Switzerland: Wengen hotels - anything to add to this list?

I'm pretty sure the Regina didn't have a disco when I went! It was very sedate and full of middle aged American couples. Not noisy at all. Nice cat. Food was amazing and the views of pink full moon rising over the mountain unforgettable.

Anyone have any feedback on the other hotels on this list? I'm aprticularly interested in hearing about the Alpenruhe, Bären, and Edelweiss.

I know many of you love the Alpenrose and the Caprice, but we prefer something smaller and more rustic (chalet-style), as long as we can still have a balcony.

Thanks!

Wow, you've done your homework!

Enzian - Hotel Bellevue might be what you're looking for -

We've stayed at the Hotel Bellevue twice in the past and would stay there again. A few more comments taken from my trip reports regarding this hotel:

From our firist visit -

We stayed at the Hotel Bellevue (***), which is located on a quiet hillside overlooking Wengen. The hotel is located about 5-7 minutes by foot from the Wengen train station. We called the hotel when we arrived and the owner came down personally in his electric car to collect our luggage.

The Hotel Bellevue is a small, moderately priced hotel run by Judith and Andreas Engi-Graf, who are fluent in German, French and English. The hotel was perfect for the two of us, and we would highly recommend it for couples and families alike.

The hotel’s dining room, patio and various lounges all provide great views of the Jungfrau and the Lauterbrunnen valley. We requested a south facing room and we had a spectacular view from our balcony.

The Hotel Bellevue is comfortable, incredibly peaceful and well run. The meals are really good and the staff is very accommodating.

From our second visit -

This was our second stay in the hotel, and once again, we weren’t disappointed. We had reserved room #208, the corner unit on the non-smoking floor. Our room had a huge, two-sided balcony with a spectacular view of the Jungfrau from the bed.

Just a word about Hotel Brunner - we stayed there on our first visit to Wengen and we didn't care for it. Granted, it's been several years, but I remember thinking it felt like someone's grandmother's house - a hodgepodge of worn furniture in the lounge, small spartan rooms, a shortage of mismatched towels - in a word, dowdy.

Thank, Melng8! I'll check out Hotel Bellevue as well. I don't know how I missed it when I was searching.

A non-smoking room in a chalet-style place with lots of light pine is what we like. Hoepfully with flower boxes on the balconies. And none of the "grandmother's house" feel that you describe at Brunner.

Do not stay at the Regina - it is a dump.

I have been to Wengen four times for extended visits, and absolutely love this village. I have two first choices: the Alpenrose and the Berghaus. Each is a little out of the way, which is good for quiet and enjoyment of natural beauty. Some of the others are on the main drag and a little too busy for me. The Alpenrose is a steep walk down from the train station; the Berghaus is about a 5-10 minute walk in the opposite direction from the train station, and feels a little less claustrophobic in setting.

Berghaus is less pricey, somewhat minimalist, but has outstanding views of the Jungfrau (specify a room with a view out toward it). They also have an excellent kitchen - trout is a specialty. Alpenrose has a warm ambience and feels more like a ski lodge. You can't go wrong with either one.

Check out my reviews of Berghaus and Regina on tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g188085-d290093-r5564601-Hotel_Berghaus-Wengen_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g188085-d198355-r6043982-Hotel_Regina-Wengen_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps.html

Thank you! I did look at the Alpenrose and Berghouse. Alpenrose is lovely but just a bit fancy for us--I can't imagine walking through the reception area in my hiking clothes. But perhaps I should reconsider.

Berghaus would be perfect, but we need a triple room, and they don't list that on the website. Perhaps I should e-mail them. The trout specialty would please us, I'm sure.

Actually, the triple room requirement is a big determining factor, as not many hotels offer them, at least on the website. The three I mentioned, Alpenruhe, Bären, and Edelweiss, do, so that is how I picked those three.

^

I should add---this is our fourth trip to Switzerland, but first time in Wengen. I was going to stay in Grindelwald for the hikes that I love there (Faulhorn, Eiger Nordwand), but we'd rather be up higher in a car-free village, and we can still get to the hikes with a bit of train and cable-car help.

I'm curious about the Gartenbahn at the Bellevue. A miniature railway?

I've spent holidays in Grindelwald, too. Wengen is better-situated for hikes, because you can go in one direction toward the Grindelwald hikes and you can go in the other direction for the Muerren hikes, and you've got all the others in-between!

By the way, you would not be out of place walking into the Alpenrose in hiking clothes... It is a hiking culture!

Enzian -

No idea about the Gartenbahn - must be an addition since our last visit. There's more info on it here -

http://www.aengi.com/

Not sure about triple rooms either, but as I recall #208 was the best room in the house.

I did send in an inquiry to Hotel Bellevue. It looks perfect in terms of the style, ambiance, and views. They don't mention anything other than single and double rooms, but they will put a "Zusatzbett" in a double room for a third person. Perhaps this would be best in one of the corner rooms? Are they larger?

You're really testing my feeble memory enzian. I believe the corner room is bigger, but can't swear to it. It definitely had the biggest balcony.

Bellevue has no rooms available. I will try the Alpenrose, after being reassured we're OK there in our hiking clothes (we'll dress better for dinner, of course).

I have also had a positive response from the Alpenruhe, but would love some personal recommendations. Has anyone here stayed there? Thanks.

Hi enzian,

Switching from Grindelwald I see! Love Wengen. Wish I could help. Just wanted to say hi!

you can absolutely walk through the Alpenrose in your hiking clothes!!!! Don't have to get fancy for dinner either!! (obviously nicer than hiking clothes for dinner, but...) We were there with three teens and found it a very cozy and comfortable place.

After dinner, we always enjoyed sitting on the terrace overlooking the incredible views for a family card game, then going next door to see the sheep. I also enjoyed taking part of the route to the Staubacchkli (sp?) after dinner, as you can access it just from behind the inn, going behind the other buildings to meet up with the wanderweg. This met out with a slightly different, but just as beautiful view to see in the waning day light.

The Alpenrose, with its quiet setting and its rustic pine decor, offers the perfect Alpine retreat, IMO.

ditto the comments on the Falken. Terrible place 25 years ago. obviously it's not changed, or gone out of business.

regards, ann

Hi kopp---welcome home! Yes, we're changing from Grindelwald to Wengen, since everyone seems to love it there, and it's someplce new to us.

No word from the Alpenrose yet, but Hotel Bären offered us rooms. It sounds wonderful on Tripadvisor---has anyone here stayed there or dined there? They seem to be known for their fresh and "trendy" (their word, not mine) cuisine.

Hi enzian,
Think you're going to love Wengen! It's been a while, but it's our favorite place in Switzerland (maybe anywhere). We liked the Hotel Eiger, don't know if it fits your needs, but we can recommend it.

Paul

Hi Paul---yes, Wengen seems to be everyone's favorite. I don't know why we have overlooked it. We generally stay in Mürren, but this trip we'll do both.

I did check the Eiger. It looks great, but they are fully booked for our dates, according to the website. I have e-mailed an owner of one of the top-floor apartments to see if it might be available.

OK---now I have offers from Alpenrose (one room northside, one southside); Bellevue (only northside rooms left), Bären (hasn't specified yet), and Edelweiss (south side with balconies).

The Bellevue did point out that we would have use of the terrace for views.

The Bären and Edelweiss cost about 2/3 what the Alpenrose and Bellevue cost. The food at the Bären is supposed to be especially good, made with local products, etc. The actual space offered by the Edelweiss suits our needs the best---three rooms actually, two of them with connecting door for parents and one child, and another separate room for the other adults. I don't know anything about the Edelweiss, but the website says the chef "cooks not just with butter, but with fantasy and love".

While we actually spend very little time in our rooms, a balcony with nice views is still important to us; we like to relax there after a day's hiking and shower, before dinner.

So. . . what to do. Problem is everything sounds wonderful, but I have to choose. Any votes? Thanks for your help.

All I'll say at this point is that, yes, the food (dinner) at the Baeren is very good!

Ah--so you've eaten there. That's good to know.

As you can see, I'm torn between the "splurge" level price of the Alpenrose and Bellevue, versus the simpler, less expensive Bären, and the totally unknown Edelweiss.

For 5 of us, it adds up. Whichever I choose, this will be our most expensive stop in our 12 nights in Switzerland.

Enzian - hello! Have you considered an apartment of some sort? We're staying at the top floor of Hotel Eiger, which sleeps up to 7, and it is reducing our costs tremendously by getting a shared space. Plus, we get a kitchen and laundry!

I hope you have a great trip - can't wait to hear about Wengen!

Hi suspire---I don't think an apartment is an option for this segment of the trip, because it's only 2 nights. We have apartments elsewhere (Mürren and Zermatt) at great rates, but that left us with only 2 nights for Wengen. I actually e-mailed the owner of one of the top floor Eiger apartments to ask, but she said 4 nights is the minimum.

I wish I didn't have to choose among the different places---I like them all! I e-mailed 2, and when 2 days went by without an answer, I assumed they were full and tried 2 more. And then all the responses came at the same time. I need to decide by tomorrow, so the others aren't holding the rooms for us.

Enzian - what did you decide on?

Just remember - whatever you choose, you'll be in Wengen, Switzerland! You are sure to have a fantastic time, regardless of the hotel you stay it. At worst, you have a bad hotel and a good story. But that's not likely. I'm sure you'll love whatever you choose. So excited for your trip! I can't wait to hear your trip report!

Since I'm back and loved the place we stayed, I thought I'd update this thread.

For our group of six, we ultimately stayed at the top floor apartment of the Hotel Eiger. It's run independently of the hotel - you deal with the owner via e-mail or phone, and then just get your key from the hotel lobby receptionist.

http://www.wengen-chalets.ch/topfloor/apa6.php

I can't imagine any place in Wengen having better views than this suite. Because it's a large suite we had rooms on both sides of the hotel, looking up toward Mannlichen and down toward Lauterbrunnen. I'd say we could see about 280 out of 360 degrees. Very few things blocked our view, aside from clouds! There are two bedrooms - one with a double bed, and one with a double and a single - and there are two chairs in the living room that pull out to be beds. The beds were neither luxurious nor horrible. I would recommend this place to anyone! It's fantastic.

Note that the website above seems to indicate that there's Internet access from the room - but that's not the case. There's a bar just up the road which has Internet access, but note that you must buy a drink too while you're there. (You can buy water if you prefer nothing else.)

Anyway, for groups of four to seven, this place is ideal. I'm so glad I found it!!

Hey sunspire,
Glad everything went well. We stayed at the Hotel Eiger and loved the views from the balcony, although we didn't have the panorama you had. Can't imagine a bteer location than Wengen. Thanks for the info.

Paul