Montreux hotels
 

hello my Fodor's Switzerland forum friends...

Toying with the idea of a return to Switzerland next summer. I am looking for input on hotels in Montreux. My short list with minimal research today includes: Helvetie, Villa Toscane, Hotel Splendid, La Rouvenaz, and Grand Lac Excelcior. Month would be July or August. Price range up to 200CHF/night for a single room.

I have friends who live in the central part of town so hope to stay walking distance from them.

Any thoughts? merci, Suze

suze,
Remember that the jazz festival is sheduled for July. I imagine you'll have better luck with a hotel bookings if you plan around those dates.

Have your friends made any recommendations?

Oh yes, of course. This would be after the Jazz Festival which runs June 29 thru July 15. Next year will be the Fete de Vignerons in Vevey (happens only every 20 years) from July 18 thru Aug 11 which will be one HUGE party (was there for it in 1999).

Yes of course my friends will help. Just hoping for additional ideas here.

Here's my 2013 review of the Hotel Splendid, which I offer with the caveat that things can change, so you should check other reviews!

A mix of the great and the not-so-great

I spent two nights in a double for single use at the Hotel Splendid in May and thought it had some great features and some not-so-great ones.

With its wonderful location on Montreux’s waterfront, the little balcony of my room offered a truly wonderful place to enjoy some stunning views, and the views from the bed itself were also amazing! Although I didn’t actually see the sun rise, I could see dawn’s light spread over the magnificent snow-capped mountains across the lake without moving a muscle – glorious! I could hear some noises from the street in the morning, but they didn’t bother me; others might feel differently.

(One can reach the hotel from the trains station by taking a public elevator. In case you haven’t already seen these instructions: Cross the street immediately outside of the train station and head to the left. Soon – in just a block or so – you will see a walkway to your right that leads to the elevator. At the base of the elevator, turn left; the Hotel Splendid is just steps away.)

As noted elsewhere, the en suite “bathroom” is not a room – the walls reach only just above the level of the sink. As a solo traveler, I couldn’t imagine, in advance, any reason to object to that arrangement. I never realized how much I value stepping out of a shower into a steamy room – something that did not and could not happen here. I had plenty of hot water at good pressure, but the room was too large to contain enough steam for my comfort.

I also thought the furniture a bit under par. The legs of the armchair in my room had been twisted out of alignment, so the chair was unstable. Although the room had sufficient counter space, there was no surface at desk height. I thought the bed quite comfortable, although the pillows were a little thinner than I would have preferred.

The Hotel Splendid is family owned, and the two brothers I met could not have been more welcoming. The breakfast buffet held a nice array of tasty options. (Go ahead -- open the refrigerator behind the counter to reach the platters within!) And I was very pleased to find that the linens included wonderfully large bath sheets, rather than conventionally sized towels. On the other hand, I think some small conveniences, like an electric kettle and safe, would be much appreciated.

Hallo suze,

I haven't stayed in any of the hotels you name here, and I don't think I can say anything about their location that you don't already know! I will just add a reminder that the Villa Toscane sits across the *very* busy main street of town from the lake, and I believe that the Auditorium Stravinsky will block the view.

I know it's not on your list, but I still offer the Bristol Hotel in Territet, my current favorite. It sits right on the lake, and a huge lakeview room with kitchenette will cost 160 chf/night, including breakfast. The hotel is, in my view, walking distance to town, as it takes about 20 minutes. But your hosts will give you a Riviera Card, which makes the busses free; there is a bus stop right in front of the hotel, and they run every 10 minutes.

((The hotel is about a block from the boarding school my sister and I attended, Institut Monte Rosa..))

Have fun as you plan!

s

I was just thinking...have you looked at Homeaway or Airbnb? There are some nice apartments up in the streets above the lake (like Ave du Midi) -- if your friend lives there, you may find something close. I always need to be right at the lake, so I haven't rented one of those.

s

Thank you for everyone's input so far. This trip at this point is only a fantasy, the seed of an idea. Not sure if I will be able to pull it off. I wanted to figure out if I can afford the trip at this time of year before I mention it to my girlfriend is why I haven't asked for her help yet.

I don't need a really nice place (sounds funny to say but true). Being close enough to walk to my friends apartment (Avenue des Alpes) is my number one priority. I would mostly be spending time with them and doing the Fete but need a place to sleep so as not to overstay my welcome in their little guest room.

Very much appreciate the Splendid review, that's about how I was picturing it (none of the places I can afford have great reviews, Helvetie which I believe is the closest to my people has some truly funny/bad ones).

I haven't checked the AirBnB route, nothing I've done before but worth a look for sure. Again, my thanks.

How about a Youth Hostile - they sell senior cards now and have private rooms- seems right up your alley!

Or maybe a Youth Friendly.. If I were going to stay in one, Switzerland or Germnany would probably be the place I'd do it, though, as I think they have more of a tradition of that and things in Switzerland are usually pretty clean and nice. That's not a bad idea except the on in Montreux is at the far south end of town and not that close to, say, Hotel Splendid. Ave des Alpes runs pretty long along the coast so hard to say, but I'm guessing that hostel would not be the right location.

PalenQ~ This post is from September last year. I don't need a "hostile" nor a "senior card".