With a series of pavilions jutting out into Lake Neuchatel, Hôtel Palafitte is a far cry from the conventional lakeside hotels in Switzerland.

For a start, it’s built over water (the only hotel of its kind in Europe) and most rooms have been designed by architect Kurt Hofmann to take advantage of their glorious outlook over the lake and the Alps with yacht-like decks. For guests brave enough to climb down the ladder of their balcony and into the water, Lake Neuchatel is yours to enjoy any time of the day. For the less adventurous souls, the graceful picture of swans and moorhens bobbing on the water below is the next best thing. At Hôtel Palafitte, there is magic and beauty in everything and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Swiss hotel with a better or more romantic setting to let go of your everyday life.