Rosewood Schloss Fuschl is a 15th-century hunting lodge reborn.
Photo: Courtesy of Rosewood Schloss Fuschl.
Beyond Como and Tahoe, 11 Luxe Lake Resorts Rewriting the Waterfront Playbook
From the Alps to the Andes, avant-garde retreats are turning unsung shores into hotspots, proving that you don't need salt water to be worth your salt
Forget the allure of coastlines—the real aquatic treasures are landlocked. While Como, Tahoe, and Titicaca dominate the conversation, a new wave of lake-centric destinations are making a splash in luxury travel. From the Alps to the Andes, avant-garde retreats are turning unsung shores into hotspots with upscale amenities proving these aren’t your grandpa’s fishing lodges. Picture paddleboarding at dawn, followed by a Mayan-inspired mud bath, with an evening wine tasting from a vineyard even the most established oenophiles may not yet know.
It’s not all play, though—these resorts mean business when it comes to design. Properties seamlessly blend into their surroundings with enchanting infinity pools and A-frame tents that can rival even the most celebrated penthouse suite. As travelers’ tastes continue to evolve, these lakeside havens keep pace, offering everything from dirndl-making in Austria to oyster harvesting in France. Welcome to lakeside luxury 2.0.
Rosewood Schloss Fuschl arrived in summer 2024. Photo: Jonathan Maloney / Inga Beckmann for What The Fox Studio, Courtesy of Rosewood Schloss Fuschl
1. Rosewood Schloss Fuschl | Salzburg, Austria
Amid the misty peaks and crystalline waters of Austria’s Salzkammergut lakes region, Rosewood Schloss Fuschl arrived in summer 2024 as a 15th-century hunting lodge reborn. This princely retreat, where heritage waltzes with contemporary luxury, boasts 98 rooms awash in alpine-inspired palettes. Here, Austrian painter Marie Hartig’s hand-painted minibars double as functional art, with six dining venues designed by Munich-based interior architecture studio DiPPOLD, a gastronomic grand tour anchored by an impressive 1,400-bottle wine collection. The 16,000-square-foot Asaya Spa further blurs the line between wellness and wilderness, its infinity pools seemingly melding with the surrounding Lake Fuschl. From dirndl-making workshops to artisanal excursions, Schloss Fuschl curates an immersion into the very marrow of Austrian culture. All this luxury comes with a conscience: lake-powered thermal systems and a hyper-local culinary program underscore the resort’s commitment to sustainability.
Lake Shore Resort is located on Lake Michigan. Photo: Frank Francis
2. Lake Shore Resort | Saugatuck, Michigan
Nestled on Lake Michigan, Lake Shore Resort offers a nostalgic journey into mid-century hospitality. This time capsule of a retreat blends vintage charm with lakeside serenity, creating a unique vacation experience. Until recently, the resort’s commitment to authenticity extended to its reservation system—a pencil-and-paper affair that turned opening day, April 15, into an annual event rivaling concert ticket releases. In 2024, the resort unveiled two new cottage units, masterfully integrated with the existing 1950s and ’60s structures. These additions showcase an architectural sleight of hand, seamlessly merging past and present. Interiors throughout the resort exude a carefully curated eclecticism, evoking decades of sun-soaked summers. Each space feels organically accumulated rather than designed, striking a delicate balance between a museum curator’s reverence and a child’s whimsical sandcastle creations.
Ashford Castle is a former Guinness family stronghold on Lough Corrib. Photo: Courtesy of Ashford Castle
3. Ashford Castle | Galway, Ireland
Ashford Castle, a former Guinness family stronghold on Lough Corrib, transforms “staying in” into an grand adventure. Beyond its monumental stone gates lies a world where luxury meets whimsy at every turn. The castle’s amenities cater to every indulgence: a waterfront spa worthy of Celtic legends, a postcard-perfect swimming pool, and a cigar terrace that evokes Victorian-era sophistication. For ultimate seclusion, the Hideaway Cottage—a boathouse turned lakeside retreat—provides a private pier and picturesque views. Inside the castle, a 32-seat cinema provides plush entertainment, while the new Éalú fitness center balances indulgence with activity. Culinary offerings match the diversity of the 350-acre estate, where guests can embrace their inner nobility through falconry, fishing, and more.
Mandarin Oriental Luzern is located in Lucerne, Switzerland. Photo: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Luzern.
4. Mandarin Oriental Luzern | Lucerne, Switzerland
Mandarin Oriental Luzern emerges as a Belle Époque vision reimagined by Iwan Bühler Architects and Jestico + Whiles. This architectural marvel blends Swiss heritage with Asian influences, realizing Franz Josef Bucher’s 1906 dream of a Mediterranean-Alpine fusion. The hotel’s design is a sensory journey, beginning with chequered Carrara and Nero Marquina marble floors. Nature-inspired motifs abound, with palm and lily patterns creating an indoor ecosystem across walls and upholstery. The MOzern Bar & Brasserie epitomizes this aesthetic, its reeded bronze circular bar framing lake views like a living canvas. In the 136 guestrooms, muted pistachio, natural oak, and dusky coral palettes echo the surrounding landscape. A hearty collection of Molteni&C furniture provides a contemporary counterpoint to heritage details. The Presidential Suite stands as the design pinnacle, its oval salon radiating fluted timber walls and wooden mosaic flooring. A deconstructed chandelier of hand-blown glass abstractly represents local flora and fauna.
Our Habitas Bacalar is an eco-conscious retreat on the shores of the "lake of seven colors." Photo: Tanveer Badal, courtesy of Our Habitas Bacalar.
5. Our Habitas Bacalar | Bacalar, Mexico
Four hours south of Cancún, Habitas Bacalar nestles like a whispered secret on the shores of the “lake of seven colors.” This eco-conscious retreat features 35 A-frame tents, each facing either the lagoon or jungle, blending boutique luxury with immersive nature experiences. The sensory journey begins upon arrival, with burning resin scenting the air and ambient music that shifts with the sun’s arc. Rooms embody earthy minimalism, featuring king-sized beds, outdoor showers, and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame nature’s daily spectacle. Habitas’ reverence for its environment is evident in every detail. The wellness program, drawing from both Mayan traditions and modern techniques, offers transformative experiences rather than mere pampering. Activities range from sunrise paddleboarding to culturally-inspired spa treatments, connecting guests to the land’s rhythm.
The Point is a former Rockefeller retreat located on Upper Saranac Lake. Photo: Kindra Clineff, courtesy The Point.
6. The Point | Saranac Lake, New York
The Point, a former Rockefeller retreat situated on a 75-acre peninsula of Upper Saranac Lake, offers guests a portal to Gilded Age opulence. Now stewarded by Laurie and Pierre Lapeyre, this 11-room estate meticulously preserves the ambiance of a 1930s private hideaway. Entering through a log gate emblazoned with a branch-tangled “The Point,” visitors cross a threshold into a curated reality, greeted with champagne to reset temporal expectations. Each room serves as a showcase of rustic sophistication, exemplified by the “Lookout” with its 625 square feet of cathedral ceilings, wood paneling, and a stone fireplace framing lake views from a raised half-canopy bed. The grounds invite exploration, with bars ingeniously concealed in stone walls and a pub complete with a jukebox and pool table, setting the stage for 1930s socialite role-play. Notably, The Point enforces a digital detox through the intentional absence of internet and television in guest areas, encouraging engagement with analog activities from hiking to curling.
Terre Blanche was once home to Sean Connery. Photo: Courtesy of Terre Blanche.
7. Terre Blanche | Tourrettes, Provence, France
Sprawling across 750 Provençal acres, Terre Blanche stands as a colossal experiment in luxe terraforming. This former home of Sean Connery, now under German tycoon Dietmar Hopp’s stewardship, outshines Monaco in both scale and ambition. A cypress-flanked entrance serves as a decompression chamber, acclimating visitors to the resort’s rarefied atmosphere. Inside, 115 suites and villas blend warmth, wood, and stone, while public spaces double as guerrilla galleries, featuring provocative works by Antony Gormley and Niki de Saint Phalle. The infinity pool and restaurant terraces face lavender-stippled vistas, offering a perpetual plein-air exhibition. Aquatic adventurers can enjoy hotel-organized rowing excursions on nearby St Cassien Lake. Two golf courses act as manicured biodiversity sanctuaries, their greens and fairways moonlighting as nature preserves. This commitment to the environment extends to an ambitious tree-planting initiative: 100 new trees annually until 2031.
Hotel Antumalal is on the shores of Chile's Lake Villarrica. Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Antumalal
8. Hotel Antumalal | Pucón, Chile
On the shores of Lake Villarrica, Hotel Antumalal stands as an unexpected modernist insertion, a successful transplantation of Bauhaus principles to the Chilean landscape. Conceived by Czech émigrés Guillermo Pollak and Catalina Rindler-Pollak in the 1940s, this lakeside gem evolved from a humble tea room serving Central European pastries into a full-scale resort following a chance encounter with Chile’s president. Architect Jorge Elton’s design demonstrates a nuanced approach to site integration, its low-slung profile and extensive glazing creating a dialogue with the surrounding 12 acres of landscape. Interiors showcase an evolving design ethos, where original elements like wood-burning fireplaces and knotty pine paneling coexist with contemporary additions such as soundproofed doors.
Casa Prana Hotel operates as a self-styled sanctuary of mindfulness. Photo: Courtesy of Casa Prana Hotel
9. Casa Prana Hotel | Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Perched on the shores of Lake Atitlán, Casa Prana Hotel operates as a self-styled sanctuary of mindfulness, its nine-acre compound functioning as a series of interconnected viewing platforms framing the lake and its sentinel volcanoes. The property’s design ethos oscillates between ascetic simplicity and calculated opulence, mirroring the landscape’s raw beauty and the hotel’s luxury aspirations. Each commodious suite serves as an individual microcosm of the hotel’s overall aesthetic, with wood chimneys and balconies acting as tactile and visual connectors to the external environment. The decision to limit each floor to two suites creates an illusion of exclusivity, a design choice that exemplifies privacy. Shared amenities—private gardens, saltwater pools, outdoor dining areas—read like a checklist of high-end hotel must-haves, while the Luxury and Prana Suites push spatial boundaries further, boasting bathrooms that rival the size of urban apartments.
Guests can enjoy the resorts prized oysters at La Folie. Photo: Courtesy of Domaine Tarbouriech
10. Domaine Tarbouriech | Marseillan, France
Domaine Tarbouriech, an former 18th-century folly on France’s second-largest lake, Étang de Thau, uniquely blends aquaculture with luxury hospitality. This 15-key property located between Montpellier and Béziers features four suites and 11 lodges, each showcasing the Tarbouriech family’s oyster-farming heritage. The resort’s crown jewel is its patented Marée Solaire system, mimicking tides to produce the prized “Spéciale” oysters. Guests can enjoy these at La Folie restaurant or the lakeside St Barth oyster cabin. Activities include paddleboard oyster harvesting and spa treatments using oyster-based cosmetics. Domaine Tarbouriech boasts a biodynamic garden, a solar-powered desalination plant, and upcycled oyster farming equipment as decor. The property offers oyster workshops, wine tastings, and lagoon excursions.
Lopota Lake Resort and Spa is located at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. Photo: Courtesy of Lopota Lake Resort and Spa
11. Lopota Lake Resort and Spa | Telavi, Georgia
Lopota Lake Resort sprawls across 148 acres of Georgian paradise at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. Its recent expansion, a harmonious blend of nature and architecture by David Koiava, adds 80 premium rooms cloaked in pine and climbing greenery. The resort’s eclectic amenities now include a seemingly mismatched pair of additions—a jazz club and aqua park—which complement its six restaurants, eight pools, and on-site winery. Lopota represents a microcosm of Georgian recreation at its best, unknown to even the most savvy travelers; here, your day might begin with a lakeside plunge, transition to horseback riding through vineyards, and culminate in wine tasting and sipping chacha (local brandy) with a side of live music.
Cover: Rosewood Schloss Fuschl is a 15th-century hunting lodge reborn.
Photo: Courtesy of Rosewood Schloss Fuschl.
