Marco Polo Alpina Familien-und Sporthotel

The rooms were clean and tidy, and the staff were very kind during our stay. There was plenty of tasty food to choose from.

Hinterthal is incredibly beautiful, and the hotel was very clean. The buffet staff were excellent, with no complaints there. But I wouldn’t recommend the place to friends. It felt more like a 3-star hotel, and the look and feel were dated. We came for the all-inclusive package, but there was no restaurant lunch. At breakfast they gave us a small sandwich and a few granola bars to take away. Reception said their definition of all-inclusive was different and that I hadn’t read the webpage properly, though it doesn’t say guests get a snack pack for lunch. Being blamed for not understanding their definition, which differs from what you’d expect elsewhere, felt condescending. Technically, they did provide a sandwich, but I’ve never stayed at an all-inclusive without a sit-down lunch. After a long hike I was starving, and the receptionist suggested cake. Cake isn’t lunch. I didn’t want to eat in my room as if I were on half-board. There was also no water available in the pool and sauna area, so we couldn’t simply get a drink.

It was expensive for such an old hotel, and for what we paid, we could have stayed somewhere normal. We were traveling with a toddler and had told them in advance, but no towels or linen were added to the room. The heating didn’t work at night, so it was really cold. The food was poor, with little choice and many things that weren’t tasty. The old spring mattresses dipped into a hole, and once you lay down it was hard to move. Worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in.

A decent buffet and good amenities make this a good hotel for both summer and winter holidays. The all-inclusive programme is great, though the beer and wine could be better.