Here To Geneva

A wonderfully modest, comfortable, and welcoming home-from-home in the heart of the Swiss mountains.

In the past few years, I’ve made several trips to Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland. Each time, I’ve stayed at the Hotel Oberland, a modest, yet comfortable, welcoming and reasonably priced hotel set in one’s of the world’s most breathtaking locations. Read on to find out what makes the Hotel Oberland so special.

The Rooms

I’ve stayed in both single and double rooms at Hotel Oberland. My third floor double was large, comfortable, very clean and modern. The wooden furniture seemed brand new. Two single beds were pushed together to make a double. The room was very well lit, not just artificially, but with two windows on two walls and a set of double doors leading out onto the private balcony. In the room was a desk, two chairs, a large wardrobe and an ottoman to put bags on. There were two individually controlled radiators for heating. The windows and balcony doors were double-glazed. The bathroom, while small, was spotlessly clean. Inside was the toilet, sink and shower. The single was surprisingly roomy and equally comfortable as the double. It came with the same small en-suite and private balcony.

Location

The hotel is set in the world’s largest U-shaped valley, in a small, quiet and beautiful town called Lauterbrunnen. It’s very easy to get to. Main line trains run direct from Zurich, Bern and Basel to Interlaken Ost. From there you catch a BOB (Berner-Oberland-Bahn) train into Lauterbrunnen (make sure you get on the train from the correct section of the platform as the train splits in half enroute to Lauterbrunnen). Upon arrival in Lauterbrunnen, the hotel is just a 4 minute walk up the main street on the right-hand side. You really can’t miss it. I stayed in a room facing the road and there was some traffic noise but the town falls asleep by 23h00 and there’s almost no traffic at all. In the hotel’s immediate vicinity are shops (a supermarket, bakery, equipment hire stores etc.) and other hotels. There was absolutely no noise at all from neighbouring properties and barely any noise from neighbouring rooms. Safety isn’t an issue. The only people around are the quiet locals and the visitors. In the highly unlikely event you are concerned, the town’s police station is about 2 minutes away. Transport links are fantastic. Lauterbrunnen offers train, bus and cablecar connections in almost every direction so it’s very easy indeed to get to where you want to go.

Amenities

There weren’t really any extras like tea and coffee making facilities and such. The TV had around 40 channels, most of them Swiss (in French, German and Italian). For english speakers there was CNN, MSNBC and BBC Prime. There were also channels from the Netherlands, Germany and France. Channel 1 was a very useful local information channel, showing live views of the major tourist destinations in the area plus the current temperatures. It aided in deciding what to do each day. Hairdryers were available for free on request from the reception. The hotel’s restaurant was absolutely fantastic! I ate there every night. The prices were very reasonable and the quality of the food was outstanding. Try the tomato soup (it has a layer of cream on top) and then the ‘Lauterbrunner’ rosti. Delicious!

Service

Here’s where the hotel shone. The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful and all spoke flawless english. Ursula, the manager of the hotel, was particularly so. Upon arrival, she helped plan out my week, checked weather forecasts and handed me leaflets. In the evenings when I returned from exploring the area, she’d ask me how I was and what I got up to. Upon my departure and without being asked, she had printed off train times for me to help me plan my last day so that I could visit Luzern and still get to the airport on time. Outstanding service!

The Good

• The service is first class. You really feel like you’re being looked after and the knowledge of the local area is invaluable.
• The rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable.
• The breakfast buffet is included in the room price and is fresh and varied.
• The location is perfect. Mountains all around, wonderfully peaceful and stations are five minutes walk away.
• Sound-proofing is surprisingly good.
• The hotel’s restaurant is AMAZING! The capital letters are completely warranted here. You’ll see!

The Bad

• No in-room tea and coffee making facilities. I know it’s a typically British thing to want, but after spending full days in the mountains, I’m dying for a cuppa.
• Wifi is only available in the hotel lobby. A nominal fee is charged for the duration of your stay.

Conclusion

The Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen is a fantastic establishment. The rooms are comfortable, clean and well furnished and the price is exceptionally good. The location is perfect for exploring the Bernese Oberland area with Lauterbrunnen being a transport hub with connections in pretty much every direction. The hotel’s restaurant serves a wide variety of delicious food (pasta, pizza, rostis, meat and vegetable dishes, fodues etc.) at very reasonable prices. The service from all the staff (but particularly Ursula) was outstanding. I was made to feel very at home. If only all hotels were like the Hotel Oberland.

Hotel Information

Hotel Oberland 3822 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
http://www.hoteloberland.ch/