cliquot1

Hello, We are considering staying at the Sheraton Arabella Nuese Schloss in Zurich this July. Does anyone have any comments on the rooms, etc? Thanks for your help!

donnabee

We stayed there last year for just a night. The rooms were great. Large, great beds, clean, and good location (walking distance to the old part of Zurich). The hotel was undergoing lobby renovations, but I am sure they are done now.

Intex

I stayed there recently. It is in the financial district, very close to a majority of the banks, so I would conclude it is more a businessmans hotel. The rooms are NOT large, they are clean, but not elegant, a little dated, and for the money, one of the worst Starwoods properties we stayed at. It is within close walking distance of the main shopping area, and approx 2 blocks from the water. Although I have to concede that all hotels in Zurich are over-priced compared to others in Europe.
PS- If you travel to the hotel by Taxi- make sure you mention Nuese Schloss, as once I didn't, and we went half the way to the other Sheraton Arabella.

donnabee

Well Cliquot - guess it depends on what room you get, because I was not hallucinating : )

cliquot1

Thanks for your responses. You are right, the hotels in Zurich are so much more expensive than any of the other cities we are staying in. We need two rooms for a family of 4, we want air-conditioning, atmosphere, and nice accomodations, but it seems that all the hotels fitting our criteria are 400.00 plus per night per room. Zurich has definately been my biggest lodging challenge!

cliquot1

Thanks donnabee. Do you recall what type of room you had and where it was
located in the hotel?

donnabee

We are a family of 4 also and we got 2 rooms adjouring. They were both very roomy and the bathrooms were large, but not as pretty as in other Sheratons. They didn't have the nice marble walls and floors. Sorry - don't remember the floor. Just don't ask for a taxi to take you into the city. We did and got some very weird looks. After the 5 minute taxi ride, we knew why!

Cicerone

I live in Zurich and agree that it is an expensive city for hotels, restaurants and just about everything else. My only objection to the Sheraton is that it does not have a lot of charm (as that is on your list) and it is in a very dull neighbourhood of offices. There are no cobblestone streets, quaint alleys, shops, and out door restaurants around the hotel. It is perfectly safe, just totally dead at night and on weekends and you have to walk or take a tram to more interesting areas. Zurich is small, so its not a long walk, but there are so many other charming parts of town. I have a few suggestions:

1. Hotel Helmhaus (http://www.venere.com, click on Zurich and scroll down, there are other good hotels listed here too) The Helmhaus is a 4 star hotel in the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf area. They definitely have air-conditioning. A very good location for sightseeing, shopping and eating in a lively part of the old town. Modern hotel so not truly charming, but the location makes up for this, IMO.

2. Hotel Seefeld (http://www.hotel-seefeld.ch/) It is a 3-star but looks very nice from the lobby and lobby bar. They have a roof terrace. It is in a nice neighbourhood of restaurants and some interesting shops, and is about 2 blocks from the lake. The Seefeld area would be a bit quieter at night than the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf areas. It is on a tram line and so is convenient. I am not sure they have air conditioning but as it is a new hotel is it quite possible.

3. The Hotel Kindli (http://www.kindli.ch). I don't know it personally, but it gets generally good reviews on this site, and seems to have good prices. It is probably the most charming of the three hotels mentioned here. It is in a very nice part of the old town. It might be worth a look.

I would also note that the Park Hyatt is scheduled to open here in July. This is near the Neuse Schloss so is not in an interesting neighbourhood, IMO, but it will be the newest and nicest hotel in Zurich (very modern design and I believe the rooms are somewhat minimalist in decor). I mention it because it is possible they may be offering good discount rates to build their business. Drawback is that it may not actually be ready to open in July, and you would then be scrambling to find a hotel. It might be worth a call to Hyatt to determine if they have a solid opening date.

cliquot1

Thanks for the info Cicerone. It can't hurt to look into the hotels you mentioned. We are traveling with our
2 daughters for their first trip to Zurich, so I would love to find something with atmosphere in a quaint part of town. Appreciate the input!

swandav2000

Hi cliquot1,

Have you considered staying in one of the picturesque towns on Lake Zurich? You'll get lots more hotel for your money (lakeview!), you get a small-town, quaint atmospehre, and you can get to Zurich city center in about 15 or 20 minutes by S-Bahn (or to Zurich airport under an hour).

I've stayed at the Ermitage in Kuesnacht a few times, and I think they've just opened a less-expensive b&b-type annex on the same grounds. I love this place; if it were in Zurich, I think it would be in the $400/night category. It's a member of the Relais & Chateaux group. Website is www.ermitage.ch

My mother's friend, who lives close to Kuesnacht, likes to send guests to the Hotel Sonne, next to the Ermitage. I've never stayed there.

However, for my next visit, I'm considering the Hirschen am See (www.hirschen-meilen.ch) in the town of Meilen. This is farther from Zurich than Kuesnacht, and the hotel is even less expensive.

Even farther away is the town of Rapperswil, where I spent an afternoon last June. I fell in love with the town, its quaint lakeside square and medieval architecture. There are a bunch of hotels there, all price categories.

Hope this helps --

s

kindra178

I have an upcoming stay here. I can only book a single room. Does anyone have any experience with twin bed rooms?