Hotel Crystal in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland is one of the best-rated locations on booking.com even though is only a 2-star hotel. This is my hotel review of Hotel Crystal.
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Hotel Overview
The hotel is about a five-minute walk from the train station and located in the heart of Lauterbrunnen making it a great base for exploring the nearby villages. There is also a bus stop a few feet away from the hotel entrance.
From the Sun Terrace guests can enjoy views of the iconic 300 meter-high Staubbach Falls and the mountain panorama. If the view inspires you to take some photos, then you can get some closeups as the falls is only a 10-minute walk from the hotel.
Getting There
To get to the hotel you will need to get off at the Interlaken train station and take the connection to Lauterbrunnen which is 22 mins away. Like the rest of Switzerland, the views from the train are jaw-dropping.
If you are driving to the hotel there is free parking available.
Arrival & Check-in
Check-in and check-out are at the neighbouring Hotel Oberland, can be confusing when you initially arrive and have forgotten the fact you need to go across the street. However, there is a sign posted on the hotel informing you to go to Hotel Oberland for check-in. The check-in process is quick and seamless and in less than 5 minutes you should be in your room.
Our Room
Our room was on the first floor and spacious. It has cable TV (which we never switched on), a seating area and a decent bathroom. We stayed there for five nights and were lucky enough to have a room with a view of the mountains. If you listened carefully you can hear the nearby cows with their bells.
The room was clean and well maintained. The beds were comfy however we did find the pillows to be a bit lumpy but it did not stop us from having a good night’s sleep.
The floor had a common playroom for the children which was a nice surprise, however, it is more for toddler and there weren’t many toys there but it was enough to keep our little one busy.
The WiFi was excellent and tourist information/pamphlets/advice were readily available.
>>> Related Post - Best Road Trip Ideas: A Two Week Switzerland Itinerary
Dining and Service
Breakfast is also served at Hotel Oberland and is top quality. We found every staff member to be attentive and the general ambience was cosy, friendly and inviting. We had dinner there as well and they definitely did not let us down with some traditional Swiss food.
There are other restaurants along the street that you can try as well.
My Recommendation
For a 2-star hotel, it is on the pricier side comparatively, but this is Switzerland and everything is expensive. Given its location and the overall quality provided, I would say it was definitely worth the money spent. Even though this is not a child-centric hotel, it provides what you need - marvelous food, good rooms, and an exceptional location in the heart of Lauterbrunnen.
It is perfect for creating life-long memories.
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This looks like quite a cozy stay! I look forward to being able to travel to Switzerland, and see all the views you describe, and hear the bells on the cows - in Australia, our cows don’t wear bells. I imagine it to create quite a lovely, homely and relaxing atmosphere being able to hear that as you’re settling in for the night. Thanks for the review!
Hi Josie,
You can actually buy the bells as a souvienr. My wife bought one and I have to admit after a few months of hearing it, it just became bloody annoying! So I guess the Aussie govt were smart when they opted out for cows with bells!
Traveling in Europe is always going to be expensive but in my opinion, you need to decide what is more important, location of money. Both have their positives and negatives and what can be clearly seen is that this hotel deserves only 2 stars but owing to its location, the owners are able to pump the price up.
In my opinion location trumps cost savings when traveling. With limited time, one needs to capitalize on the time in a location and should make peace with the fact that you will pay for it.
Rich
Wow! This is very enlightening and detailed. You even added descriptions to the hotel. Its a top notch review.
I’m a nature enthusiast. I like to dwell anywhere closer to the beauties of nature. Your post contains every bit of information I needed. Every possible question that popped up in my mind was answered in your review. I like the pictural views, its magical and the environment seems very conducive and clean. I wouldn’t mind trying this hotel out as a vacation home for my next adventure. Thank you
Beautiful review article on this hotel. This is giving me the urge to want to travel. The location of the hotel is beautiful and with great views. The direction is great, no confusion and easy they through. The room is so simple and comfortable.
The dining and service area is superb. Thank you for the well-done review
I love the details about this Crystal hotel and think it’s got my imaginative piqued.
It would be worth visiting when summer arrives, I do have little ones and will appreciate a fun space for them to spend time, and secondly I like the description of the location, cause I would really love to get away from this noisy city Life for awhile.
But the only discouraging thing I see here is having to go to and fro ( check in and dinning) especially dinning.
Do you have idea why everything isn’t located on the hotel itself?
Cheers…
hi,
the ground floor of the hotel where the restaurant should have been, actually have shops and both hotels are owned by the same person, so I guess the making the most of limited space 🙂
I have not been to Switzerland but I have heard about Hotel crystal. My uncle who always travel to Switzerland have been in that hotel and he always told me how fun his trip always is. He always talked about the hotel environment where he lodge and Hotel Crystal isn’t an exception. Actually the environment is cosy. I have watched the pictures and videos of the hotel environment. That’s so cool.
I like this well-detailed review. I actually was in Switzerland two years ago, but I only visited zurich for 3 days. Switzerland like you rightly mentioned is an expensive place to live in, however, going by your description of the hotels, its room, services and other things, I think it is worth the price. I equally enjoy traveling especially during the summer with my family, and would love th visit the hotel crystal. However, my concerns is that my kids are still very young and going by your description, the hotel/room is not that kid friendly. What is the nearest airport to Lauterbrunnen?
Hi Tolu,
I did not say it was not kid friendly but not child centric…meaning their main focus wasn’t families. However, having said that I nor my kids had any issues while staying there.
Zurich is the closest airport but everyplace in Switzerland is like 1-3 hours away from each other! Switzerland is a really small country!
Hello Tarun,
An amazing and attractive review on hotel Crystal. The spot of this hotel seems very perfect not far from the train station. Another interesting thing is that having the Staubbach Falls in walking distance. When you mention the sound of bells and cows that are quite interesting for me. Thank you so much for sharing your experience here.
Warm regards,
Ranao.
Hi. I absolutely loved your review of the hotel crystal in Switzerland.
I have never heard of it before today and this article. I must admit it sounds like a hidden gem with its waterfall views and close proximity to the train station.
I am a great believer in exploring the places you visit so having the bus route only five minutes from this hotel is ideal for that.
It sounds perfect so why do you think this hotel is only 2 stars?
I have heard Switzerland is really expensive to visit from the United Kingdom so how much money would I need to budget for if I was planing to visit?
Great article and thank you for sharing
Take care.
Hi Mathew,
You are right - Switzerland is expensive but how much you would need really depends on you and factors like length of your trip, where you want to stay, how many cities and what activities you want to do. Our 2-week stay came up to $6,000 including flight.
I believe the hotel is 2 star because it isnt a brand nor does it have fancy room service and adds on most hotels have. I think it should really be 3 stars because of the overall quality