Do NOT be put off by the outside appearance of the Hotel Cristallo. Yes, it’s a concrete box, but that is exactly it’s good point. It’s honest, it’s not a fake alpine chalet, and it’s not a traditional wood construct where you can hear every movement from anyone anywhere in the building and the balconies are at risk of collapse from dry rot. (I won’t tell you the hotel I’m thinking of). It’s modern, it’s clean and it’s very well decorated. Don’t think that being all that makes it characterless, it doesn’t. The bedrooms are excellent, comfortable and well appointed, but their star feature is the view (if you face the valley rather than the street). The whole of one end of the room is a wall to wall, floor to ceiling 50’s style picture window with a door onto the balcony, with a magnificent view over the valley and lake. The view is so dominating that you can feel it.

The front of the hotel is on the main run of shops & banks, which are clean and modern but could be anywhere in Europe with no hint at all of being in the alps. The contrast between the front of the hotel and the back of the hotel is a little surreal.

The hotel dining room is behind the hotel run bistro, and overlooks the valley. Where the meals are concerned I have nothing to complain about, but did find things a little pretentious. Perhaps that was just me, perhaps it was the other guests some of whom overdressed for dinner and were obviously out to impress. Perhaps it was the staff, because although things were relatively ordinary, they seemed to be trying to convey an air of class, perhaps they were just trying too hard. I wasn’t really comfortable at meals, but would put up with this willingly for the rooms.

A word of warning about the dining room particularly if there are children in the party, the walls are decorated with modern pornographic cartoons (why !). Is this art, or is this smut ? It’s pretentious, which only added to the feel that the management were trying to position themselves as “up market”.

Regardless full marks to the place.