Murren Hotel Eiger or edelweiss & “half board”

We just had apple strudel at the edelweiss. I would stay there just for that it was so good!!!!! The views from outside were spectacular!!!!!! Right on the edge of the mountain.

I will generically address half-board. We love that option but maybe not for 9 nights. In our experience they vary the meals significantly so you don’t get repetition at night (usually breakfast is about the same daily) but they tend to be big meals and we get restaurant fatigue. Still, in Switzerland restaurant dining is very expensive and the half-board is considerably less-expensive than ala carte in a comparable place. Will the hotel let you do half-board some nights? We have had that option in Switzerland so we just tell them in the morning if we plan to dine with them in the evening.

BTW, the Eiger Guesthouse does a decent pizza.

We have stayed in Wengen now 4 times and we always do half board but we stay at Hotel Schönegg and the chef there is a genius! However for 9 nights?? Not sure. We like the convenience of half board. Will buy sandwiches for lunch and hike, but really nice to not have to hassle with figuring out breakfast and dinner.

Don't get hung up on the number of stars. It doesnt mean the same thing in Europe that it means in the US. Hotels are assigned stars based on the services and features they provide, not the level of luxury. For example, a hotel with an elevator will have higher rating than one without.

In Muerren, the farther you go from the train station, and the higher up in the village you go, the better the views become. I do not care for the area near the train station (where Hotel Eiger is located) at all—-I would not want to stay there. My favorite hotel in Muerren, for location, views, and for excellent food, is Hotel Bellevue. We dine there by choice even though we are not staying there—-other places we tried were not as good. But I see they are not accepting reservations for winter, so they must not be planning to stay open.

To answer your specific question about dining at hotel where you are not a guest, while we have done that in the past, it may not be possible under the current protocols (covid-related). And I really doubt whether spa services would be available to non-guests, but perhaps someone knows for sure.

The difference between a 3-star and a 4-star hotel in Switzerland has little to do with quality, comfort, or cleanliness. It is based upon the amenities and services offered—-things like spa services, elevators, and swimming pools. I see the Eiger has an indoor pool, so that it what qualifies it for a 4* rating.

I did not recognize the Edelweiss from our visits to Muerren (most recently in 2018), but I see on their website that it was renovated and expanded in 2020, so that explains it. I cannot speak to their food (or the Hotel Eiger food) as we have not dined at either.

I do see that the Edelweiss is right next to Hotel Alpina, on the edge of the cliff. That means great views into the valley and to the peaks across the valley (Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau). But I will say that a friend who stayed at Hotel Alpina found that dark cliff directly opposite the hotel, right at eye level, rather dark and foreboding. The peaks appear to the left and slightly behind the dark rock wall. You can see this on Google street view if you position the viewpoint off to the side of the Edelweiss itself, by their patio.

If you're in the BO and you're in your room enough to notice a lot of differences, you're not really in the BO.

Don't forget there's a Coop for snacks and simple meals.

Half board is a great deal with great food. In my experience, you can only switch hotel restaurants if they are jointly owned, and then only with advance reservations. The hotel restaurants only get enough food to feed its own guests.

Normally, at least one night a week they serve fondue or raclette, as it is staff night out and the hotel managers prepare the meal. It is something they can't screw up.

9 days of half board is perhaps a bit much. Maybe you could contact the hotels and ask if you could, let's say, have 6 or 7 days of HB and 2 or 3 free dinners?