Alpina Regina

At least the balcony view was good while we ate a picnic for dinner. I’d booked through booking.com because the hotel was listed as having a great restaurant, but there were no staff around when we arrived. The restaurant was closed, though the website hadn’t said so, and there was no coffee or tea in the rooms or anywhere to get a drink. I called the number at reception and was told about the closure. One pillow had brown stains all over it; eventually I found someone staying at the hotel who could swap it for a clean one. The rooms were a bit shabby, had no air conditioning, and looked nothing like the pictures on the website. A hotel without staff, a restaurant, or anywhere to get a drink felt like a shed with a bed in it. It wasn’t worth decent hotel prices. I’d have slept in the car if we hadn’t had our small dog with us.

We had an amazing experience, even though the food was just okay and manageable for travellers. It’s a compact, decent hotel with wonderful views of the snow-covered mountains. Our first room wasn’t to our liking, but management moved us to a much better one. There aren’t many places beyond the hotel, so a morning walk is refreshing and rewarding, with plenty to photograph along the roads, buildings, pretty gardens, and trees.

The place has clearly been renovated recently, and everything was perfectly clean with brand-new furniture. The current owners took over three months ago, so I assume the poor reviews you may see were about the previous staff. We arrived late at night and asked for something to eat. Although the kitchen had closed, the owner cooked us a generous plate of spaghetti, just as we’d hoped. Thank you for the warm welcome and genuine kindness. The owners are about the friendliest hosts you could hope for.

The shower was difficult to use because the head wouldn’t stay up, so I had to hold it with one hand and could barely wash my hair. On the first night there wasn’t enough hot water; the second night it started hot but turned cold partway through. The rooms are dated, and the dirty carpet should have been replaced long ago. The pillows felt like pillowcases stuffed with cotton balls, not proper pillows. We stayed two nights. Do yourself a favor and find somewhere else.