Beyond Swiss Chocolate + Watches 

Sustainable Luxury Tourism

The Swiss Alps conjure images of alpenhorn players in folk dresses, creamy cheeses, chocolate, stunning craggy mountains, and sweeping alpine meadows. Ahead of the game, Europe is making a push to keep these pristine ecological wonders as clean and fresh as the mountain air in which they currently reside. Denmark, for example, is aiming to consume only renewable electricity by 2035 and is aiming for 100 percent renewable energy countrywide by 2050. While in Switzerland, I was surprised to see the electric car as prominent as it was, with hotels and city centers home to charging stations throughout the country.

First step on the luxury eco-tourism trip: select your car. Europcar offers many options and I went with the Tesla Model S at the Zurich airport. Next step: Figure out which hotels have charging stations and plot your course. One of the convenient features of the Model S is the GPS system that calculates your speed and charge (to let you know if you’ll make it to your destination). With a range of about 400 kilometers per full charge, driving from place to place is relatively easy as long as you recharge up every evening. Quick charge stations are now being installed at the hotels as well.

Park Weggis is one such hotel, offering their own Cadillac electric car in-house. The lakeside hotel is home to 52 rooms, six luxury spa cottages, and three restaurants. For a true taste of luxury, head to the Lalique Caviar Bar, where Lalique crystal adorns many of the surfaces in the comfortable lounge overlooking Lake Lucerne. With several activities in the area, guests can enjoy everything from hopping on the local ferry, taking a gondola ride or cog railway up Mount Pilatus, or enjoying the small-town feel on the lake in the numerous cafes along the waterfront.

From Weggis, a charged-up drive through the Alps to Crans Montana is next on the schedule. From the longest tunnel in the world to soaring mountain passes, the drive is leisurely and scenic. Switzerland is home to a population of 8 million in the entire country; a comparable population is that of New York City at 8.4 million. Traffic is light and the road systems easy to navigate through the Tesla system or linked smartphone apps.

Guarda Golf Hotel and Residences is the next stop in the Crans Montana wine valley region. A boutique hotel, the contemporary rooms and attention to luxury detail are prevalent throughout the property — a bottle of pillow mist left at turndown service or a local hand-crafted chocolate to finish off the day just two examples of the thoughtful touches at this property. Newly married himself, the general manager and his husband reside in the mountain area welcoming guests to this pristine retreat. A must-do experience is a personal wine-tasting on the patio overlooking the surrounding golf course; Swiss wines are seldom exported as the small vineyards service local hotels and restaurants almost exclusively. Appetizing apricots in the growing region are also distilled to aperitifs, made into preserves, and used in creative culinary dishes.

Back to Zurich on the final leg of the trip, the Tesla cruises by Lake Geneva, several small medieval towns, and over surging rivers. The cosmopolitan city of Zurich is abuzz with high-end retail, historic structures, and contemporary art displays. Baur au Lac hotel is lakeside overlooking the bustling boardwalk below. Whether enjoying a dinner in the atrium, or tea in the outdoor courtyard, the fashionable rooms have been home to royalty and celebrities alike.

Gay travel in Switzerland is much like any major progressive city. When asking gay residents how it was to live in Switzerland back in the day, the typical laid-back Swiss response was that most people didn’t care and being gay was not an issue in the Swiss lifestyle. Marriage is legal, partners run businesses, are community leaders, and enjoy hosting gay guests in their beautiful country. Whether wanting an outdoor vacation full of hiking and mountain vistas, or a comfort-filled experience with caviar and fine wine, Switzerland has something for everyone, even the sustainably minded luxury traveler.