Planning a non-skiing trip to Switzerland in early February. Looking for apartment rentals in Lauterbrunnen and Kandersteg - any recommendations?

All suggestions appreciated!

A good website for house rentals is vrbo.com. I have used them in Europe and the US with good results.

Hi Cicerone -

I already checked vrbo - unfortunately they only have three Lauterbrunnen listings; one is booked for our time frame and the other two sleep six, and therefore cost more than we'd like to spend (there's only two of us). No listings on vrbo for Kandersteg.

I've also checked with Interhome and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

I was hoping someone here might have a specific apartment recommendation.

We'd prefer an apartment that sleeps two within walking distance of the train station, although that's not absolutely necessary.

Thank you though!

Hi Melnq8,

How are things in Kuwait -- is that where you are now? I forget -- Anyway, hope you're well!

Sorry, I don't have any personal recommendations, but I did find a link to more than 50 apartments in Lauterbrunnen. I went to www.lauterbrunnen.ch, then clicked on "Lauterbrunnen" on the map, then on "accommodations." Then I got a screen with some drop-down menus and I selected "Lauterbrunnen" and "apartment."

Hope you find a great one!

Hey, I think Bob Brown has rented the same apartment in Lauterbrunnen several times -- maybe do a search to find his recommendation.

Good luck!

s

Melnq8:
I stayed in an apartment in Kandersteg a few years ago, but cannot remember their name (sorry)!
Have you looked at www.kandersteg.ch under 'tourismus', then 'list of accomodations' for a nice listing of perhaps 15 apts , most with photos and descriptions?

I have rented an apartment at Chalet Horner in Lauterbrunnen. It is ok.
The beds are comfortable.

The owner is more flexible in her rental periods than some of the Swiss apartment owners.

The location is quiet and near the train station. Lauterbrunnen is essentially a 1-street town with a few shops along the street and a handful of hotels.

We usually visit the Coop market, the meat store, the bakery and the dairy store to satisfy our food needs.
They are all close together.

For Kandersteg, the Hotel Adler rents apartments, affiliated with the hotel:
http://www.chalethotel.ch/

I haven't seen the apartments, but the hotel is quite nice, and very convenient to the train station, and with a nice view of the mountains.

Thank you all so much - I'll take a look at all of these.

swandav2000 - Left Kuwait over two years ago - now living in Indonesia. Jumped from the frying pan into the fire this time.

Bob -

Would you happen to have an e-mail address/website for Chalet Horner? Having trouble finding any info online.

Danke!

Not Bob, but here is the site you are after.

www.lauterbrunnen-tourismus.ch/graf53.htm

I can go this far: Here is the phone number for Chalet Horner: 41 33 855 3243

YOu need to pefix the number with the international dialing code appropriate for your location.

Teresa also responds to email when she is at home. I believe the web site has her email address.

Right now she may be in England because November is a slow time. Post hiking season and pre ski.

Some of the apartments are rented for a large portion of the summer already. Most of the clients are British. If you are interested in staying there, I suggest going ahead and inquiring.

Don't hesitate to call; there is no language barrier at all. Of that I am quite certain having lived in Chalet Horner on several occasions for a week or more. Even Chico speaks English.
(He is the official 4-legged guardian of the front porch.)

I know Teresa's name sounds Swiss-German, but bear in mind that Stäger is/was her late husband's last name.

If Teresa is away for a few days, a Mrs. Pearson may answer the telephone. She is a local Swiss lady, but her husband is British.

Thanks so much Maudie and Bob - looks like two apartments are still available for our time frame.

Do you know which two? The units have names. The Studio is comfortable for 2 people and it is the one my wife and I have used the most. It is on the ground floor with the entrance at the rear of the building.

It is one larger room with a small kitchen area and a bathroom with a shower.
It faces the Männlichen, which is the ridge that towers over the valley some 4,000 feet.

The Lauberhorn is also a good unit. My wife and I stayed there last summer for 4 nights. The bedroom is separate.

The largest unit will hold 4 people comfortably. It is called the Schilthorn.

For two adults, the Studio or the Lauberhorn would be my two choices.

Although I have rented a flat in Chalet Horner several times, I have done so mainly because it is convenient to the train station and to the food stores. Teresa has also allowed me to park a rental car at no extra charge.

There are other vacation apartments in Lauterbrunnen, and several of them are rated 4 stars rather than 3.

Over the years, prices at Chalet Horner have gradually gone up some 30%. Combined with the relative weakness of the US dollar, the cost has escalated substantially since 1998, the year of my first visit. Although I prefer an apartment to a hotel room, the bargain that Chalet Horner was at first has been slowly eroded.

Hi Bob -

Lauberhorn and the studio are the two available units.

I have my eye on two other apartment possibilites in Lauterbrunnen as well - they're both 4* and less expensive, but not as conveniently located. The deciding factor between them and Chalet Horner will be whether we plan to stay in Lauterbrunnen for an entire week or not. Right now we're considering spending 6 nights in Lauterbrunnen and three in Kandersteg.

Problem is, the other apartments rent Sat-Sat and we arrive on a Friday and leave Switzerland on a Sunday. Chalet Horner has a minimum 3 night stay in February, so it may be the better choice for us.

Our dates aren't flexible as we're working around a business trip to the Netherlands.

We prefer apartments too - it's nice to have coffee first thing in the morning and not have to dress for breakfast. We've stayed in apartments in Wengen, Grindelwald and Zermatt, but this will be the first time we've based ourselves in Lauterbrunnen.

Thanks for the help.

We stayed in a lovely Lauterbrunnen apartment in July - actually situated near the Trumelbach Falls. I would definately stay there again - Chalet Barli just outside Lauterbrunnen (http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/ind...operty/19719_1). The English owners, Wilf and Wendy are a charming couple, always ready for a chat. The apartment only had one bedroom, but a sofabed and fold down bed in the living room worked really well for us. The kitchen was compact (one person in there at a time) but functional and very well equipped – right down to the fondue set complete with burner, instructions, recipes and where to buy the ingredients in the village! The apartment is set in the Lauterbrunnen valley in a tradtional Swiss Chalet. Looking out of the side windows one looks at the towering cliffs that form the valley – a wonderful view and amazing feeling. The view from the front windows shows the snow capped mountains – perfect! People had recommended we stay in the car free villages higher up but we found the valley to be a magical place. Car parking right beside the chalet made using the car very easy too. It was an ideal base to visit the Junfrau region and we would not hesitate to stay there again! On a couple of occasions we returned from a long day sightseeing to find a bowl of freshly picked strawberries left for us by Wilf and Wendy – they grow their own and were happy to share. The girls also loved going with Wendy to feed or play with their kid goats – a real Heidi experience!
They also have a second apartment right next door.

Thank you PLRCH - I'll take a look.

Teresa is flexible in her periods of stay. Moreover, many of the other apartment owners charge that final cleaning fee as you probably know.

Chalet Horner is well situated. The two units available are fully suitable for 2 people. There is little to chose between them. The Lauberhorn is upstairs with a balcony that gives a nice view over the mountains.

The studio is a little more secluded because no one ever comes down there except Teresa and the cleaning people.

I have not looked for other accommodations in Lauterbrunnen because Chalet Horner was satisfactory and a known factor. We did not have to think much about how to manage our stay. We could simply focus on where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do.

Of course there is always the imponderable factor of the weather.

to bob brown -- I don't see an email address for Chalet Horner's owner. Maybe I'm just blind. Do you see it or know it? Thanks.

Kristine -

Go to this site and then click on "contact the owner":

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Swi...unnen/p979.htm