Hotel Villa Honegg

An epic infinity pool with alpine views has made Hotel Villa Honegg an Instagram sensation, but beyond the social media frenzy, this historic property overlooking Lake Lucerne is also a charming addition to Switzerland itineraries needing a wellness boost and easy hiking.

• The infinity pool, kept to an idyllic 93 degrees. Yes, it really is worth the hype
• The hotel’s small scale, with just 23 rooms in a beautiful structure from 1906
• The friendly staff, eager to help and always with an enthusiastic, earnest smile

Instagram users will have likely seen Hotel Villa Honegg on their feed and explore page. Specifically, they will have seen one corner of its heated infinity pool, which has a built in, semi-circular seating area and looks out to Lake Lucerne and the Glarus Alps. That view has earned the hotel an Instagram following of more than 300 thousand—an impressive feat for a rural property in central Switzerland with just 23 rooms.

First opened in 1906, Hotel Villa Honegg has an enviable location on the Bürgenstock, a low alpine mountain that juts out into Lake Lucerne (the glam Bürgenstock Resort is also there—a short walk away through the woods—but faces towards Lucerne and the Swiss lowlands, whereas Villa Honegg faces towards the Alps with the lake in the foreground).

Rooms showcase a serene color palette: cream-colored walls, tan and light-green furnishings, with dark wooden accents. Entry level Classic Rooms are lovely, and can face either the lake or the hotel’s curving driveway and the valley below (with a backdrop of mountains). The bathrooms in these rooms have showers but no tubs. Larger room categories have tubs, as well as balconies from which to admire the shimmering waters of Lake Lucerne. (You can just barely see another dreamy Lake Lucerne property, Park Hotel Vitznau, several miles away across the lake). It’s also possible to take over an entire floor of the property, including several suites as well as Superior and Classic Rooms, accommodating up to 12 guests.

The hotel has done away with a traditional breakfast buffet to minimize food waste, and offers a complimentary a la carte breakfast instead, served daily until 2pm (fret not, late sleepers). In warmer months, meals can be enjoyed on a large terrace. Dinner in the main restaurant is a highlight of most stays, and can be done a la carte or in various tasting menus. During my stay, service was noticeably slow, so we were glad to have chosen a la carte. The Experience Menu, in particular, which involves waiters preparing dishes tableside, seemed particularly drawn out for other diners. There is also a more casual salon, serving quicker, lighter bites. All food is sourced hyper-locally from nearby farms, while the wine list is surprisingly international, with a wide range of surprising options, including the excellent “house” red, which hails from Bulgaria.

For activities, there are several pleasant hikes and mountain bike trails on the Burgenstock, as well as easy excursions, including boat rides on Lake Lucerne, train rides and funiculars up nearby mountains, heli-touring and more.

But it is the spa, on the hotel’s bottom floor, that attracts most guests. Along with the expected treatment options (which use Jacqueline Piotaz products), there is a large steam room and dry sauna, plus a cute-but-cold bucket shower. And then there is that Insta-famous pool. From inside a warm, glass-walled lounge area with multiple daybeds, you enter the 93-degree water via a set of metal steps. A quick turn to the left and you’re outside, with a view of Lake Lucerne that really is as gorgeous as the Instagram photos. A sign near the entry steps advises bathers to leave their phones behind and to be respectful of others in the pool, but nearly every person I saw in the water had their phone with them and was snapping photo after selfie after video.

Did everyone’s obvious preoccupation for documenting the moment ruin the moment? Not for me. I looked up at the views—including to the Rütli hill where, in 1307, representatives from three neighboring states formed a coalition that became modern day Switzerland—paddled around, and took a few photos myself.

Travelers looking for a restful, luxe stop during their Swiss itinerary. The hotel welcomes children, though primarily attracts couples of all ages as well as solo travelers (read: Instagram photographers).

Guests can drive directly to the property, but, being Switzerland, public transportation is easy, efficient and, in this instance, fun. The most scenic way to arrive is by catching a boat from Lucerne to Burgenstock and then taking the 5 minute funicular up the mountain, where a representative from Hotel Villa Honegg will be able to greet you.