Hôtel Palafitte on Postcard

"In the first of those, we stayed at Hôtel Palafitte, a cluster of bungalows fanned out over Lake Neuchâtel which, in addition to being exceedingly beautiful, owned at that time the distinction of being the only hotel in Europe built on stilts."

By Giving Up My Need for Perfect Hair, I Learned to Lean Into My Travels

test

@michelinguide

"Hôtel Palafitte is a South Pacific-style overwater bungalow hotel, located not in the Maldives but on the waters of Switzerland’s Lake Neuchâtel." - Le Guide MICHELIN

Switzerland: the most fascinating hotels

test

@michelinguide

"Perfect for those with no taste for the tropics, or anyone who appreciates an inventive and inspiring hotel, Hôtel Palafitte is a South Pacific-style overwater bungalow hotel, located not in the Maldives but on the waters of Switzerland’s Lake Neuchâtel, at the foot of the Jura mountains, with a stunning view of the Alps across the lake. Completed just in time for the Swiss Expo.02, this is an utterly futuristic execution of a timeless concept. After all, farmers lived in houses on stilts above the waters of this very lake some five thousand years ago — but never quite like this." - Le Guide MICHELIN

The Best MICHELIN Guide Hotels in Switzerland

test

Artemis Moon

Google

Thank you for the unforgettable day. Thanks to you, we spent a day with very nice memories. Room at the sea was magnifique. Diner was excellent and the cocktails fantastic. We hope to see you soon again.

Sienna X.

Google

The location of this hotel is excellent, with beautiful views, and they offer canoes and paddleboards. The rooms are spacious. However, the downside is that both the public areas and the rooms were somewhat dirty, with spider webs visible in many places, which was disappointing. This may be due to a shortage of staff, leading to untimely cleaning. The restaurant was mediocre, with food quality not matching the price, and the service was average as well. Additionally, we were charged three times for a purchase at the bar, and this issue was not resolved even by the time we checked out.

Amit Kanjilal

Google

It was a one time experience back in 2010 when we first visited this hotel for 2 nights. All rooms has a direct access to the lake. Some parts of the floor in the room was made of glass to give a maldives feeling where we could literally see the water under the glass. The restaurant food was lovely(except the fish. I forgot the dish name). Customer care is typical swiss. Zero smile with big attitude as if they are doing a favour to you🤣🤣. Nevertheless, would love to stay in the hotel again just for the view. And yes, the night was equally charming..

Sarah Dowding

Google

Fabulous huge rooms on stilts in the lake. Really well appointed and gorgeous views. Loved swimming in the lake direct from our private deck.

Patrick Planter Photography

Google

Was an excellent experience just would like it more if the dinner menu was bigger with more stuff to choose from… other than that amazing staff, and my wife enjoyed it too so I’m good with that.

Boris Nemirov

Google

All I can say is WOW. I was very impressed with Hôtel Palafitte. The location on the lake makes for some gorgeous views all day long. The rooms are uniquely designed, pretty big, have amazing views and are very comfortable. AC only goes down to 19 degrees, so it is a little warm in the rooms during hot days, but cools down nicely at night. Service was outstanding. On-site bar and restaurant are excellent. I highly recommend Hôtel Palafitte and am looking forward to coming back.

Florence H

Google

Food was good, but the service was not courteous at all. Wine list was not given. After ordering the food, the wine was not requested and the food was already served.||Food was good, but the service was not courteous at all. Wine list was not given. After ordering the food, the wine was not requested and the food was already served. We had to wait over 30 minutes for the main course and when we made a note to the service staff there was not a single apology for the delay (neither from the chef de rang nor from the chef de service) completely ignorant and expensive if you pay attention to the service.||The food was good but on the whole, the service was very disappointing.

L B

Google

What is priceless about this hotel is its location, otherwise I can only think of the German expression which so fittingly describes it as “In die Jahre gekommen”. Reception was good, otherwise service and food were rather disappointing and once even downright terrible. Pity.

Artemis Moon

Google

Thank you for the unforgettable day. Thanks to you, we spent a day with very nice memories. Room at the sea was magnifique. Diner was excellent and the cocktails fantastic. We hope to see you soon again.

Sienna X.

Google

The location of this hotel is excellent, with beautiful views, and they offer canoes and paddleboards. The rooms are spacious. However, the downside is that both the public areas and the rooms were somewhat dirty, with spider webs visible in many places, which was disappointing. This may be due to a shortage of staff, leading to untimely cleaning. The restaurant was mediocre, with food quality not matching the price, and the service was average as well. Additionally, we were charged three times for a purchase at the bar, and this issue was not resolved even by the time we checked out.

Amit Kanjilal

Google

It was a one time experience back in 2010 when we first visited this hotel for 2 nights. All rooms has a direct access to the lake. Some parts of the floor in the room was made of glass to give a maldives feeling where we could literally see the water under the glass. The restaurant food was lovely(except the fish. I forgot the dish name). Customer care is typical swiss. Zero smile with big attitude as if they are doing a favour to you🤣🤣. Nevertheless, would love to stay in the hotel again just for the view. And yes, the night was equally charming..

Sarah Dowding

Google

Fabulous huge rooms on stilts in the lake. Really well appointed and gorgeous views. Loved swimming in the lake direct from our private deck.

Patrick Planter Photography

Google

Was an excellent experience just would like it more if the dinner menu was bigger with more stuff to choose from… other than that amazing staff, and my wife enjoyed it too so I’m good with that.

Boris Nemirov

Google

All I can say is WOW. I was very impressed with Hôtel Palafitte. The location on the lake makes for some gorgeous views all day long. The rooms are uniquely designed, pretty big, have amazing views and are very comfortable. AC only goes down to 19 degrees, so it is a little warm in the rooms during hot days, but cools down nicely at night. Service was outstanding. On-site bar and restaurant are excellent. I highly recommend Hôtel Palafitte and am looking forward to coming back.

Florence H

Google

Food was good, but the service was not courteous at all. Wine list was not given. After ordering the food, the wine was not requested and the food was already served.||Food was good, but the service was not courteous at all. Wine list was not given. After ordering the food, the wine was not requested and the food was already served. We had to wait over 30 minutes for the main course and when we made a note to the service staff there was not a single apology for the delay (neither from the chef de rang nor from the chef de service) completely ignorant and expensive if you pay attention to the service.||The food was good but on the whole, the service was very disappointing.

L B

Google

What is priceless about this hotel is its location, otherwise I can only think of the German expression which so fittingly describes it as “In die Jahre gekommen”. Reception was good, otherwise service and food were rather disappointing and once even downright terrible. Pity.

Hôtel Palafitte

Hôtel Palafitte

Photos

Highlights

You might also like