Does anyone have any recommendations for lodging in the Appenzell area? Also, did you have any memorable experiences in the area to pass along? Thank you!
My wife & I will be in Appenzell later next month
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
How are you travelling? Car or train?
Posted by
Maple Valley, WA, USA
17 posts
Hi Kit,
My family stayed at Gasthaus Aescher in Appenzell when we visited two years ago and had a wonderful time. The view is spectacular, Claudia and Beny (and their kids) are great hosts, the Swiss you meet on the terrace are super friendly (had dinner and a beer or two with a couple that hiked up to the Gasthaus for dinner!). Parking is easy at the gondola lift, then you get to go up with the parasailers. Watch the last lift time-- after that you are walking.
The trail from the upper station to the gasthaus is very narrow-- our one mistake was taking roller bags and struggling with them down the hill, then back up the next morning. We're going to Appenzell again in Oct, but not staying at Aescher. Claudia said it is their 20th anniversary weekend and will be a big party-- we were welcome, but probably wouldn't get any sleep! We'll stay at Haus Lydia instead and go up for a day visit. Anyway, hope this helps, sincerely, John
Posted by
OP
Bend, Oregon, USA
111 posts
John: Thank you for the recommendations.
Denise: We will be traveling by train.
Kit
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
Kit, several years ago we stayed at Gasthof Frohe Aussicht (www.froheaussicht.ch). I believe a regional train goes by at the bottom of the hill that this zimmer is on top of. It is on the outskirts of the town of Appenzell. The prices were very reasonable and the views were great. Their restaurant has great food. Also check this website for accommodations: www.appenzell.ch/en/pages/sleep_stay/. The cheese factory in town is fascinating. My son & husband watched the different stages of cheese making for hours! It's a beautiful area--glad you're going there.
Posted by
OP
Bend, Oregon, USA
111 posts
Denise,
Hey, thank you for the recommendations. I will definitely check it out. Although we tend to travel "by the seat of your pants", it is always nice to have a few recommended places in an unfamiliaer area.
Kit
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
Kit, we always travel by the "seat of our pants". We did book some Marriott hotels in Italy this year. It was hard for me because I had to figure out when and where we were going to be. Generally, we'll drive around the cutest towns looking for "zimmer frei" signs. It's amazing the places you find. When I find a great place, I keep their info for any future visits. I am very particular about a zimmer. I find them cleaner than most two to three star hotels. It might be a bit harder for you travelling by train--carrying your bags and such. I'm so envious. Late Sept & Oct will be beautiful--and cooler.
Posted by
OP
Bend, Oregon, USA
111 posts
Denise: What you have to understand is that my wife & I have traveled for years by motorcycles. In fact, when we lived in Alaska, we took five 3-month trips to Nova Scotia. So we are veterans at packing light. For our upcoming trip to Switzerland, we have a couple of backpacks, a SwissRail Pass & an ATM card. Beautiful!