The Alpin Palace from outward appearances appears to be in the style of the grand old hotel. We expected elegant rooms and nice amenities. Instead we discovered that the hotel had obviosuly undergone rennovation- the room style can best be described as Ikea-ish. While there was ample room, there was nothing of charm. The beds were rock-hard- after one night, we no longer looked forward to going to sleep. we took the half-board plan - a must in Switzerland as prices are exhorbitant. Breakfasts were wonderful! Dinners varied - portions small to medium and rather bland for the most part. The palace boasts access to the adjacent sports facility and pool with free entrance. What they forgot to say was towels cost 3 francs per person and a locker was 2 francs per person each day. The hotel would not even provide towels. Location wise, the view from the window was of course spectacular. There are some good hiking trails but most of the activity is across the valley in Wengen and higher. While taking a train and gondola on a daily basis was not a terrible ordeal, if we were to do this again (wich we will) we would plan to stay in Wengen. Prices are the same over there. When we booked, the travel agent told us there were no accomodations available in Wengen. To our surprise, when we were over there, we stopped at numerous hotels and found many vacancies. I would suggest contacting hotels directly. Finally, we attempted to make a move over to Wengen, but the Alpin Palace would not allow us to leave without paying the full price of our reservation even though we had a daily rate and had signed no contract for a week's stay. We did not feel like getting involved with an argument with the hotel or the local legal system, so we stayed. Overall, the trip was wonderful, but the Alpin Palace could do better.
- Alpin Palace Murren
