We Checked Into Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern and Didn’t Want to Leave

Lake views, a private boat trip, a horse-drawn carriage through town, Swiss comfort food, and a very special anniversary afternoon tea: our stay at Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern felt less like a hotel visit and more like stepping inside a postcard we didn't know we'd been waiting for.

The feeling set in before we'd even unpacked. From check-in to the final goodbye, everything unfolded with a kind of effortless warmth that's rarer than it should be at this level of hospitality. This is, unmistakably, a palace — every detail considered, nothing left to chance — and yet nothing about it feels stiff or overwrought. That balance, we suspect, is harder to strike than it looks.

Then, of course, there's the view,  the real star of the show. The hotel sits directly on the shores of Lake Lucerne, looking out over still blue water, passing boats, and the Swiss Alps rising beyond. It's the kind of picturesque that ambushes you every few minutes, as the light shifts almost imperceptibly and suddenly demands to be photographed all over again.

The Palace Hotel first opened its doors in 1906, the vision of Swiss entrepreneur Franz Josef Bucher, who imagined a Mediterranean-style retreat improbably nestled in the heart of Switzerland. Following an extensive restoration, the Belle Époque landmark reopened in 2022 as Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern, its original architecture intact, layered now with contemporary interiors and quiet nods to the hotel group's Asian heritage.

This year, the property marks its 120th anniversary. After a few days on its shores, it's not hard to understand why people have kept returning to this particular bend of the lake for well over a century.

Our room was incredibly comfortable, but not in the anonymous luxury-hotel way where everything is beige and you could technically be anywhere.

The interiors take cues from the surrounding Swiss landscape, combining muted greens, natural wood, brass accents and warm textures with the building’s original Belle Époque details. Most rooms and suites also come with private balconies or terraces overlooking Lake Lucerne and the mountains.

The result feels elegant without being stiff. There are beautifully made details everywhere, but the room still invites you to unpack, put on a robe and seriously reconsider every plan that involves leaving (but then again, the lake and the promenade will be calling your name.)

It is also extremely quiet, which becomes even more noticeable after a full day outside. The beds are excellent, the bathrooms are spacious and the lake view makes opening the curtains in the morning makes you wonder if you'll ever be able to leave.

A Day on the Lake

Of course, staying beside Lake Lucerne and not getting onto the water would have been slightly criminal.

We spent part of the day travelling by boat, taking in the surrounding mountains, waterfront towns and changing views across the lake. Lucerne is an ideal base for exploring Central Switzerland, with boat cruises connecting visitors to nearby mountains and destinations including Rigi, Pilatus, Stanserhorn and Bürgenstock.

There is something about seeing the landscape from the water that makes everything feel quieter. The mountains seem larger, the villages look almost staged and even the air feels different. After the boat, we continued by horse-drawn carriage, which may sound slightly theatrical because it absolutely was—and we loved it.

Moving through the Swiss countryside at that pace gave us time to actually look around rather than rushing from one stop to the next. As per the food, we indulged in traditional Swiss food comprising of rösti, melted cheese (a lot of it!) and other delicacies that felt warm and generous, exactly what we wanted after a full day outside.

Back at the hotel, one of the clear highlights was its special anniversary afternoon tea, created to mark the Palace's 120-year history. Served inside MOzern, the experience felt like a small edible journey through the hotel's past — tradition layered with the playful precision you'd expect from Mandarin Oriental. Polished, yes, but still fun: the kind of tea where every course makes you curious about what's coming next.

MOzern is the hotel's all-day brasserie and social heart, all high ceilings, chandeliers, and views stretching over the lake and mountains beyond. Alongside its signature afternoon tea, it serves Mediterranean dishes, international breakfasts, sharing plates, and cocktails, built around menus that lean seasonal and locally sourced.

The setting does a lot of the work, admittedly — tea simply tastes better with Lake Lucerne as the backdrop; that's just science. But the anniversary edition felt genuinely tied to the hotel's own story, not staged purely for a photograph. It was celebratory, a little nostalgic, and beautifully executed. And for the confirmed coffee people we are, this was one of the rare times we found ourselves genuinely savouring a cup of tea: bold, properly steeped, full of flavour.

We ate at MOzern more than once during our stay, and the food never wavered. The menu moves through Mediterranean flavours without ever settling into predictable — generous, well-balanced dishes built for sharing. It's the kind of restaurant where you plan for a quick meal and somehow linger for two hours, because the room feels good, the service is unhurried, and another plate always seems like a perfectly reasonable idea. We particulary loved the lobster tagliolini and Mediterranean sea bass.

In warmer months, MOzern spills out onto Quai 10, its seasonal lakeside terrace, where we were lucky enough to land a table. Overlooking the water, it serves the same menu in a relaxed outdoor setting that's welcomed visitors for well over a century.

Even breakfast deserves its own mention. The spread was extensive without tipping into overwhelming, everything tasting fresh and properly considered. More importantly, no one rushed us which is essential when coffee, pastries, and a lake view are all in play. Additionally to the buffet, an à la carte menu will satisfy anyone dreaming of perfectly poached eggs, pancakes and other waffles.

The Luxury of Feeling Looked After

What stayed with us most was not one dramatic gesture, it was how consistently good everything felt.

The welcome was warm, the team remembered the small things. Every activity ran smoothly, meals never felt hurried. Returning to the hotel after a day outside felt genuinely comforting, and even the departure was handled with the same attention as the arrival.

That may sound simple, but it is surprisingly rare.

Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern has all the obvious luxury-hotel elements: the historic architecture, the lakefront position, beautifully designed rooms, Michelin-starred restaurants and a Biologique Recherche spa. But what makes it memorable is the feeling it creates around those things. It is luxurious, yes, but also warm, calm and incredibly easy to settle into.

From the lake and carriage rides to the Swiss food, anniversary tea and slow mornings at MOzern, every part of the visit felt special. The only part we did not enjoy was leaving.

More info and booking on www.mandarinoriental.com/en/luzern