My husband and I are planning our first trip to Switzerland in May 2000. We are looking for advice on quaint, regional hotels that have a personal recomendation. We are thinking of staying in and around the cities of: Montreux, Luzern or Bern, and the Berner Oberland. I'd also love any advice on must see tours and restaurants. Thanks for any advice. <BR>Krista <BR>[email protected]

Krista, <BR>It sounds like you'll have a wonderful trip this May. Here are my personal favorites: <BR>Montreux: I've stayed at the Hotel Victoria in Glion (a funicular ride above Montreux) twice. It's a four-star in the Relais & Chateaux group, and it's just wonderful. However, the last time I was in Montreux I walked past the Hotel Ermitage and fell in love with it. It's right on the lake in Clarins, neighboring Montreux. I plan to stay there on my next trip. You can get information on both of these hotels at the Montreux website: www.montreux.ch. For activities, you can spend an afternoon in Montreux Old Town & its museum; an afternoon (or three) going from cafe to cafe along the lakeside from Clarins to Villeneuve (stop and see the Chateau Chillon); spend a day in the vineyards around Vevey, Chexbres, Rivaz, St. Saphorin; and spend a day in Nyon at the Roman Museum. There is another small Relais & Chateaux property in St. Saphorin called the Auberge de Raison that you might check out for lunch, at least. You can get more information on these towns & activities at www.lake-geneva-region.ch <BR> <BR>For the Berner Oberland, I'd recommend either Grindelwald or Wengen. If you have a car, go to Grindelwald. I like the four-star Schweizerhof in Grindelwald, but I've been wanting to try the four-star Regina in Wengen for some time (rates in Wengen are a little higher). You can get lots of information about these places at www.wengen.ch and www.grindelwald.ch. You should also check these websites for detailed information about the area: www.berneroberland.com, www.jungfraubahn.ch, and www.myswitzerland.com. There's also a personal website with lots of information: www.twenj.com/swissvisit.htm. Feel free to write me for more information. <BR> <BR>s.

Hi Krista, <BR>Sounds like a great trip. We just moved to Luzern, so I have some recommendations. <BR> <BR>We stayed at the Wilden Mann during our move. It was wonderful, old world, excellent service, in the old town and comfortable beds. The restaurants are also excellent. <BR> <BR>The other recommendation I would make is the Hotel Des Balances. Again, in Old Town and the restaurant, Rotes Gatter, is fabulous. <BR> <BR>Switzerland is beautiful. The Berner Oberland is worth a visit, as is Ticino. We liked Ascona much better than Lugano...less touristy and many art galleries. <BR>Enjoy! <BR>Jan <BR>

Hi Krista, <BR> I'm staying in Wengen in May. I chose the Hotel Belvedere and the rates are very reasonable 102 Swiss Francs per person including breakfast and buffet dinner. They sent me a brochure and it looks very nice. Have a nice trip!

Hi Krista, <BR>We spent 3 days in Bern in May '99. It is a wonderful city. We stayed at the Goldener Schlussel Hotel which was very centrally located and the staff were very helpful.Breakfasts were delicious, served in the retaurant downstairs. We easily walked wheeling our luggage from the train station. <BR>The address is: Rathausgasse 72 CH-3011 Bern. ph. 031 311 02 16