Sharing Some Science in Switzerland :)

[robd]

Day 9: Bern – Zurich
... Arriving at the Park Hyatt, Zurich reminded me why I love this hotel chain. Anyone that missed my ramblings about how much I love the Park Hyatt in the Hyatt thread here is a briefish summary… The staff are fantastic… everyone is here to make your stay the best it possibly can be. I think it comes down to company policy and intensive staff training but everyone you encounter from reception, restaurant, house-keeping and front door have the skills, desire and authority to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Reception provided me with a late check-out at no additional charge, restaurant staff remembered my name and champagne preference, housekeeping were attentive and accurate in filling my requests… and this doesn’t include the hotel itself which is comfortable and classy with a fantastic wine list. It’s not cheap but I strongly recommend it.. stay on points (like I did).. it is amazing! ...

Just checked prices for next year - way out of my league unfortunately. Does look amazing though. :mrgreen:

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Just checked prices for next year - way out of my league unfortunately. Does look amazing though. :mrgreen:

Yes.. I used points..
Maybe next time

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

A quick post script to this trip report as I popped back to Zermatt at the end of September... It was a short trip but again delightful so thanks to JohnM's encouragement I will pop some piccies in here
This time I was with Mr Up so we have some of his feedback also.
We flew direct with EK (QF flight number for SCs) MEL-DBX-CDG to Paris.. Very happy with the chauffeur service (very convenient). Mr Up was not a fan of the EK J class.. thought the seats were too narrow but I was happy
In Paris we stayed at the Park Hyatt Vendome.. Mr Up is Platinum Hyatt.. not sure if it was this or that the travel agent had told them this was my birthday trip but we got upgraded to an amazing suite! Biggest room I have ever seen in Paris (photos below)! While they were organising the upgrade the staff apologised for the delay, gave us complimentary drinks while waiting, the charming Customer Service Manager escorted us to the room.. have I mentioned how much I love this hotel chain!! The staff are amazing. Billicart Rose in the mini bar... Heaven


The details like the little sculptures on the windows just give this hotel the feeling that you are staying somewhere extra special

 

[get me outta here]

Wow, wow, wow.

A quick post script to this trip report as I popped back to Zermatt at the end of September... It was a short trip but again delightful so thanks to JohnM's encouragement I will pop some piccies in here
This time I was with Mr Up so we have some of his feedback also.
We flew direct with EK (QF flight number for SCs) MEL-DBX-CDG to Paris.. Very happy with the chauffeur service (very convenient). Mr Up was not a fan of the EK J class.. thought the seats were too narrow but I was happy
In Paris we stayed at the Park Hyatt Vendome.. Mr Up is Platinum Hyatt.. not sure if it was this or that the travel agent had told them this was my birthday trip but we got upgraded to an amazing suite! Biggest room I have ever seen in Paris (photos below)! While they were organising the upgrade the staff apologised for the delay, gave us complimentary drinks while waiting, the charming Customer Service Manager escorted us to the room.. have I mentioned how much I love this hotel chain!! The staff are amazing. Billicart Rose in the mini bar... Heaven
View attachment 57239

The details like the little sculptures on the windows just give this hotel the feeling that you are staying somewhere extra special
View attachment 57240

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

On the first day the weather was gorgeous so we had a little walk around Paris and saw the Statue of Liberty, walked along the Seine looking at all the boats, Eiffel Tower and Trocadero.
Napoleon was having a bath at Place Vendome so there was an interesting little box around him showing a lot of the history.. quite interesting..
That day was also a kind of national day where all the museums and government buildings were free.. the queues were amazing! But we have been to Paris a number of times so gave the queues a miss. Still a lovely day out.

 

[amaroo]

On the first day the weather was gorgeous so we had a little walk around Paris and saw the Statue of Liberty, walked along the Seine looking at all the boats, Eiffel Tower and Trocadero.
Napoleon was having a bath at Place Vendome so there was an interesting little box around him showing a lot of the history.. quite interesting..
That day was also a kind of national day where all the museums and government buildings were free.. the queues were amazing! But we have been to Paris a number of times so gave the queues a miss. Still a lovely day out.

Liking the update - nice digs! We have 4 nights in Paris after chasing the lights...looking forward to this visit as the kids have been before so we can ditch just about all the tourist sites and focus on enjoying Paris.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

After a couple of nights in Paris we hopped on the train to Zermatt. Oh.. before I go... I have to say that I was impressed with Paris this trip. Last time I thought that Paris had lost a little bit of its shine with aggressive hawkers and con artists. I was pleased this time to see none of this even near the crowded areas. You still have to be aware but it was much better than when we were there 7 years ago (yes... I can't believe it was 7!!).

So Zermatt... the train was scenic.. very fast from France to Switzerland. A nice way to travel. This time we stayed in Zermatt for 3 nights in a Tower Suite at The Omnia Hotel.. breathtaking room and view.. check out the website Omnia Tower Suite : Rooms&Suites : The Omnia as my photos don't do this room justice. There are also some great pictures of the pool and the bat cave that you enter the hotel from

Some pictures of the view from our room for you The photo of the Matterhorn was taken by Mr Up when the sun was rising.. absolutely spectacular but I couldn't face getting up at 6am on my birthday.. a shame though as the weather changed the next day.. Just means we'll have to go back again soon

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

We took the train up the Gornegrat (I didn't do this one last time I was there).. absolutely spectacular! Glaciers galore (so hard to know which pictures to post) and again the weather was great. Not quite as warm as last time (when I was in shorts) but still about 13oC.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

For my birthday we had dinner at The Omnia Hotel restaurant. It was really good.. Innovative and interesting.. The fireplace and the welcoming staff made it a really nice night

The second day at Zermatt was quite different. There had been snow overnight and we could no longer see the Matterhorn from our room. We still decided to go up the Glacier Paradise gondolas anyway (ski runs were closed and it was snowing!). It was amazing to see the difference from the first trip to the second trip.. some pictures below. There was a St Bernard though and champagne



After the snow I walked past a bar and said "I bet they serve a nice Gin and Tonic" so after we thawed out we went back to Gee's Bar in the main street of Zermatt and they had a Brittish publican and a Gin and Tonic list! The GnTs were fun... to give you an example Mr Up had a Professor Cornelius Ambelforth Bathtub gin with Kinley tonic and cardamom bitters – garnished with orange peel.. I had a couple also and really enjoyed them.. I think Mr Up has some photos but unfortunately I don't. The food was also good and reasonably priced.

On our last day the sun was shining again and the Matterhorn came out to say good bye...


I really recommend the trip to Zermatt and the stay at The Omnia Tower Suite... fabulous staff and a beautiful room. Then it was back on the train to Paris. Spent a night at the Park Hyatt (in the room we booked this time) before heading back to MEL the next day. This time we were BA to Heathrow and QF to MEL (via DXB). Hadn't been in the new (?) skybeds in QF A380 J before and they were much better than the ones I remember. Mr Up preferred these chairs to EK and it was easy enough for me to get past him from the window seat. I thought the food was certainly better on QF than EK. I also think arriving at night (rather than first thing in the morning) helped me get over my jet lag a lot more quickly.

Overall it was a fantastic trip and a very happy birthday

 

[Bindibuys]

Happy birthday from one Libra to another.

 

[viccam]

Great report and the pics are fantastic.
One of my favourite countries. Next time jump over to the Italian side of the Alps, and try Lugano and Locarno, they say it's the "Swiss Mediterranean" kind of tropical, Palm trees etc. Very pretty towns, both on lakes (standard) and I suggest its worth taking cruises because they take you to some unspoilt villages en route.

Zermatt is also one of my favourites, was there 2 years ago. Stayed at the Post Hotel, Highly recommended. Great place to meet other travellers form all over the world.
Cable car up the valley to Furli and enjoy a lunch in one of the restaurants.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Happy birthday from one Libra to another.

Thanks BB.. but I am actually a Virgo.. (a cusper and this was a couple of weeks ago)

 

[LadyC]

Some great photos there - looked wonderful!

 

[anat0l]

Nice to see you enjoyed Zermatt redux and so did Mr Up.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Nice to see you enjoyed Zermatt redux and so did Mr Up.

Yep.. Very different to when we were there

 

[anat0l]

Yep.. Very different to when we were there

Indeed - still quite chilly, all the same


I know we have talked about this amongst ourselves, but for the audience here, can you share a bit of your perspective on costs?

Zermatt is lovely and I would recommend everyone at least go there for the day if not staying there. It is not cheap, I can vouch (reasonable when being paid in the native currency...), though more affordable than, say, a holiday in the Maldives or even Bora Bora.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Indeed - still quite chilly, all the same


I know we have talked about this amongst ourselves, but for the audience here, can you share a bit of your perspective on costs?

Zermatt is lovely and I would recommend everyone at least go there for the day if not staying there. It is not cheap, I can vouch (reasonable when being paid in the native currency...), though more affordable than, say, a holiday in the Maldives or even Bora Bora.

Good idea Anat0l As for costs, Switzerland was one of the more expensive countries I have visited and Zermatt being a kind of isolated tourist mecca makes it perhaps a touch even more expensive (think Hamilton Island compared to the mainland). To give you an idea the gondolas to the glacier palace were 100CHF each (50CHF with swiss pass). We do like to stay in the higher end accommodation and the price of The Omnia is probably comparable to the Park Hyatt rack rates and in fact much cheaper if you compare sq meterage.

However I am sure you could do Zermatt on a budget. There is a well stocked supermarket with comparable prices to the major cities (including champagne ) There is a lot of accommodation of varying standards and at least one Hostel. Gee's bar was quite reasonable for food prices (certainly much better value than those horrible pots of food from the Novotel on my first trip!) and the fancy GnTs were 23-30CHF each... but again the ambiance, location and quality does need to be considered.

And if you are on a budget.. as Anat0l suggested you can just come for the day. As you know last time I stayed in Bern and just took the train to Zermatt.

Not sure how it would go in the ski season (peak season) but I think it would be comparable (in price) to Japan.

Hope this helps!