What to do in Switzerland???

Persoanlly, I would skip Geneva and stick with the Alps. Rick's Switzerland guidebook has lots of hiking and sightseeing ideas for the Interlaken area. In addition Lonely Planet has a special "Walking in the Alps" guidebook. Must-sees include trips to the top of the Jungfrau and Schiltorn peaks.
As October is shoulder season, you will have to look very hard for a hotel that is charging $250 a night :) For Interlaken the most "modern" type of hotel, is the Metropole Hotel located in a high-rise building which was just remodeled.

Interlaken is nice but the sights and access to the high alps are 20 minutes away by train in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It's stunning. The towns of Murren, Gimmelwald, Wengen and Grindlwald are all accessable by cog train or cable car. There is also access to the tops of the Jungfrau and the Shilthorn. Just catch the local from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen and it's all in front of you. If you still have the option, you may want to stay in either Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Wengen. Much smaller and much more scenic. We stayed in the Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen. Their new annex building is 5 years old. Very nice and very clean. If we went again, we would stay in Murren at either the Eiger or the Fontana. At over 5,000ft., the scenery is spectacular.

I have only been through Geneva and not stayed so I can't comment on it but I did stay in Laussane and it was the highlight of my trip. It's only a short train ride from Geneva and is so beautiful. The lake is just lovely and the old part of town really interesting but seriously hilly. You may like to consider stopping there.

Agree w/ M. Schneider - Geneva's dull, stick to the Alps - bernese oberland. Switzerland is the "operating room" of the planet, as a rule - usually spotless wherever you stay. Lauterbrunnen is a great place; Hotel Staubbach a reputable choice at a reasonable price. Mürren is more remote but spectacular. Be sure to ride up to the Schilthorn on a clear morning for breakfast - really really spectacular. Maybe spend a couple of days in Luzern after the Bernese Oberland.

Definitely choose one of the mountain villages to stay instead of Interlaken. If you stay in Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg you will be on the valley floor. If you choose Wengen, Gimmelwald or Muerren then you will be staying high up on the mountain with even greater panoramic views. I personally would choose Muerren because it's such a quaint Alpine Village with Gimmelwald sitting just below and easily walkable and the Schilthorn sitting just above easily accessible via the Gondola. Wengen is also beautiful and sits on the opposite side of the valley floor from Muerren and Gimmelwald. Wengen is a bit larger and more touristy with more fancy hotels and more shopping. If you choose Muerren I normally recommend the Chalet Fontana, but if your wife is a clean freak she probably wouldn't appreciate the shared bathrooms (although they are always spotless). Instead try the Hotel Alpenruh. If you stay there you can choose to take your breakfast at the revolving Schilthorn Restaurant.

Rob....bear in mind the Swiss are VERY clean people. You will have no problem finding clean hotels without spending a fortune.

Rob said he was going to Switzerland in October. While the mountain villages outside of Interlaken are more preferable, in October the hotels in the smaller villages begin shutting down for the season, along with some restaurants and merchants. Interlaken may be a better choice after September.

Thanks for all the great replies so far. We will definitely explore the Lauterbrunnen region and probably stay somewhere closeby. We are going very early October so hopefully things won't close down just yet. As well, as mentioned in a previous post, Lausanne is also an option we are considering for the first few nights. Does anyone have any hotels worth mentioning in that area? We only have 5 nights in Switzerland so we wanted to explore more than just the Oberland region. After that its on to Italy for 6 nights but I think we have that covered.
We have done a lot of research so far on our own but you can only get so much out of a book and the net. Personal experiences mean a lot so I appreciate all of your input.

Thanks again,
Rob

Rob,
here's our recommendation for a great, spotless hotel in the Eiger, Jungfrau, Moench area... in Grindelwald - a short train ride from Interlaken.

click on this:...

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-394686-hotel_schweizerhof-i

Have a great trip! P.

Rob,

My husband and I will be staying in Grindelwald in early october. We stayed in lauterbrunnen last year on a R/S tour. We love the area so we are returning for one week this year. I would also consider Wengen for a stay. It is just so beautiful. We will have a car and Wengen has no cars. I saw a Best Western in Wengen that looked nice. We will use Grindelwald as a home base and do day trips to Bern, lucern, Murren, and Geneva. Have a great trip.