Hotel Auffacherhof

The gondola is just a block away, which made getting out on the mountain easy. I stayed for a week around New Year's with my two daughters, and we chose half board. Dinner was a changing four-course menu each night, and the food was much better than we expected. Breakfast was good too, especially having eggs cooked to order. The staff were polite and our room was very clean. The decor felt dated to me, but it didn't take away from the stay. A hidden gem.

Breakfast was the highlight, with a wide selection and excellent omelettes made to order. The hotel has an appealing traditional look, and the room was okay, though short on facilities. Meals were fine, but there weren't any menu choices. The staff also struggled with my dairy-free needs and took most of the week to understand.

The food is brilliant, and the staff are very well mannered. There was a funny moment in the restaurant when a lovely, slightly doddery older lady spoke loudly in English so people would understand her. Poor old Thomas was very pleasant about the "typical English tourist." It was an entertaining experience all around.

We found a couple of spiders in the room, and the service was worse. We ordered a brown beer, but the waitress began pouring a blond lager. We pointed out the mistake straight away, yet she refused to change it because it was already "in the system." She told us we had to drink it, then said we could leave it but still had to pay. I've never been spoken to so rudely anywhere in the world. Really unpleasant. This supposedly four-star hotel seems to be losing its charm and its manners, and I wouldn't recommend staying here.