Hotel in the Bernese Oberland

Casey, depending on what you are looking for perhaps you might consider staying in Wengen. Wengen is located above the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the area is just fantastically beautiful. And they have some
very good hotels.

Depends on what you want to do. If you want to spend most of your time in the Lauterbrunnen valley then stay in the valley, either in Lauterbrunnen or one of the higher up towns. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen because we were going to go up both sides of the valley and it was a bit easier. Though not necessarily a 5 star hotel, we stayed at the Hotel Staubbach and absolutely loved it! We paid extra for a room with a view of the valley and the falls and I will say that was definitely a 5 star view! Room and hotel was very comfortable and the staff was fabulous! We didn't stay in the higher up towns, so can't comment. Lauterbrunnen was a bit bigger so that was nice for a bit more eating options.

Wengen is also a bit "snootier" than the other alpine villages so perhaps your wife would enjoy it. Wengen has more hotels, gift shops and restaurants than the other villages. I wouldn't waste my time in Interlaken even WITH a 4 or 5 star hotel. Interlaken is not in the Alps. Look at these hotels:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188085-d228246-Reviews-Beausite_Park_Hotel-Wengen_Jungfrau_Region_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188085-d265326-Reviews-Caprice_Hotel-Wengen_Jungfrau_Region_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188084-d252429-Reviews-Hotel_Eiger-Murren_Jungfrau_Region_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps.html

Hi Casey,

We stayed in and loved Wengen! The scenery from here is stunning! Check out their website for hotels. We stayed at the Hotel Eiger, which is no longer a hotel but is now selling it's apartments.

www.wengen.com

Paul

Grindelwald is also the only Alpine village that allows cars and tour buses. Muerren, Wengen, Gimmelwald can only be reached by trains or gondolas.

Tim, I beg to differ, but you can drive from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, and all the way into the Lauterbrunnen valley to Schtechlberg (sp?).

Casey, I agree with other posters - don't stay in Interlaken, you will totally miss out. Wengen is the snootiest (most upscale) town in the Lauterbrunnen valley. Grindlewald is not really in the Lauterbrunnen valley, but one valley over. It's very pretty and larger than any of the other towns, but it is definately more touristy, and has larger hotels (and a lot more people) than any of the other towns.

Casey-
We've stayed twice at the Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbruen and highly recommend it -- though it is more quaint than snooty. Don't know its rating, but think it comparable to most 3 stars we've stayed at. As suggested by others, you might want to check out Wengen-- there are a couple of hotels up there that look like they are probably 4 stars. But, in my opinion, Wegen lacks the convenience of Lauterbruen. By the way, we were there late August/early September and the weather was perfect.
Enjoy!
Duane

Casey,

Have a look at the Alpin Palace Hotel in Murren and check the photos and ratings on TripAdvisor. I stayted in Gimmelwald on my last visit, but noticed the Hotel when I was exploring the area. It definitely seems like it's on the "snooty" side to me!

Happy travels!

Jill, I don't believe I said that you couldn't drive to Lauterbrunnen...of course you can drive there. I said Muerren, Wengen, Gimmelwald can only be reached by trains or gondolas. I don't really consider Lauterbrunnen to be one of the Alpine villages sits it sits in the valley floor along with Stechelberg.

I love this are and would make it my home if the Swiss would let :-)

Sorry Tim, I really didn't mean to be offensive, I misunderstood you. I totally agree - it's our absolute favorite place in Europe, and I would definately live there if I could figure out a way.

Casey, if you are looking for more upscale hotel rooms, there is the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken (5-star) at up to $520/night. Interlaken is a 25-minute train ride from Lauterbrunnen. From some rooms, you have a glorious wide view of the alps. This view is not to be confused with staying in Lauterbrunnen or in the upper alpine villages where the views are closer and even more spectacular.

Next, Wengen has two 4-star hotels (Caprice Hotel and the Beausite Park Hotel. Additionally, Wengen has at least 5 3-star hotels.

Lauterbrunnen has one 3-star hotel. This is the Hotel Silberhorn which is about 500' from the train station. About $185/night. Probably the best restaurant in the valley. We've stayed there and really liked it.

The Hotel Staubbach is rated #1 in Lauterbrunnen at $85/night but I don't think your wife will like the words "charming" and "rustic" that you see in the reviews. To me, that means "old and/or needs repair". But at $85/night, it's a great value.

Not to be outdone, Muerren has one 4-star hotel at $180/night (Hotel Eiger) and one 3-star hotel at $110/night (Hotel Blumenthal). Muerren may be small but it's everything you would want to see in a Swiss Alpine village. Just stunning.

Thank you everyone so much for all of your help. I have quite a lot of info to sort through and you saved me a lot of time and research. We are so excited to visit Switzerland!