Living the Luxury Lifestyle in Switzerland

By Chris Hanneman -

1.31.16

No matter the occasion, Switzerland is continually one of my favourite places to travel. Sure the Swiss are good with punctuality and have services and amenities knuckled out to a T, but to be on the frontier of luxury, you got to have much more than that. The Swiss have mastered the art of luxury with a twist of a unique “savoir faire” seen in their iconic specimens of luxury, be it the wrist watch, the chocolate fondue or the Gruyère cheese. As a central european country, I sometimes wonder whether that is the fortune of having some impressive neighbours. Perhaps over the centuries there has been a slice of style borrowed from France, perfectionism mimicked from Germany and yet all with a hue of that simple love of life that has quite likely been pinched from Italy. I love travelling to Switzerland, for with its home grown natural beauty, it has the perfect cocktail mix of the most evocative kind.

 

Hopefully to your benefit, as it was most certainly to mine, here is selection of venues in Switzerland where luxury was served with a dash of style, a serving of charm and that unique ingredient of copious savoir faire.

 

Sagibeiz - For Your Inner Gastronomic Adventurer

Perhaps well off the beaten track, you’ll most certainly be rewarded in you efforts to arrive at Sagibeiz, an exceptional Michelin starred restaurant that is located along the river Walensee in the city of Murg. In the perfect mix of beautiful outdoor scenery, seated amongst rich textured woodwork and a cosy interior, a thoroughly gastronomic adventure is offered. Choose from menu delights such as a Cordon-Bleu filled with alpine cheese from the sennästube in flums and smoked country ham, the roulade of Swiss veal or a latte macchiato parsnip soup with caramelized quince cubes wildly grown in Murg. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what to expect with that last one, although with the curiosity it inspired, i do pray someone let me know.  

 

Zurich - A Fashionista’s Paradise

Zurich is a luxury shopper's paradise, where more than just a few aspiring fashionistas have been known to empty out the full contents of their saving’s bank accounts. Perhaps not done in a series of wise choices, at least they can rightfully claim it was a series of good tastes. And at the end of the day, I ask you what is really more important? Scenes to commit crimes against well intentioned financial advice mostly happen on Bahnhofstrasse, a golden mile of boutique fashion houses lined up like polished little match boxes on either side of its promenade. Designer names include Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Confiserie Sprungli and Givenchy. I personally lost my common sense behind in an unsuspecting little store named Navyboot where I bought a strikingly appealing pair of leather gloves for which I honestly don’t care to remember how much I paid. So after a visit to Bahnhofstrasse while you may be broke and quite possibly behind bars with your retail addiction, you can be rest assured that more importantly, you now look absolutely smashing!

 

Baden - Bad by day, wicked by night

Baden and its nearby wellness springs offers a superb luxurious retreat to break away and revitalise in its thermal springs that have some of the highest known mineral concentration. With a lot of nude bathing, massage treatments and indulgent luxury offers available, Baden is perhaps bad by day, but then it is outright wicked by night. In this quiet little satelite town of Zurich, one does not suspect things to get to a head as they do here. Amidst International festivals, a Grand Casino and the golden coloured Power Tower the champagne is pouring as visitors splash the cash around as if it was fairy dust. Ladies float through rooms in glamorous dresses drinking martinis, while their men put down thousands of dollars on the table betted on a single throw of the dice. Losses most certainly happen, but life moves on and so do these glamorous guests who carry on to suggest “another glass of champagne darling?”

 

So with some of these ideas indulge in your Switzerland luxury stay by the heaped silver spoonful and hire a luxury car for the occasion. Be it the Aston Martin (a personal favourite of mine), the Bentley or the Maserati, you’ll need a car that can take you through it all with impeccable style.