obrienwv

Any good hotel recommendations in Bernese Oberland? Has anyone been to the Hotel Rugenpark in Interlaken? How about the Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbrunnen? Please help - I'm so confused about all of these little towns!

jmw44

OK, I'll start. I think first you have to decide if you'd like to stay on a lake at the foot of the mountains or up in the mountains w/o lake view. Once you've done that, you can go about choosing your place to stay. Or am I wrong -- have you already chosen Interlaken? Good location for daytrips in all directions. You'll receive many opinions about hotels, I'm sure. Let folks know about your requirements. First visit? You're in for a treat. J.

Amart

Be sure to stay IN the mountains. Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen are not there.

We wanted to "rest" after two weeks in Italy and before going another 3 weeks in France. We chose Murren-a town of 300 people without cars (few utility trucks and cows drive through town).

We stayed in a small B/B with great views, but shared bath. Each room has a sink. This worked out great for us as we got a big front room with 3 big windows and room for 3 (only 2 of us in the room). The address is (Denise Fussel [[email protected]]. The place was pretty bare, but the view was great. The beds slept great and we kept the windows open at night. ANd, it was half the cost of a hotel.

Murren is quiet, peaceful, easy to hike around (down to Gimelwald, up toward the snow), has a funecular and tramway to get you around to other areas if you want. There are several restaurants (food tends to be expensive in Switzerland) with everything from Chinese (excellent tiny place) to Fondu. The restaurant across from the BB has great salads. We walked down to Gimmelwald one day, bought cheese/boiled eggs/great yogurt/bread from a small BB (Esthers?) and ate outside under the canopy, drinking water from the alp fountain. Heaven.....

It takes about 30 min to reach Lauterbrunnen from Murren and another 30 to Interlaken when trains are running quickly. When you arrive in Murren you can rent a cart to take your luggage to your hotel. Everything is within walking distance from the train station.

LindaLouise

We recently stayed at Hotel Staubbach and enjoyed our stay there. It is a comfortable hotel. Our room was small with basic amenities but spotless, and we had a lovely view of the waterfall. Lauterbrunnen is a very small town; the few shops and restaurants are in walking distance.

LindaLouise

Sorry I sent previous response too soon. I wanted to add that Lauterbrunnen is really in the valley but has beautiful views and was conveniently located for us. We did not get to Murren but heard it's terrific. Hope this helps.

jill_h

i second a vote for Lauterbrunnen and Hotel Staubbach. Lauterbrunnen is where the train is - easy access EVERYWHERE!! It is also quiet - the view of the mountains and Staubbach Falls is awesome. We have a second trip planned in September and that is the first hotel we booked just to make sure we were able to get in. Very basic, but very comfortable.

sbsjsf

We were very happy with our stay in Wengen in Sept 03. It is up the other side of the Lauterbrunnen valley from Murren. Wengen is on the way to the Jungfraujoch. It is larger town than Murren (so it has more resources), but still has lots of charm. Our hotel (Alpenruh) had beautiful views of the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger.

susanteach

My husband and I stayed at the Hotel Staubbach two Augusts ago, upon Fodor advice. The PROS: great location, extremely clean and the owner (American with Swiss wife) speak English, as do the young staff, the most beautiful balcony views of the mountains and waterfalls, short walk from train, nice little serve yourself breakfasts, a hiker's paradis, quiet, like a postcard all around you, few kids
CONS: The hotel itself is very basic, and some rooms do not have their own bathroom (all have sinks). It's a little out of date.
Obviously, the pros outweigh the cons. We booked online and had all our questions answered by the owner. There was also a nice 360 panoramic view on his website which you can google. Make sure you ask for a balcony room with the mountain view. It was inexpensive and yet the location was the treasure of our entire trip to Europe that summer. We will be returning to Lauterbrunnen. Grindlewald, Interlaken, Murren and Wengen are all nearby. Wengen and Murren, if I remember correctly do not allow cars and are VERY quiet and sans kids places. Grindlewald and Interlaken were just the opposite, very loud, busy with lots of families, cars and buses.

Edward2005

Gimmelwald is my favorite with Murren a close second. Wengen is super cute, too. Gimmelwald is tiny, quiet, and like all the other towns in the area, blessed with kickass views. I have stayed at the Mountain Hostel (20 francs/night) and the Hotel Mittaghorn (45 francs/night). Both are fine but rustic. If rustic isn't your speed, stay in Murren where there are more choices of fancier beds.


Some photos from my May trip to that region:

http://www.photoworks.com/share/shar...BC6E&cb=PW

fun4all4

Edward2005 - Your photos are stunning! Thanks for sharing.
We will be staying in Wengen in 3 weeks and think staying in one of the car-free villages above Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen will be awesome. We also considered Murren and Grindelwald.

julie_Colorado

I agnoized over this part of my trip last year... much as your question suggests. The one thing I can say with certainty is you will love any of the towns you pick. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen at the Hotel Staubbach and loved it (get a room with a view if possible). However, I would have loved any of the towns. They are each wonderful. Pick one, relax, and enjoy.

treplow

Just got back last Friday from a 6- night stay in the Berner Oberland. I stayed at the Hotel Silberhorn, in Lauterbrunnen. While there, I travelled to Muerren, Wengen, Grindelwald and - obviously- Interlaken, because that's where you catch the train(s) to the various locations mentioned above.

My assessment: If you want to stay in a "resorty" kind of location, Grindelwald or Wengen would fit the bill. If, like I, you want to cover as many places as possible in a short time span, and also do some hiking, Lauterbrunnen can't be beat. It offers the greatest variety of means of interconnected transportation to get you to places.

Interlaken, in my mind, is not really a MOUNTAIN resort. It is - by standards of the Bernese Oberland - a big city, with Migros shopping center and the whole bit. However, it offers access to two lakes, something that would have been nice while I was there and the temps - even in the mountains - hit 83 degrees.

One thing that kind of bugged me was the steady stream of extra trains with tour groups from Asia. You needn't worry about the "ugly Ameriacn" anymore. These tour groups were pushy, inconsiderate, monopolizing the pretty sights, kiosks.I taking decent pictures without a tour group mama (or mamas) planting herself right in front of you taking a pix of papa, and papa taking a pix of mama became a real challenge. The best time to go to the Jungfrau, the Schilthborn and the First is EARLY in the morning.

I liked the hotel Silberhorn. Although it is right next to the RR station and the funicular to the Gruetschalp, it was very quiet. The clientele, many from Britains, some from germany, some Swiss and two couples from the US were pleasant and convivial. The food was good and reasonable. I took the half pension, because there really are not many other good restauranst in L.and at CHF 118 it was a a good deal for a single room.