You won’t see many hotels on stilts over water in Europe. It’s a form intimately associated with the Maldives or Southeast Asia, where travelers arrive ecstatic, begging to sleep as close to the turquoise waters as possible without waking up wet. It’s hardly what you expect from Switzerland.
But with the Alps in the distance, this little lakeside hotel brings the spirit of the tropics to unlikely Western Europe. Here, Ladders drop down from Hotel Palafitte's private terraces — and giddy honeymooners descend for morning swims in glass green waters.
The location is a 45-minute drive from Bern, in the foothills of the Jura mountains in a setting known as the Three Lakes region. Palafitte’s lake, Lake Neuchâtel, is the largest of the three, and elsewhere in the surrounding country factories build the most prestigious watches in the world. Visitors enjoy a robust wine region, wonderful cycling routes, and plenty of snow and ice in the winter.
It’s excellent news then for travelers that Hotel Palafitte — open 11 months a year, including all but December in the Swiss winter — does not try for a one-to-one replica of the Maldives.
Its rooms are much more high-tech, much more contemporary, than they are the rustic, open-air bungalows on the Indian Ocean.
In reality, Palafitte doesn’t take its original inspiration from the tropics at all. Here, on Lake Neuchâtel, stilted dwellings date back to prehistoric times. A nearby museum walks guests through that architectural heritage.
But if we’re talking history, let’s talk the Eiffel Tower and the Ferris Wheel. Both were the first buildings of their kind, both built to impress travelers en route to a world’s fair. Palafitte has the same lineage, built to draw stares at 2002’s Swiss National Exhibition.
The hotel was so ahead of its time it still looks cutting edge two decades later. Developed in collaboration with students from the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, steel stilts hold up futuristic boxes, each with unobstructed views of the lake. The 14, earth-bound Shore Pavilions, set back from the water, are more or less identical, adding views of the Swiss Alps to go with those of the lake. In summer, guests rent kayaks and paddle boards, water-skis, and boats. In winter, they enjoy the hotel’s MICHELIN restaurant, glittering views, and in-room spa treatments.
The hotel is in the process of adding a permanent spa, along with more technological improvements in the spirit of its cutting-edge history. But for some, this is a European hotel in the true spirit of the tropics: the location’s enough.
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Nuts & Bolts
A bite-sized breakdown of your most frequently asked questions about Hotel Palafitte.
Who comes here?
Guests — often couples — looking for a few days of rest and relaxation on the lake. This is also a top hotel for corporate and business travel, often welcoming business people in the area to visit the local watch factories.
When’s the best time to visit?
The hotel’s open all year round, with a month or so break for the Christmas holidays. The summer appeal of the setting and its many water sports is obvious, but even in winter the hotel is a special spot for a tranquil escape in a unique corner of Switzerland known as the Three Lakes region. In fall, the nearby town of Neuchâtel hosts the Fête des Vendanges — an open-air wine festival that’s one of the most celebrated in Europe.
What else is there to do in the area?
Visit the vineyards, take a boat ride, explore the little towns peppered around the lake, enjoy cycling tours, and do all the water sports you’d expect on the largest lake in Switzerland.
Best room for a solo traveler? A couple? A family?
There’s only two room categories: Shore and Lake. The latter are the stilted rooms set over water, but the Shore rooms are just slightly removed from the water, and make up for any lack of novelty with views of the Swiss Alps in addition to the ones over the lake. Rooms are envisioned primarily with couples in mind, but each fits three guests.
What’s a design feature I would miss if you didn’t tell me about it?
Regular guests know the differences between each room, and build their subsequent trips around them. For instance, one pavilion may be particularly well suited for sunset views, while another has a privileged look at a favorite landing spot for the lake’s many species of birds. You can always ask the MICHELIN customer service team for help selecting a room.
What’s there to eat?
La Table du Palafitte is the hotel’s MICHELIN-selected restaurant, with its large waterfront terrace and Mediterranean menu. Le Cadran is the cocktail bar with a tapas menu and weekly live music, and Le Summer Bay opens in May for outdoor drinks on the water.
Anything to say about sustainability?
With so much of its appeal vested in the natural setting, Palafitte commits to many sustainability initiatives to give back and operate responsibly. Among them: the hotel runs on 100 percent renewable hydropower, sources herbs for the restaurant and bar from their own garden, and works with a local company to transform kitchen waste into renewable energy.
What’s the final word?
Location, location, location — one of the most architecturally creative hotels in Europe makes incredible use of its spectacular setting, and introduces travelers to the joys of Lake Neuchâtel.
Top image: Hotel Palafitte
