Switzerland Hotels

Hotel accommodation is very important to me when I go on my holidays. For business trips, I can still tolerate mediocre hotels but not for my own personal holidays. I like to know that I am going back to rest and relax in a nice hotel room after a day or sightseeing/hiking/shopping/eating. I do not need the hotel to be luxurious or 5/6-star rated but at least it should be modern, clean, comfortable and located in a safe area.

I do my research and ask around for recommendations when booking hotels. Most of the time, I am happy with my choices but once in a while, I do have to live with disappointment. =)

Some friends have been asking me about my accommodations while in Switzerland earlier this year, so I have summarized it here. Hopefully, it can be of use to you as well.

FYI: You can find my trip itinerary here and the map below.

2 Nights in Zurich:

We stayed at the Walhalla Hotel which is very close to the Zurich HB. My sister and her family have stayed here before and she recommended it to me. We had room 501 which, I think, is one of the very few rooms that can take 3 and more people. The room faces the evening sun and days are long during summer, so we found the room to be too warm for us. We asked for an extra fan to cool down the room. I booked the hotel directly with the hotel's website and it is CHF261 per night for a triple economy room with breakfast. Being an Asian, I am used to having a minibar and fridge in the room but this hotel does not have both. So, if you are looking for a cold beer at night, do buy some from the convenience store on your way back to the hotel or go to the pubs nearby.

2 nights in Interlaken Ost (East):
We stayed at a tiny hotel called Alphorn Hotel. The rooms are also tiny and the extra bed that they  have put in for my 11-year-old son looks like it is more suitable for toddlers. Nonetheless, my son said the bed is actually quite 'comfy'. Location-wise, the hotel is a bit farther away from the main tourist areas but it is within walking distance from the Interlaken Ost station. The plus point about this is the hotel is very quiet with no traffic sound at night. The lady who runs the place is quite fierce but efficient (very Swiss). The room is CHF180 per night.

Love the way they arranged the pillows .. shaped like the Swiss Alps!

3 nights in Zermatt:
We stayed at the Dufour Hotel. This is my favorite hotel for this trip. The hotel has no lift but the strong lady owner helped us carried our luggage up to the room! Good-sized room with a balcony which opens up to a majestic view of the Matterhorn. The service and breakfast were excellent. I will definitely recommend the hotel to friends and return to stay if I visit Zermatt again. The room is CHF228 per night.

Love this hotel!!

My breakfast at Hotel Dufour.

3 nights in Bern:
We stayed at the Best Western HotelBern. There are a few Best Westerns in Bern and I think I chose this one because of its price and close proximity to the train station. This is my least favorite hotel for this trip. It has no character and is typical of a chain hotel. I think it caters to tour groups as well which is something that I don't like. The only good thing about this hotel that I can remember is the room that was allocated to the 3 of us was a larger room with an extra area for round table that made it feel less like a chain hotel room. It is CHF212.50 per night per room with no breakfast.

All the hotels came with free WIFI, breakfast (except for Best Western) and an extra bed for my son. All are booked directly with the hotels' website.

Hotels in Switzerland are so expensive, so it is important to do ample research beforehand. Hope the above helps.

Till my next blog post, happy holidays! =)

Kijite Hoeiso, Hakone

My friend and I visited Tokyo and Hakone over the Chinese New Year holiday and we had a good time there. Our experience at the Japanese onsen was impressive.

To me, as a foreigner in Japan, my experience at Kijite Hoeiso is considered as very ‘Japanese’. This traditional style ryokan has about 18 to 20 rooms, fabulous indoor and outdoor onsens and exotic (to me) food for dinner.

Kijite Hoeiso in Hakone

I was served pheasant sashimi as the appetizer dish for dinner. I eat fish sashimi whenever I dine at a Japanese restaurant but bird sashimi is a whole new different ball-game to me. I courageously took a bite, it tasted good (no smell, somewhat tender) and proceeded to enjoy the remaining portion. I took some Asahi beer with the pheasant, hoping that the alcohol would finish off any germs on the bird (blue flu concerns). You may think I am crazy but hey, I needed the peace of mind. I later found out that pheasant sashimi is also eaten in Korea. That made me feel better, at least I know I am not the only ‘weird’ one. The rest of the dinner was somewhat intriguing and unfamiliar but good. The steamed soybean milk tofu that was served for breakfast the next day was also delicious.

The raw pheasant, as the appetizer, to be eaten with soy sauce and wasabi

The thigh of the pheasant, as the main course, to be grilled to medium raw.

And the onsens! Ahhh, the onsens! My friend and I booked this facility for its onsens. We wanted to experience Japanese onsens just like those that we have seen on Japan Hour – outdoor, natural setting (not tiles but rocks), steamy and clean. We were not disappointed. Our timing was good. It snowed the day we arrived in Hakone, the winter snow perfected the whole onsen experience. We rinsed off at the indoor onsen and then walked quickly (it was freezing cold) to the outdoor onsen for our relaxing dip. After 8pm, the facility allowed private booking of the outdoor onsen and I highly recommend this. They gave us a tag to hang outside the outdoor onsen so people would not come walking in. The outdoor onsen is located right next to a stream and you can hear the water flowing. It stopped snowing, the skies are clear and we could see the stars and a few planes flying by.

The outdoor onsen, next to the stream

Our private time slot at the outdoor onsen.

The facility is small and you get a lot of privacy - you are not bumping into people at every turn of a corner. We were assigned a lady to serve our meals in our room and prepare our futons. She is marvelous – very attentive and speaks a bit of English to help explain things to us.

First time to an onsen and do not know what to do? No worries, they have a guidebook for you. =)

Given the remarkable experience that we have had, my friend and I will definitely be back. Next time, we will skip the whole tour of Hakone thing, go straight to Hoeiso, enjoy the onsens, have exotic dinner in the room, enjoy the onsens again, sleep, wake up, enjoy the onsens again, have breakfast, go around facility to take more pictures and check out. 

Some tips for Hakone:

• You can take the express train from Shinjuku Station instead of the Romance Car to save some money. You have to change train at Odawara but that is no bother, very straight-forward.
• If you have the Hakone Free Pass, I think you can take the Tozane bus from the bus stop opposite the Hakone-Yumoto train station to go to Hoeiso. No need to take the small bus “B” and save Yen100 per way. I found out about this on my way back to the train station from Hoeiso. 
• The road where the Hakone-Yumoto train station is located has a quite a number of restaurants, so this is a good place for you to catch lunch or dinner.

Till my next blog entry, please take care! =)