We chose the Hotel Säntis because of its location, right on the Landesgemeindeplatz, in the town of Appenzell. Although we have lived in Switzerland for many years, we had never been to Appenzell and wanted to be right in the centre of town. The hotel - the only 4 star one I could find in Appenzell - is OK and the staff very nice. It is not what one might call a "memorable" place.

To start with and this has nothing to do with the hotel, we were very disappointed in the appearance of the Landesgemeindeplatz. we had envisaged something far more attractive than what is really a large parking lot! Given the historic importance of this platz it is strange that it has not been made more attractive! The hotel is right on the square and has a large terrace. Although it was late November at the time of our visit, at 3pm the terrace was crammed with people enjoying the afternoon sun on a warm day. I can only imagine what it must be like in summer - at least once the sun went down when we were there the crowd left and with them the noise and bustle. In summer I would not want to have a room overlooking the square as it must be very noisy late into the evening.

The hotel is a very old, wooden building - in fact two joined together - and picturesque from the outside. It is well maintained on the inside and our room was quite large and reasonably comfortable. I would have preferred heavier curtains or shutters to keep out the light at night as the hotel's façade is lit quite brightly. The beds were comfortable with nice fluffy duvets. The bathroom was adequate though it had a linoleum floor, which I personally do not like. But to be fair, in an old wooden building it is probable that a tile floor would be too heavy for the structure. On thing that surprised us was the sound-proofing inside the hotel which was excellent. There was a jazz concert in the bar the night we were there and we heard absolutely nothing from our room, nor from the dining room below us.

Speaking of the bar we were shocked to see that smoking was permitted there. Switzerland has for some time banned smoking in public places and we have not experienced any smoking in bars and restaurants in the canton we live in. Apparently in Appenzell smoking is allowed in bars. We wanted to have a drink in the bar but rather than risk smelling smoke we decided to have it in the dining room.

We had originally planned to eat in the hotel's second restaurant which specializes in local dishes. This was not possible as it was closed the night we were there. So we ate in the main restaurant. The menu choices were pretty standard international dishes, with no local things at all which was too bad. The food was OK, no more no less. But quite expensive for what it was, I thought.

Breakfast was in the same restaurant and was the usual hotel buffet with some very nice breads.

I think this hotel is most likely the best there is in the canton and certainly in the town of Appenzell. It was not amazing but it was not bad either. I would not compare it to a four star hotel here in the Valais but all the cantons are different and approach things differently! On the whole I would say it is average, and for the cost perhaps a little disappointing...

Everything went perfectly. The staff at the front desk was very helpful with directions, maps, and suggestions. The bar staff was very nice as was the restaurant staff. The food was wonderful and the restaurant very pretty. We were able to dine while overlooking the main square. Our room was very pretty and the bath was spacious. The hotel kept our bags while we were on the trail hiking and had them waiting in our room upon our return. For a fee we were able to leave the car while we hiked. The hotel was expensive but then everything is expensive in Switzerland these days. I'd definitely stay again.

We have just returned from 2 weeks traveling Switzerland, Santis was our first stop and favorite. The hotel was lovely and traditional, the town quaint and genuine. Room was terrific, lots of space for a family of 4 in the junior suite with a terrific view of the town square and all that passes in the town. Unfortunately our son got ill just as we arrived and we needed medical attention, the staff was extremely helpful in finding a local doctor and helping with setting up appointments and translations for medication, I cannot imagine what we would have done without this gracious help. Such a wonderful Swiss experience, we enjoyed it immensely. Stayed 2 nights/3 days, probably would have added an additional day to explore the area a bit more.

This was our first stop on our vacation and was such a lovely place to start. We had a family room was huge and the kids had a seperate attached room with a table where they could color and play. There were games and toys on every floor the kids could take into the room. The location was perfect - right on the square. We had dinner there one night which was good but really expensive. I would suggest dinner out to enjoy the amazing appenzeller fondue at the hotel Traube. The breakfast buffet was above average - very good selection and very fresh. Highly recommend this hotel.