Murten Hotels
Le Vieux Manoir au Lac
It sits there on the road just outside Murten, a rambling, complicated wooden structure, sprouting a variety of turrets and gables. Impressive but not quite breathtaking.
That comes later, inside, at first sight of the hotels main public rooms: wide windows overlooking park-like grounds and a lake; delicate Murano-glass chandeliers; inlaid wood floors; terra cotta tiles; rich wall and window fabrics; woodwork that whispers master craftsmen; and a perfect choice of colors, furniture, and fixtures. its a show, but the line between opulence and kitsch is never crossed.
Add a fine restaurant, gorgeous guest rooms, lush grounds, a lakeside location, faultless, congenial service and Le Vieux Manoirs selection as "1999 Hotel of the Year" by the prestigious European guidebook publisher, Gault Millau, makes perfect sense.
In recent years, a number of readers have touted this wonderful sanctuary, so we decided to see for ourselves. Our brief stay began with light lunches of perch filets in a superb lemon butter sauce and a feathery lobster and truffle lasagna. Two prices are offered for most menu items, depending on portion size.
Afterward, we walked to the railway station and boarded a train to nearby (30 minutes) Freibourg, where the afternoon was spent browsing the old town. Had it been summer, we likely would have stayed at the hotel to sit by the lake with a book and a cool drink with breaks for the occasional short swim or perhaps have ventured onto the lake for some fishing (the hotel chef will cook your catch).
Dinner in the winter garden-style dining room, distinctive for its comfortable wicker furniture and blue and gold terra cotta floor tiles, was just informal enough that a blue blazer without a tie felt o.k. Women, however, will not be able to get by without a dress.
Fixed price menus include a multitude of courses. We passed on those, however, and started the meal with the usual mixed salads followed by six "00 belon" oysters, which we divided. The oysters were served over crushed ice with a peppery vinegar sauce and salads were what one expects at these prices, of the finest ingredients and tossed in a delicious dressing.
A grilled chicken breast was raised from the ordinary by a sauce flavored with truffles and nutty Jerusalem artichokes. A pistachio and kumquat sauce added an intriguing touch to a juicy saddle of venison.
We came down the home stretch with a variety of tastes from a cheese cart that had been divided by origin, Switzerland and France. After that, we shared an assortment of refreshing, house-made sorbets served with fresh fruit.
In European restaurants of this caliber, just when you think you can't possibly handle even one more morsel of food, your waiter shows up with a plate of exquisite little cookies and chocolates. These were nibbled on while sipping glasses of port and wondering how quickly a second mortgage could be negotiated to pay the bill. (Perhaps it should be noted here that there is a much simpler and less expensive restaurant, the Pinte de Meyriez, in a separate building on hotel grounds. It was closed for renovation during our recent visit.)
Just as much care and thought has gone into furnishing and decorating Le Vieux Manoirs 30 sleeping chambers as the glorious public rooms. Each, of course, is a little masterpiece, with different shapes, sizes, fabrics and furniture. All come with the usual civilities plus walk-in closets, separate tubs and showers, heated towel racks, robes, and double sinks. Room Number 105 is done in a leopard skin motif and has a lake view; Number 106 has gingham draperies and bed covers, a separate sitting room, and a large balcony overlooking the lake; and in Number 111, a suite, the bed is in a tower room with seven windows surrounding it.
After 13 years of searching out the top hotels in all categories in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, we have seen most of the very best. Is Le Vieux Manoir "best of the best?" Possibly. A few may have a slightly better kitchen and some travelers want spa/exercise/indoor swimming facilities (the hotel has none), but all things considered Le Vieux Manoir au Lac is as good as any small hotel we've seen.
- Daily Rates: Singles 275 to 375 Sfr ($224-$306); Doubles 390 to 535 Sfr. ($318-$436), Jr. suite single 355 to 415 ($289-$338); Jr. suite double 510 to 590 Sfr. ($416-$481); Tower suite single 405 to 460 ($330-$375); Tower suite double 580 to 660 ($473-$538). A four-course dinner on the half board plan is 75 Sfr. ($61) per person.
- Contact: Le Vieux Manoir au Lac Rue de Lausanne 18, 3280 Murten-Meyriez, telephone +41/026/678 61 61, fax 678 61 62, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Proprietors: Elisabeth and Erich Thomas.
- Rating: Quality 19/20, Value 17/20
Schiff Am See
Just outside the city walls, on the lake, is the Hotel Schiff, our top choice in Murten proper. It has pleasant, well equipped rooms, some with lake views. You might ask for Number four, a double with three windows and a lakeside balcony. There is yet another window in the airy bathroom. Another pleasant room is Number 15 with a small sitting area and lake view.
The hotels Lord Nelson restaurant, popular with locals, has fine views of the lake as do several terraces used for good weather dining.
The hotel has no lift.
- Daily Rates: Singles 85 to 135 Sfr. ($69-$110); Doubles 170-230 Sfr. ($139-$187)
- Contact: Schiff Am See, CH-3280 Murten, tel. +41/026/672 36 66, fax 672 36 65, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Rating: Quality 13/20, Value 10/20
