Boating in Zurich

Advantages: Picturesque, relaxing
Disadvantages: None for me

...My recent visit to Zurich was so brief that I had to choose between a boat trip on Lake Zurich (Zurichsee) and a train ride up the Uetliberg mountain. My son and his partner had, before my arrival, made a trip to Lake Lucerne and Mount Pilatus, so they insisted I make the choice. Although I have always been a lover of land rather than a lover of water, I picked the trip on the lake. It may have had something to do with the heat and the idea that the air might be fresher on the water, but I certainly didn't regret my decision. Lake Zurich extends thirty-nine kilometres from the city of Zurich, which is at its northernmost point. From there it is drained by the River Limmat. The lake covers an area of about eighty-eight square kilometres. Its waters are surprisingly clean and are purified before being used in the city's water system...

denella 06.10.2009 (09.10.2009) · Read review
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Review of Lake Zurich

Focus on Zurich

Advantages: Good information; many colour illustrations
Disadvantages: One inaccuracy found; maps could be improved

...Having planned a short trip to Zurich, I scanned the shelves of my small local library for guide books and found just one on Switzerland. I decided to see if Amazon had any specifically for Zurich and again found only one: Cityspots Zurich. It hadn't yet been rated but seemed worth ordering. The book is divided into five main sections, Introducing Zurich, Making the Most of Zurich, The City of Zurich, Out of Town and Practical Information. There is an index at the end, but maps are interspersed at appropriate places. Plenty of colour illustrations give a feel for the place even if some of them are quite small. I didn't read much of the introduction, although I was interested to find out that the Dada movement had originated in Zurich. The section also gives a brief history of the city, an overview of its lifestyle and culture...

denella 11.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Zurich (CitySpots) - Thomas Cook Publishing

The best wurst in Zurich?

Advantages: Good atmosphere, reasonable prices
Disadvantages: Crowded, noisy

...The Zeughauskeller would not normally be my first choice of restaurant, but it didn't seem right to go, say, to an Italian restaurant in Zurich when I can so easily do so at home. It seemed more appropriate to go to a place that had traditional Swiss/German food along with the atmosphere. The Zeughauskeller is a reasonably priced eaterie situated on the famous Bahnhofstrasse, the street that runs from the central railway station down to Lake Zurich. We arrived around 7pm to find that all the outside tables were already occupied and a queue was rapidly forming at the door. It was difficult to see the menu without disturbing people at a particular table, but we soon found another just in the doorway. Prices seemed within our means, and there was a special summer menu printed in English as well as German. We waited a couple of minutes...

denella 02.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Zeughauskeller, Zurich

Twenty-four hours in Zurich

Advantages: A lake, a river, a mountain, beautiful old buildings....
Disadvantages: Expensive

...My first experience of the city of Zurich was the central railway station, or Hauptbahnhof, and it did not endear me to it. I arrived on a train from the airport at an underground platform and was to meet my son and his partner somewhere on the station, but I didn't know where. I decided to follow the signs for those who wanted to catch a bus or a tram, but ended up in a street to one side. Going back inside the station, I was surprised how crowded it was; it was just after 5pm, but apparently it's always packed with people. I headed for the main entrance past an open market. I thought I'd better ring my son to see where they were waiting, but there was a man playing an accordion and I didn't think I would be able to hear. Making my way just outside the entrance, I quickly made the phone call and just managed to hear my son telling me...

denella 16.09.2009 (18.09.2009) · Read review
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Review of Zurich (Switzerland)

"Design" Hotel Greulich, Zurich

Advantages: Style, Rooms, Staff
Disadvantages: Not in the nicest part of town

... The Hotel: Hotel Greulich is a "Design Hotel" located close to the centre of Zurich (Switzerland) and is named after Herman Greulich, a Polish social reformer who emigrated to Switzerland and founded the first Socialist Party of Switzerland (the hotel is situated on the corner of Herman-Greulich Strasse). On arrival, my wife and I were a bit disappointed with the building from the outside. Although it was a unusual and cool exterior design, it looked like it needed sprucing up a bit. The windows on the 1st floor and above looked quite old, etc. but at ground floor level, it did look "Design", with a modern looking bar and restaurant. After parking in the secure car park behind the hotel (20 Swiss Francs (CHF) per day), we checked in at reception and were taken to our room. The room was in a small interior courtyard...

psirac 29.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Greulich, Zurich

Peace and quiet in central Zurich

Advantages: Location, breakfast, comfort, cleanliness
Disadvantages: Small; a little pricey

...Helmhaus Swiss Q Hotel is one of the hotels in Zurich offered by Expedia in their flight plus hotel deals, and this is how we discovered it. Whilst not the cheapest option, its central location meant we could save both time and money travelling to and from the city. What's more, breakfast is included in the price. Reviews on Tripadvisor were very favourable, and a look at the hotel's website further encouraged us to make it our choice. We did not regret this. My son and his partner booked a double room for three nights, and I booked a single for one night only. I cannot comment on how easy it is to book the hotel directly, as our reservations were made through Expedia. We booked in June for a stay in late August. All three of us travelled with hand luggage only, and in about fifteen minutes we were easily able to walk from Zurich...

denella 30.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Helmhaus Swiss Q Hotel, Zurich

Zurich....or Zu reich?? An Alternative View....

Advantages: Exciting City, Great Food, Close to Slopes
Disadvantages: Um....

...of a full-blown grunge epidemic. The same was pretty much true the world over, but in 1992, Zurich was Grunge Central, mainly by virtue of the Park at its very centre, the infamous 'Platz Spitz'. This was the Needle-Park, so-called not because of some valuable collection of conifers or pines, but because it had been completely and utterly taken over by the cities heroin addicts, dealers, prostitutes, pimps, and tramps. I was warned to avoid it from the moment I arrived, so obviously, it was one of the first places I set out to explore... Picture Hyde Park as being, to all intents and purposes, shut off to the public altogether. Picture lawns un-mowed, shrubbery overgrown, trees un-pruned or dying, and the sordid detritus of Class-A drug use; needles, lager cans, condoms, over-bent spoons, scattered in all directions and clumsily concealed beneath...

snowbunni 14.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of Zurich in general

Zurich connect - woeful service

Advantages: good insurance package, clear information, reasonable cost (but not renewal quotes)
Disadvantages: poor customer service

...I've been with Zurich, Eagle Star then Zurich again for both home insurance and car insurance since the mid 1990s. I claimed on my car insurance in 1997 when my car was written off after someone tried to steal it.. The service was excellent and the cheque arrived swiftly. I had a similar positive experience when I claimed on my home insurance for a leaking water tank (ceiling replastered and room redecorated) in 2003. To say that they have gone downhill would be an understatement. The last couple of years renewal quotes have been high and only came down when presented with alternative prices from price comparison websites. I find the fact that insurance companies seem to put all their efforts into attracting new customers whilst taking existing customers for granted highly objectionable but stuck with Zurich because of their past...

TraceyC123 19.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Zurich Insurance Company

Zurich, goodbye and good luck

Advantages: One of Europes largest insurance firms
Disadvantages: Lost touch with individual customers and very expensive

...Once upon a time (5 years ago), I was trawling the insurance companies looking for the best bang for my buck on car insurance. I stumbled across a company called Eagle Star Direct, and we in love. Eagle star was the perfect company for me; they gave me good deals, low cost and a ground-breaking policy which other could not live up to without added cost. My relationship with Eagle star remained strong, seeing me through a complicated claim (involving a fool with no insurance) and other queries. We remained lovers and, even when they were no longer the cheapest, I stuck by them, knowing that customer care and a strong policy with extras was there for me. Then Eagle Star cheated on me, getting into bed and being taken over by Zurich Insurance. The love affair ended, as Zurich made me pay through the nose with a premium that was...

MacUK 09.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of Zurich Insurance Company

First Direct - I will be the first to direct you away.

Advantages: See text.
Disadvantages: See text.

...I would just like to write a review on First Direct, an internet banking organisation that I opened an account with some years ago (although this account is now actually in fact closed for reasons which I shall tell you about a little later on in my review). First Direct as already noted is an internet banking firm, which is wholly owned by the high street bank known only as HSBC. They offer all of the different services that a normal high street bank offers, and you can take care of your account online (although you can still use your local or any branch in fact of HSBC in order to conduct your affairs). By way of different services, I mean of course all of the different accounts that you can (current; savings, etc); the various ISA's etc that all of the banks have; insurances; loans and mortgages, to name but pretty much all...

dynamicnurse 18.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of First Direct