Lake Zurich Hotel Rossli ‘a la bonne foi’

Life in Europe is busy. Very busy. Especially in the peak season. So heading out on the bonne foi (i.e. without making prior reservations) is quite a risky thing to do. The last thing you want is to end up in some dodgy hotel with their last available (flea-ridden) bed. So nowadays most Europeans book their overnight stays beforehand. The bean-counter in me scoured the net to find a suitable room, but the Indiana Jones kept closing the windows, insisting we wing it. Often I have these personal struggles …

Not having been to Switzerland before, we really had no idea where to go or where to stay. Our plan? We’d seen a video of the Rheinfall near Schaffhausen, which we had to see and then were heading South towards Italy to meet family in two sleeps. So two hotel rooms were necessary and loads of driving. We wanted to sniff in the fresh Alpine air and gasp at mountains through our panoramic roof.

We made the waterfall around 3pm and in spite of the hoardes, it didn’t disappoint. The bustle did however make me wonder if our “bonne foi” decision was a good one. Up until now, the landscape had been relatively flat, so we started looking for peaks on the Swiss road map. We also wanted to see what the Zurich fuss was all about. So our decision for the first night was either a mountain view or on the water.

It was nearing peak-hour traffic when we came to a standstill. It took more than half an hour to move about 5km’s. There weren’t even any roadworks, it was just the rain. Surely that wouldn’t be a problem for the efficient Swiss? Travel fatigue set in big time and we felt every minute of the 10-hour journey from Holland. Our immediate priority became finding a room for the night. Suddenly we felt like Mary and Joseph. Without the baby. Or the sheep. Or the shiny star.

Situated on Lake Zurich, Rapperswil seemed to tick the boxes, so we figured we’d find a hotel there. However, when the traffic finally started flowing again, the next thing we knew, we’d taken a wrong turn and were heading across the lake where we should have turned right at the T-junction. The oncoming traffic was jammed bumper-to-bumper. We were beaten. We just couldn’t face another hour of watching the rain battle the windscreen wipers. Unanimously we decided to stop at the next hotel.

We saw the magic “H” halfway across the lake. Just as lighthouses beckon yachts in troubled seas, we heeded the sign, “Hotel Rossli” to the left. Through the pelting rain, we caught glimpses of a friendly hotel. No fleas here! We were in luck, there was one room left. The concierge even brought a brolly so we could fetch our luggage from the car. Totally knackered from the drive, we thought we’d quickly get a bite to eat and then a VERY good night’s sleep.

Not even changing from our shorts and tees, we splashed our faces, donned a windproof jacket and headed to the restaurant. The look on the waitresses’ face told us that we were extremely underdressed. Then she saw the shattered looks on our faces and smiled, welcoming us to our table. Fellow patrons glanced at us disdainfully. I felt my cheeks getting hotter. Oops. What else could we do? We were knackered and hungry. So we smiled as graciously as we could and they turned their attention elsewhere.

The food was sublime. I’m not a big fan of fish, for two reasons. One being the overfishing of the oceans and two, because I can’t cook it well. However, this fish was freshly caught in Lake Zurich and prepared by a fish-god. It was divine. Marcel beamed just as eagerly over his lamb medallions. The wine and beer was also superb and helped us unwind from the car journey. The quick-bite-to-eat turned into a very leisurely dinner and a wonderful experience.

I was particularly impressed at how romantic the dining room was. Reflections from the lake sparkled through the glass walls. It was one of those Hollywood wedding venues and made me want to say, “I Do!” all over again. Not that I’m undermining our nuptials in the woods by any means, that was an exceptional experience.

Our room was average. The bed looked like the cheap wooden Ikea model that we’d been eyeing for our guest room, but had settled on a metal frame. The bedding was crisp and inviting. The bathroom was as it should be, clean and functional. Our breakfast was delicous and served in the extended hotel lobby. We mistook the uncooked eggs for being hard-boiled. Fortunately the first gentle crack warned us of the runny contents without spilling itself onto the plate. A close call. Umsch!

The dinner was more expensive than the room, but we were happy to settle the bill. This bonne foi experience was a huge success! Nothing like finding a nugget by chance. If we had turned right instead of straight … who knows where we’d have stayed?