal menu with truffles, you can bet it will be fantastic. I had the risotto, which was delicious.
Our server shaved fresh truffle on my risotto, offering more and more. Best truffles I’ve ever had. The salad was excellent too, but oh, the truffles.
Nothing tastes like truffles, and to have huge slices that melt in your mouth on precisely cooked risotto is divine earthy bliss.
The Dolder Grand Hotel Bottom Line
I would fly across the ocean for two days at this amazing hotel, it’s worth any effort to go. I would say there is no chance of disappointment here. My stay was flawless. The only thing I would recommend is to plan a visit to the Dolder Grand at the end of your trip, because you probably won’t come across anything else like it and this way, you will have something amazing to look forward to.
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* I was a guest of The Dolder Grand, opinions are my own.
* Image of the pool, twilight exterior, and reception courtesy of The Dolder Grand.
