Favorable tail winds brought us into Heathrow early, requiring a short wait for our gate to become available. We deplaned and spent approximately 30 minutes going through security, where two of our travel companions were waiting for us to arrive. We all enjoyed a nice meal, relaxed in the lounge, then went through the process to board our flight to Zurich. After being on a Dreamliner for our first flight, the A320 felt so small and cramped!
Our arrival into Zurich was beautiful as we descended upon green rolling hills and charming homes in the vicinity. It took only 20 minutes to go through the passport check and gather our luggage. Our private transfer was waiting for us and the 30 minute ride to our hotel was quite comfortable. There was no doubt we were finally in Switzerland when we noticed the Ricola in the van along with the complimentary waters!
By the time we arrived and checked in at the Hotel Ambassador a l'Opera, it was time for dinner. We took a 20 minute walk to the oldest Vegetarian restaurant in Europe. Service was cafeteria style, with plenty of options for all. Perfect after a long 17 hours of travel! We strolled back to the hotel and found Zurich to be very clean and absolutely lovely at night.
The Hotel Ambassador a l'Opera, was a lovely quaint room for just one night. The bed was quite comfortable and the bathroom manageable for a short stay. You can see from the photos below, the shower door opened and closed inward and required a bit of maneuvering to get inside.
The elevator was extremely rickety, slow, and claustrophobic. For this reason, I elected to take the stairs after the first ride. If I were to come back for a longer stay, this likely wouldn’t be my first choice. This said, the hotel definitely provided a sense of Swiss charm.
We turned in early and were ready for our long-awaited vacation to begin!
