From lakeside suites to mountaintop retreats, Switzerland showed us that luxury is not just about grandeur. It is about balance, beauty, and intention. Over six unforgettable days in Spring 2025, we, representing Indonesia Design, journeyed from Geneva to Lucerne as guests of Switzerland Tourism, experiencing firsthand how this country elevates hospitality through design, sustainability, and a deep reverence for place. What we discovered was not just comfort and style. Equally important, it was a celebration of everything that makes travel meaningful.
We landed in Geneva with great expectations, and the Mandarin Oriental more than delivered. Nestled beside the Rhône River, the hotel welcomed us with a quiet kind of luxury. It’s the kind that speaks in textures, soft lighting, and the beautiful blending of modern elegance with Swiss precision. It was here that we took our first breath of calm. This place was where we set the pace for the days ahead. Geneva’s Jewel of Hospitality and Harvest That evening, we strolled along the lakeshore to The Woodward. Architect Pierre-Yves Rochon has beautifully transformed the once grand residence, built in 1901, into Geneva's first all-suite hotel. It feels more like a refined home than a hotel, with generous views of Lake Geneva and interiors that whisper of both history and innovation. Dinner at Le Jardinier, The Woodward’s flagship restaurant, brought us into a world of produce-forward cuisine where every ingredient told a story. Under Executive Chef Olivier Jean’s hand, vegetables were not just sides but stars, as he enhances fine seafood and meats. We dined on the terrace as the lake glowed under the evening sky. It’s amazing, indeed, as we savoured not only food but also a connection to nature itself.
Creative and Culinary Culture Our second day offered a deeper dive into Geneva’s artistic soul. We walked through the Bains district, a neighbourhood once industrial, now buzzing with galleries and cultural life. Espace_L, Skopia, Olivier Varenne, and Lovay Fine Arts opened exclusively for our group. As we moved between exhibitions, we could sense a creative energy that was quietly shaping the city. It’s one thoughtful brushstroke, sculpture, and concept at a time. One exhibition that particularly resonated was Patchwork at Galerie Espace L. Curated with a sense of intimacy and purpose, Patchwork brought together six Latin American women artists: Niura Bellavinha, Pietrina Checcacci, Teodelina Detry, Marcela Ferrero, Mila Mayer, and Mai-Britt Wolthers. Despite being diverse in medium and message, these artists are known for their practices that are harmonised in a compelling aesthetic dialogue.
The exhibition unfolded like a living mosaic. Bellavinha’s geometric abstractions pulsed with elemental energy, reflecting her fascination with natural materials like water and earth. Checcacci’s bronze sculptures evoked a sensual metaphysics inspired by Spinoza’s aesthetics and the eternal feminine. Detry’s black-and-white photography, intimate and poetic, explored the delicacy of freedom and impermanence. In contrast, Mayer’s digitally influenced images reflected her journey from economist to artist, capturing transformation through the lens of memory and modernity. Ferrero, channelling Kandinsky’s spiritual abstraction, used colour as a pathway to self-inquiry, whilst Wolthers balanced form and disruption in works rooted in the lush landscapes of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.
As a whole, Patchwork was more than a group show. It’s a convergence of voices across continents, a tactile, visual, and emotional patchwork of womanhood, place, and possibility. That afternoon, we shifted from fine art to sweet indulgence at La Bonbonnière Chocolate School. Guided by master chocolatiers, we crafted our boxes of handmade rochers, learning about the history of Swiss chocolate along the way. The experience was hands-on, tactile, and, of course, delicious.
Discovering Lucerne’s Sense of Peace and Design
On day three, we boarded a train bound for Lucerne, riding first class with our Swiss Travel Passes. The scenic journey was a joy. It’s smooth, silent, and filled with postcard-worthy views. When we stepped off the train, the Mandarin Oriental Palace awaited. This historic hotel, positioned along Lake Lucerne, offered not just rooms but a sense of serenity that immediately enveloped us. That afternoon, Lucerne Tourism introduced us to the city’s legacy of fine craftsmanship through a visit to the House of Gübelin and the Time Vallée boutique.
We admired exquisite jewellery and learned about gemstone formation at the Gübelin Gem Museum. The storytelling here was powerful, as it connected the precision of gemmology with the beauty of Swiss design. Dinner at MOzern, the hotel’s vibrant restaurant, continued the theme. With its panoramic views and relaxed energy, it felt like a modern-day salon, a place where travellers and locals could meet and enjoy world flavours in a setting that embraced both elegance and ease.
Elevating the Experience at Bürgenstock Resort
The next morning, we travelled by catamaran and funicular to the Bürgenstock Resort, perched dramatically on a mountain ridge 500 metres above Lake Lucerne. The arrival itself was a performance, the lake shimmering below as we ascended into the clouds. The resort unfolded like a private world. Three distinct hotels, a world-class spa, multiple restaurants, and trails with panoramic views made it feel like a village designed for the art of living well. We toured its spaces, marvelling at how architecture and landscape were woven together with such intention.
Dinner at Oak Grill was a feast of wood-fired flavours, with a nose-to-tail menu that highlighted Swiss meats and seasonal vegetables. The following morning, we explored the Alpine Spa, where thermal pools overlooked the lake and time seemed to stand still.
Floating in warm water as snow flurries danced outside the glass was an experience none of us will soon forget. Lunch at the Lakeview Bar and Cigar Lounge offered another quiet moment of reflection. From our window seats, we watched the light change over the mountains. That evening, we returned to Spices Kitchen and Terrace, where Asian dishes from Japan, India, China, and Thailand offered a final celebration of flavour, prepared with the same Swiss precision we had come to expect.
A Journey of Purpose and Beauty
As we made our way home, one idea stayed with us. Luxury in Switzerland is not a display of excess. It is about attention, atmosphere, and authenticity. It lives in the design of a chair that supports without imposing, in the taste of a vegetable grown nearby and cooked with care, and in the stillness of a spa suspended above a lake.
We came for beauty, but we left with something more. A more profound understanding of how elegance, when rooted in purpose, becomes timeless.