Grindelwald Hotels with Shuttle Service

Excitement when we booked the hotel: five stars hotel, a restaurant with 14 points on Gault & Millau, spa and gorgeous views over the Eiger mountain. But disappoin**ent when we arrived. Nobody to greet us or help us with the luggage. The tables on the garden next to the entrance were covered of empty packs of cigarettes and overflowing ashtrays. When we arrived at the front desk, there was only one person, who took care of the couple of friends that were travelling with us, and suddenly a guy appeared that seemed to have just jumped out of bed and hastily took our luggage. As check-in was not until 3 PM, we went out to enjoyed the day. Came back a 2:50 PM and the room still wasn’t available because check-in was at 3 as the front desk person repeated. I would have hoped that 10 minutes to 3, the room would be ready… I was told to wait in the lobby. No drinks. No service. At that point I really was not feeling welcome. The tables in the lobby were covered in dirty cups everywhere. After 10 minutes, I go to the front desk and finally can get checked in. This is when I am handed a pass for public transports and a discount voucher for the ski pass. Would have been more useful in the morning that when the day was over. I then go to the room: no luggage. I had to phone the front desk to get it delivered. The view was as promised: gorgeous! The room however, very meh. It had a vibe of the early 90’s. Carpet’s colours washed off by the sun. Outdated furbishing, bathroom included. Cheap plastic ashtray turned upside down on the balcony that was covered in a fake grass carpet. Certainly not worth 660 CHF a night (ca. 700 USD). We had booked a massage a few weeks prior, lucky for us they changed our slot but we still had our trea**ent. Our friends however, booked in August and the hotel cancelled without any notification because a massage therapist was sick and they reallotted the slot my friends booked to someone else. The gastronomic restaurant was supposed to be closed but our friends managed to get a 7-course menu organized. We were all very excited but disappointed as the dishes got served. First dish was so small we thought it was an amuse-bouche. Then we had a mere soup that was so sweet, it could have been a dessert. And then a scoop of passion fruit ice-cream. I will not mention all the dishes, but the menu was really uneventful and unworthy of a 14 Gault & Millau restaurant. Also no explanation provided about the dishes when they were getting served. At that stage, we suspected it was not the food of the gastronomic restaurant, but they served us the same menu they were serving the night before for New Year’s Eve. Menu with wine turned out to be 230 CHF (ca. 250 USD) per person. Pretty hefty for what we got. After dinner we went to the lobby’s bar for a last drink. Again, the table was dirty and I had to ask the waitress to clean it. Check-out the next day was also very laborious with a guy with messed up hair, again, not a good image for a

The Belvedere exceeded all I hoped for in the usual issues like cleanliness, friendly helpful staff, and assisting in planning adventures in the region. What went well above my hopes was the entire staff's attitude toward the dietary restrictions for my travel partner. There is no information concerning availability of gluten-free meals contained in Belvedere's information BUT I have never seen such a positive and cheerful attitude by a staff. If you are or are travelling with someone who is gluten challenged, you absolutely must stay here. Once we talked with the restaurant staff for the initial meal (dinner) they would have gluten free foods and options already prepared for every other meal before we could even ask. We will be returning to this area and will always stay at the Belvedere.

The room layout is very local. The hotel is in a good location, with beautiful environment and complete facilities. The mini bar in the room is free on the first night, which is a surprise.

Eiger Lodge Chic - Grindelwald: I didn’t realize that the Eiger Lodge was located in Grindelwald Grund – Terminal, not in the heart of Grindelwald. Having noted that, I must say that our 7 nights at the lodge with a room and balcony facing Mt Eiger and sumptuous breakfast, I was happy for my mistake. The lodge is near the Terminal from where we purchased tickets and left via cable car for the Top of Europe – Jungfrau, and took the Mannlichen - Wengen cable cars, as well as the main Grindelwald Terminal train station. There is also a ‘shuttle train’ which runs between Grindelwald Grund and the main Grindelwald town. It’s also a few steps away from the lodge (on the other side). The owner and staff are very personable and very helpful. The lodge is an interesting mix of hostel and hotel. We were in the newly opened ‘Chic’ section. Waking up to those incredible views from our balcony was priceless. Their laundry facility is somewhat limited for the number of guests. Line-up is via the honor system – first come / first can use it. The Eiger Lodge also runs a nearby campsite (5 minute walk). Breakfast can be enjoyed inside or outside. The lodge has an outdoor restaurant (open evenings) with covered and uncovered seating. We ate there several times – good food / limited menu / cold beer. The lodge provides all guests with a free bus pass. We used ours to get to the town of Grindelwald, so we could take the cable car to Grindelwald First, where we also hiked to Bachalspsee and met the contented Swiss cows. Highly recommended.