Set in the heart of Switzerland, Hotel Villa Honegg sums up the charm, tradition and sense of luxury in this spectacular mountainous country
Whether it’s for the mesmerizing scenery, with its 7,000 lakes and the world-famous mountain the Matterhorn; the luxuries from watches to chocolates; or the fast-growing and modern economy, Switzerland is consistently rated as one of the world’s most desirable countries to live in, or to visit.
Whether you love to hike, in which case the classic 12-day Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route is for you, or if you love the views of the Alps, the Jura valleys, and the Rhine Gorge – Switzerland’s own ‘Grand Canyon’ – there’s always something to see and enjoy, and the country has a well-earned reputation for being peaceful and law-abiding.
Standing in the heart of the country in Ennetbürgen, about an hour from Zurich and just 12 minutes from Buochs private airport, is Hotel Villa Honegg, a boutique establishment where the bywords are “cordiality, enthusiasm and appreciation” – descriptive of the hotel’s daily work in interacting with its guests, employees, partners and the environment.
Beauty
Built by self-taught architect Emile Durrer-Traxler, the hotel sits 914m above sea level, on a spot regarded as the most beautiful in the area. It opened in 1906 with 72 beds. The guests were collected at the mountain-top station of the Bürgenstock cable car by horse and carriage, later in the hotel limousine. Guests travelling by car from Ennetbürgen took the narrow road up to Honegg, coming from all over the world and staying sometimes for the whole summer. Emil also built the connecting route from Hotel Honegg to the new trail, the Felsenweg.
The hotel had its own sports facilities – though what was a tennis court is now a helicopter landing pad! – and was supplied with agricultural products such as milk and cheese by the surrounding farms of Honegg. Much of that tradition remains in the modern day, with the hotel’s attractions including an alpine herb garden and three beehives near the house, providing the kitchen with a ‘sense of place’, offering treasures to give guests the opportunity to discover and taste the surrounding nature. Buying meat and vegetables from farmers within walking distance, wherever possible directly from the surrounding area or region, is firmly part of the chef’s concept.
The hotel offers a platform for the culture of the region, for example, with the art exhibitions and concerts in the house and with the selected Swiss cultural film program in the in-house cinema.
Delights
As a major employer in the area, with a staff of around 75, Hotel Villa Honegg regards hospitality and cordiality as a mutual promise, regarding it as natural to build on good and fair working conditions as well as professional and individual development opportunities, while bringing its guests all the unique delights and luxuries of Switzerland.
