"Interestingly modernised hotel which operates discreetly behind the façade of a conjoined group of elegantly classic town houses. Once inside, and past the friendly concierge and Reception, there’s a clever labyrinth of interconnecting corridors, stairs and lifts which link all the public areas in not an entirely intuitive way. But it’s quite enjoyable wandering around; everywhere is well kept, the décor is a mix of heritage and contemporary, and there is a general feeling of wellbeing not found in more corporate establishments.
We stayed in a Design King deluxe suite on the fourth floor. As we had asked for a quiet room, we were positioned at the back of the hotel overlooking, from a long way up, the Garden Bar. Any daytime noise was barely discernible and nights were silent. On the hotel website, the equivalent suites at the front of the hotel look more appealing but do overlook a pedestrianised area directly outside.
Our room was perfectly functional and was positioned just under the roof so interesting to see all the ceiling reinforcements designed to additionally support the elderly rafters and fascias. With a bed one end and a small lounge area at the other, it wasn’t difficult area to navigate. The bed was comfortable enough, but our duvet was usually flung off overnight as the air-conditioning was somewhat benign. There wasn’t much room between the bed and the adjacent wardrobe utility area. In fact, you couldn’t even get into bed once the wardrobe doors were open apart from climbing over from the other side – just a minor blip. No problems with bathroom which had plenty of space and lots of marble and mirror. The shower was within a capacious glass cube, and easy to operate with plenty of hot water…and no leakage onto the bathroom floor; other hotels to note. Room servicing was very efficient. We also appreciated the chocolates, wine and fruit on arrival, plus several gratis bottles of water during our stay.
Elsewhere, breakfast was taken in the tasteful hotel restaurant, and the civilised buffet matched the surroundings. No surprises or bizarre options, just quality items meeting the usual expectations, which were then quickly replenished well before choice became limited. Rather an upgraded egg-menu compared to most places, and numerous servers plus two chefs meant that no one was waiting to loo long for anything.
We did try the popular ground floor bar a few times and used the hotel entrance to do so. The waiters seem to keep an eye out for hotel guests but it’s a busy place and there’s a guy on a piano so it’s not exactly restful. However, worth a visit to see the impressive range of spirits behind the bar – so many that a ladder is required to reach some of them. We also visited the Garden bar on a couple of occasions. Fortunately, we were early enough to get in before the “wait here” barrier went up, so avoided the queue of elegant punters which is quite a regular occurrence apparently. It’s a pleasant place with a good atmosphere so I can see the attraction.
We used the hotel as a convenient base for all the locations that we wanted to visit. It’s in a superb position, just behind Zurich’s equivalent of London’s Bond Street, Bahnhofstrasse, so quite a select area. The nearest tram stop is just a couple of minutes’ walk away, and the train station and Lake Zurich’s ferry service are quite close too. The latter operates enhanced tours around the lake so doubles up as a mini-cruise in some cases. The Widder has loads of decent restaurants nearby and Zurich is an easy city to navigate and explore. Big-hitting attractions like the FIFA and Lindt Museums need a smidgeon more effort but are well worth it, especially when using the convenient Zurich City card.
So, the Widder’s a good reliable choice as a city base, and we would happily recommend."
