For whatever crazy reason, I wasn’t originally planning on making it to Zurich during my week and a half long trip through Europe. I wanted to see new places – small cities and suburbs. When I made the impulsive decision to go to, though, the opportunity presented itself for me to spend one night in the city. I took it.

I arrived in Zurich after a short trip to Locarno in the late afternoon and checked into the Hotel Ambassador à l’opera. Lucky for me they have a delicious restaurant Opera downstairs so we could get some food there and begin our evening exploring Zurich. I truly enjoyed the food and service there. It can be clearly seen that the Hotel is committed to sustainability and care.

The Hotel just steps away from beautiful Lake Zurich and the opera house; galleries, museums, the world-famous and exclusive Bahnhofstrasse shopping street and the business centers are within walking distance.

I then went to my room and was unexpectedly upgraded to the Ambassador Superior Plus room with a view of Opera and Lake! We were welcomed with a Swiss chocolate and beer in the room – almost everything I needed in Switzerland.

It was a bit of a shock, so I then spent about an hour just wandering around the room aimlessly, and sending videos to the guys on whatsapp that were along the lines of ‘OMG LOOK AT THIS!’.

I really don’t know what I liked best, it’s as if they excelled in everything! The bed was heavenly comfortable, the staff were awesome. Though I have been to many 4S hotels Ambassador à l’opera tops them all!

Though we spent in Zurich only 24 hours, I had an ace up my sleeve –local knowledge in the guise of my amazing Swiss friend who has called the city home almost his entire life. He took us through the main sights of the city: The Fraumünster, the Grossmünster, the Lindenhof – also know as the best place for a view over the city. For me, it was a great re-orientation to the city.

Before spending any time in Zurich, I had the impression that it would feel sterile and boring. And while on the surface, Zurich seems to be a place that’s hard to read, the more hours we spent just wandering around and getting lost, the more we realised that wasn’t the case, and Zurich was much more vibrant than I expected. Next morning I woke up bright and early at 9 am, got up and sorted, and then we had a nice breakfast downstairs. I had the poached eggs and the french toast with a fresh OJ. It was amazing.

After breakfast, we went up to the room so we could pack, and had some chill out time on the balcony. It was a glorious sunny day, and the view was incredible! Zurich has captured my heart and mind so that I contemplated extending my stay for one night I had left and then racing to the Paris airport the morning of my flights. But I already had a hotel booked in Paris that was too late to cancel. So I had to promise myself to come again and stay in Zurich at least for a week.

Zurich has a fair selection of great hotels but Small Luxury Hotel Ambassador à l’opera is the place to stay in when you’re in the city. If you’re into anything even remotely Swiss (and trust me on this one, even if it’s just the chocolates – you will soon find reason enough to want to visit a Swiss city) then this hotel is bound to be on your travel radar.

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