MollyM

Hi again!
So looks like I've settled on these three destination for my upcoming trip in a little more than three weeks. Does anyone have any great budget hotels/hostels they could recommend? I'll be traveling alone, so looking for cheap, safe, and convenient!

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

scatcat

I will be staying at Hotel Baeren in Wengen in September. My single room is 120CH and it includes breakfast and dinner. The room and breakfast is 100CH. =67€ or 79€ with dinner--not bad.

MollyM

Thanks scatcat! That sounds like a pretty good deal. Have you been to Wengen before? How easy is it to get to the other villages and areas from there?

scatcat

This will be my first time, but Lauterbrunnen is only about 15 minutes by train. I think I can easily reach the other villages by train or cable car. Wengen just sounds so nice that I wanted to stay there. I also wondered if I would get bored since I will be solo, but there are so many places to see that I won't have time for all them.

Barbara_in_CT

In 2006 we stayed at Hotel Alpha in Luzern. Rooms are good sized, with IKEA type furnishings. Bathrooms are down the hall.

http://www.hotelalpha.ch/e_default.asp

At that time it got good reviews on Trip Advisor.

jdc26

Molly, like scatcat, I will be staying in Wengen for 7 nights at Hotel Baeren in September. From everything I've read about Wengen, especially from here on Fodor's, it sounds like the ideal place for me (traveling solo) to spend some quite time in the evenings while enjoying the beautiful scenery, hiking and day trips to some of the other villages. The room including breakfast and dinner CHF110. Since the restaurant is not open on Sunday's I got a discounted charge for that day.

Happy Travels!
jdc

Palenque

for bona fide hostel type digs Grindelwald abounds in these - from the official HI hostel to things more Bohemian like the Nature Friend's dorm, where i stayed once - Interlaken itself has dozens of private hostels, including the notorious Balmer's Auberge - kind of a camp for U.s. college-aged kids.

For true budget digs - for about $30 or less consult a copy of Let's Go Switzerland, which by far IMO does the best coverage of true hostels and budget hotels.

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A Visit to the Nature Friends House in Grindelwald - Nature ...
May 24, 2008 ... The Internet informed us that there was a Nature Friends house in Grindelwald, Switzerland. The Swiss tourist bureau sent us brochures that ...
http://www.naturefriendsla.org/web/i...module=article... - Cached - Similar

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Hotel List of Category Basic | Grindelwald | Bernese Oberland ...
Grindelwald hotel and accomodation list. Grindelwald Switzerland offers a summer ... Friends-of-Nature House, A simple but practically installed Non-Smoking ...
http://www.grindelwald.net/hotelacco...c.php?userlang...

cjogo

Two years ago on our first trip to Switzerland we stayed at The Staubbach Hotel in Lauterbrunnen. Very basic, clean, comfortable, and friendly hotel with great views of waterfalls.

I recall that there was a very nice looking Hostel in the center of Lauterbrunnen.

After much indecision about which town to spend our 3 nights in OB I was happy that we chose Lauterbrunnen. Easy access to other towns and, while Wengen is very beautiful, it is a town built for tourists (think Vale, CO). Plus I found that I really enjoyed being in the valley looking "up" as opposed to being high and looking "down".

Have a wonderful trip - Switzerland is spectacular.

MollyM

Hmmm, was it this place? Valley Hostel? I'm actually looking into staying there.
http://www.valleyhostel.ch/pages/en/home.php?lang=EN

cjogo

Molly, this does look like the place. We didn't really check it out, just remember that it sat back off of the road on the left if walking from the train station toward center of town.

Seems to get favorable reviews on Trip Advisor.

Palenque

Book Walters Bed and Breakfast, Interlaken, Switzerland: Book Now!
Search the cheapest beds available at the Walters Bed and Breakfast in Interlaken, Switzerland. Book Walters Bed and Breakfast and all Interlaken hostels ...
http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels...terlaken/9255/

i have stayed multiple times at Walter's B&B in the tranquil Matten area of Interlaken - some rooms have balconies with views of the Jungfrau Massif. Walter is a chef in Bern i believe and serves up a humongous all-you-can-eat breakfast - neat older building - a great deal and a great place to stay IMO - and IMO Interlaken, at least in this part of town - well away from the tourist hubbub between the train stations, is a really neat place

MollyM

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to let you know I booked my stays in Switzerland. I went with the Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen for two nites (thanks melnq8 for the suggestion!) and the Tourist Hotel in Lucerne for one nite. It was featured in our Switzerland guide book as highly recommended, so thought I'd give it a whirl. In Lauterbrunnen I'll be staying hostel style and in Lucerne I have a single room with a shared bath. Three nites worked out to be $120. Not bad, I'd say!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! Hopefully it all works out!

Melnq8

Have a good trip Molly. I'll be interested to hear how it goes.

kaleighmh

I know this was a long time ago, but I'm looking at the Tourist Hotel in Luzern. Did you like it?

pookymimi

I would also like to know about the Tourist Hotel Luzern

MollyM

Hello travelers! I'm sorry this is such a late response; I just noticed it.

The Tourist Hotel in Luzern was fine. Very bare bones accommodations, but clean. My room didn't have a private bathroom, and the bathroom I used on the floor was unisex (showers included). But it was pretty quiet and the bathroom was never crowded. The bathroom situation was probably my biggest complaint, and if I had a private bathroom, I would definitely stay at this property again.

The staff was very nice and the entire property was clean. Great security, too. Also, great continental breakfast included. I met some nice travelers while I was there. And the location is fabulous. Super easy to explore both the old and new towns, and I walked to the hotel from the train station.

All in all it was a good experience and met my needs for that trip, but if I return I think I'd pay the extra money for a private bathroom, or look to stay somewhere else with a private bathroom. I believe the Tourist Hotel was the absolute cheapest stay in Luzern, and that's what I was looking for. If you're looking for a cheap stay, I would definitely recommend this hotel.