This was published 9 years ago
Widder Hotel, Zurich, review: where history, culture and fine food meet
After an exhilarating day wandering old Zurich, looking at galleries and eating fine Swiss chocolates and sausages, it is time to relax in a hot tub.
By Sally Webb
Old town: Parts of Zurich date back to the 13th century.
My bath water is 37 degrees Celsius. I know this because there's a digital thermometer next to the controls for the high-powered water jets that start bubbling furiously when I push them. The television – one of three in my suite – is on, the screen cleverly integrated into the bathroom mirror. From where I'm lying right now it's hard to believe that the building around me is about 600 years old.
I'm soaking at the Widder Hotel in the heart of Niederdorf, in Zurich's old town. This charming hotel – actually a collection of nine historic buildings, the oldest of which dates from the 13th century – is a seamless, timeless blend of the old and the new, as the high-tech bath set up reveals.
Unique: No two guestrooms are alike in the Widder Hotel, Zurich.
My mansard suite, reached by a narrow flight of stairs, is expansive, with a spacious living room and a huge bedroom, a guest cloakroom as well as the large bathroom with separate shower and loo. It's decorated in a palette of black and white with a mix of streamlined contemporary furniture and a handful of carefully selected antiques; a look that in the wrong hands could feel cold and clinical. But with textured rugs and throws, and views over the Niederdorf rooftops, there's a lovely cosyness and, with my own coffee machine, a selection of fine teas and a mini bar full of complimentary beer and wine, I feel right at home.
Indeed, throughout the hotel it is the details that really impress, from the glorious phalenopsis orchids peppered throughout, to the sour jellies in glass jars at reception – just help yourself – to the personal business cards that have been printed for me, with the hotel's details and my direct line, to hand out to whomever I choose. This is a seriously classy joint. No two guestrooms are alike, as they have been individually fashioned out of all the nooks and crannies you get when you meld a bunch of medieval buildings.
The word "widder" translates as ram, and relates to the fact that one of the original buildings was the guildhouse for master butchers. Zurich's guilds of tradesmen and artisans are a unique part of the fabric of the city, and the massive renovations that were undertaken prior to the Widder's opening in 2009 were allowed on the condition that the building could continue to serve as the official butchers' guildhouse, where today's guild members gather for their annual celebration and other events. There's even a small museum in the basement with a host of butchering paraphernalia.
I've come to the Hotel Widder largely because of an Australian connection. Chef Dietmar Sawyere (formerly of Sydney restaurants Forty One and Berowra Waters Inn) returned to his native Switzerland in 2013 and is in charge of the food throughout the hotel, including the flagship Widder Restaurant, a bijou space, low-ceilinged with heavy wooden beams and faultless service.
With his return to his roots, Sawyere's been delighted by the availability of produce. "You can, literally, get anything here," he tells me with glee. A case in point are the first two dishes he serves on a superb degustation menu: citrus-cured lake trout with capellini, pickled cucumber and Oscietra caviar vinaigrette; and a thick slab of foie gras from France delicately caramelised on both sides, with a tinge of pink in the middle and served with fat juicy Nova Scotia scallops. Though I would classify myself as a foodie I have never been a huge foie gras fan but this dish is simply sublime. And after a week of eating heavy traditional Swiss dishes (not to mention just a bit too much cheese and chocolate) Sawyere's food is a delight.
If position is everything, the Widder has it made. It is a very short amble to Bahnhoffstrasse, Zurich's most chic shopping strip, which runs from the main railway station to the lake, and is home to a plethora of global luxury brands and department stores. Two highlights are the intriguing Beyer watch museum with its exhibits of items used for time measurement from Egyptian times to today including sundials and clocks, and the famous Sprungli, where macarons and chocolates are displayed like crown jewels. Bahnhoffstrasse is also a bit of a transport hub, with many routes on the very efficient tram network passing through, which makes exploring other parts of the city easy.
It's a short walk down to the river where Fraumunster cathedral, one of the city's three main churches, has magnificent stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall. Across the water, is Oberdorf, the other half of the old town, where I explore quirky little shops including stationers Waser, which has been in business since 1845, and local designer Stefi Talman's boutique selling beautifully crafted shoes and leather goods in a rainbow of colours.
This being Switzerland, and Zurich being the home of Lindt (and other chocolatiers), it seems wrong not to stop for a cheeky hot chocolate at Conditoreri Schober. The pretty confiserie at the front has changed little since its foundation in the 19th century, while the cafe space upstairs is Baz Luhrman-esque, decorated with plush red velvet, antique furniture and muralled walls. Later I perch with a coffee on a red leather stool at the bar of the art deco Cafe Odeon, which has long been a meeting place for writers and intellectuals, including the Dada artists, James Joyce, Albert Einstein, Lenin and Mussolini.
Clearly, the cultural atmosphere starts taking effect so I jump on a tram up to Zurich's Kunsthaus, in search of more. The city's art gallery is a treasure trove of riches, with everything from Dutch, Flemish and Italian old master paintings (by Rembrandt, Rubens, Tiepolo and Canaletto among others) as well as works by the French impressionists, Nordic expressionists and modern masters including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Paul Klee, Anselm Kiefer and Francis Bacon. Swiss art through the ages is well represented, the highlight of which is the Alberto Giacometti collection of 150 sculptures and 20 paintings covering the Swiss artist's entire oeuvre.
Back at the river, where it flows into Lake Zurich, I track down Vorderer Sternen, which was once a simple sausage stand but has morphed into one of Zurich's most popular eateries. I opt for a fat, pale St Galler veal snag – the other option is a servelat beef and pork – then help myself to bread and mustard, and wash it down with an icy beer.
I spend the afternoon in the burgeoning design and food hub of Zurich West, a reclaimed industrial area where arts centres occupy former turbine halls, and shipping containers have been transformed into hip bars and boutiques.
Returning to the hotel I slip into the famous Widder Bar, a clubby space in leather and timber and a popular gathering point for locals as much as visitors, who come for the regular live jazz, often performed by renowned global musicians, as well as 250 varieties of single malt. The impressive cocktail list includes a whisky sour, sweetened with a dash of fig jam.
The bar's still pumping when I eventually head back to my room. The turndown fairies have done their thing, with multiple fine-linen bathmats laid on the floor of the bathroom, the bedside and loo, lest my feet should ever touch carpet or tiles. There are fresh chocolates on the bedside table – not that I really need them – and the state-of-the-art sound system is set to a local jazz station.
A hard day's sightseeing has taken its toll on my feet. There's only one thing for it. A bath, set at 37 degrees.
The writer was a guest of Hotel Widder and Swiss Tourism.
TRIP NOTES
GETTING THERE
Swiss flies daily to Zurich from Sydney and Melbourne in a code share arrangement with Singapore Airlines.
STAYING THERE
Widder Hotel Rennweg 7 8001 Zurich. See widderhotel.ch
Doubles from $785 a night.
SEE + DO
Beyer watch museum Bahnhofstrasse 31. See beyer-ch.com.
Sprungli Bahnhofstrasse 21 8001 Zürich. See spruengli.ch.
Conditoreri Schober Napfgasse 4. See conditorei-cafe-schober.ch.
Cafe Odeon Napfgasse 4 Limmatquai 2. See odeon.ch/
Fraumunster (Munsterhof 2) Münsterhof 2. See fraumuenster.ch/
Vorderer Sternen Theaterstrasse 22. See sternengrill.ch.
Kunsthaus Heimplatz 1 See kunsthaus.ch/en.
MORE INFORMATION
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