Hotel Reuss & Stein, Lucerne

We arrived on a bright July evening, when Lucerne is at its most beguiling, the Reuss running clear and fast beneath the medieval Chapel Bridge, swans loitering, Pilatus blue in the distance. Hotel Reuss & Stein occupies a restored guild house on Hertensteinstrasse, right where the old town loosens toward the lake, and its frescoed facade has been brought gently back to life above the modern street. Inside, the register is calm and adult: walnut panelling, brass rails worn to a soft shine, a Swiss sensibility that values precision over flourish. A glass of cold Lucerne lager arrived as we checked in. The location does a great deal of the work, two minutes one way to the painted bridge, two the other to the waterfront promenade.

The room

Our room sat on the third floor and embodied a kind of understated Swiss luxury, nothing shouted, everything worked. Walls in soft greige, joinery in honeyed walnut, a bed beneath a fine loden throw and crisp percale, lighting on dimmers that actually flattered. A neat writing desk faced the window; a Vitra chair sat beside it; a single framed photograph of the Rigi hung over the bed. The minibar was thoughtfully local. The bathroom was a model of restraint and quality: pale limestone, a brass rain shower, underfloor heating, heated towel rail, and soap from a small Swiss maker. Double glazing kept the street's summer-evening murmur at bay when we wanted it gone, though the view down to the lively lane had its own charm.

Lucerne's prettiness can tip into the twee; Reuss & Stein answers it with grown-up calm and good walnut.The Suite Edit

Service & food

Service is polished and quietly attentive, Swiss efficiency softened by real warmth, lake-steamer timetables produced unbidden, a boat trip to the Rigi arranged, the breakfast egg remembered. The kitchen keeps things regional and precise: a small but excellent menu of lake fish, an Älplermagronen done properly, Lucerne sausage, with a cellar strong on crisp whites from the German-Swiss shore. Breakfast is generous and immaculate, alpine cheeses, charcuterie, Birchermüesli made in-house, soft-boiled eggs, real bread. The crowning room is the top-floor bar, small, walnut-lined, with a terrace that looks across the old-town roofs to Pilatus and a slice of the lake, an ideal perch for a negroni as the light goes long over the water.

The verdict

Hotel Reuss & Stein is for the discerning traveller who wants Lucerne's storybook setting handled with restraint rather than kitsch, culture-goers, couples, those pairing the city with a lake cruise or a KKL concert. The location is superb and the whole thing is beautifully run. The honest caveat is street life: Hertensteinstrasse is a busy shopping and strolling lane, and the front rooms, double glazing notwithstanding, carry some of the summer-evening buzz from below. Guests who prize total silence should request a courtyard-facing room. Those who like a city with a pulse, and the option of stepping straight into it, will be very content at the front.