We just returned from a weekend at the Grindelwald Hostel and we had a great time. We stayed in the newer annex and this worked out great. The annex has been nicely finished in wood so it really blends into the surroundings. The room had 2 sets of bunk beds and a sink. There was plenty of room for the four of us (husband and sons, 4 and 5 yrs). The view was amazing and the boys could play at the small playground while we watched from the room. The toilets and showers were very clean.

Like others have said, the walk up from town can be tricky if you are carrying lots of gear so try and get there in time to catch a bus. This was a bit expensive - 6chf for full fare but it was worth it! After that, even our 4 yr old happily walked up the hill. We had dinner there both nights and they were good, nothing too fancy but good. The first night there were only 7 people dining but the next there were close to 80. It can get crowded and loud so eat early if that bothers you. There were plenty of places to eat outside. Bring your own wine and beer from town for an after dinner drink because the wine there is very pricey. There were lots of people having impromptu picnics!

We found the staff very helpful and friendly! There were quite a few other families around so the children were occupied. Our boys thought it was the best "hotel" ever.

I recommend this place for anyone with a love of the outdoors but do your homework - plan on getting into town in time to take the bus there (the buses stop early - about 5ish), book your meal there before you arrive if you are getting in late, know your check-in and check-out times, and remember that this is a hostel! You are expected to make and strip your own bed, bus your tables and clean up after yourselves!

Have a Great Time!

We stayed in Feb half term 09 and were due to go back for new year however due to pregnancy we cancelled (much to my disappointment). The hostel was great, very modern and clean and staff very helpful. Our room had a great big window and lovely view, two sets of bunks and was spacious, the loos/showers - again very modern across the hall, it was very peaceful as well at night which I can't say about some places I've stayed on skiing trips!!
Location was up a hill from the main centre of the town, but there were buses to and from the hostel and a "nachtbus" (only be careful as may not access the hill if lots of snow - only happened once taxis are an option..) WE drove to the hostel from the UK snow chains/4X4 essential, our chains were useless as never used them before and don't think were suitable for our car so again beware, we got the car up - eventually but didn't dare move it once it was up there hence the use of the bus (free too!!)
The hostel did a 3 course meal each night, cost 16 swiss francs so not too bad, I am very fussy so tended to venture to town where there was a decent variety of places to eat and some had special offers, all in all on average spent around 80 francs per night incl drinks etc.
Skiing was good, with a good ski school which my then 8 yr old daughter participated in, bookings for this are taken at the leisure centre in the main centre, ski school situated on the bus route from the hostel a little out of the way, if you have kids of intermediate level then ok to meet instructors at the "First" gondola.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and it's my opinion you would be hard pushed to stay anywhere over half term as cheaply, roughly £750 for 6 nights (for all of us including breakfast). Yes we had to drive, got the dfds ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam (£400 all in) and petrol costs but I can honestly say it beat some dodgy package holiday to some dodgy hotel!!!!!!!!!!!!(in a naff concrete resort)

Grindelwald youth hostel is a brisk uphill walk from the centre of town but once you get there it is a friendly place to stay with excellent value clean rooms in good condition.

If you want dinner you have to book in advance but there are plenty of places to eat in town if you haven't booked.

When my husband and I planned a town-to-town hiking trip in the Alps, we thought it would be fun to stay at the hostel in Grindelwald and meet other hikers/travelers. My husband speaks German, so we reserved by phone, and our first warning should have been when the manager demanded a $90 deposit upfront -- even though we would have paid a $6 deposit if we'd reserved online at the Hostelling International site.
Ideally, hostels are friendly and welcoming, but that wasn't the case in Grindelwald. After hiking 23 km from Meiringen, we arrived dead-tired at 7 p.m. We found out the hostel serves dinner, and we would have liked to eat there, since the buses to town had stopped, but we were not allowed because we hadn't reserved in advance. We dropped our pack in our room in the newer, concrete building next to the chalet, which my husband dubbed "the army barracks,'' noticed there was no soap in the bathroom and returned to the office at 7:30, also hoping to buy a beer, but it was locked and the staff had disappeared, so we had to go without.
So we trudged down to town, which is a big tourist trap, but we did find a great place to eat, the C&M cafe. The taxi back in the rain cost $15.
Our room was bare-bones -- concrete walls, nothing on the walls, no view, no clock, thin and scratchy towels, dark corridors. I mean, it's a hostel -- but our total cost was $116 U.S.! The staff treated us like potential thieves -- I had to pay a $5 deposit to use a hair dryer, and at 9:25 a.m. (we had to strip our beds and be out of our rooms at 9:15 a.m.), while I was looking at a rack of postcards, the manager snatched it away and put it in the office so she could lock up for the day.
This hostel may be a good deal in ski season, but in mid-June, we could have stayed at a B&B in town for the same price and actually be welcomed and fed a nice breakfast (breakfast was bare-bones, too, for Europe). The chalet did seem pleasant, and beds there are 32-34 francs per person, so it may be all right for a single traveler, especially during a busier season when there are more people around. But the private rooms in the barracks are not a good deal at all -- the worst value on our entire trip.