Hotel Balsthal

Balsthal is a little, picturesque town about 50 kilometres south of Basel, and the hotel is a great place to stop on the way to northern Italy. There’s a large parking lot with chargers for electric cars. The rooms are spacious and tidy, and the restaurant’s simple food and drinks are good for a short stay. It also offers several services.

The staff were friendly, and breakfast was good. The room was nice, with the best pillows I’ve had so far in Switzerland. The burgers were fantastic, and the chips were great too. I’d give them six stars.

We were left waiting for quite a while when we arrived, and the bill took a long time to come after we asked for it. The service was poor and unprofessional, which made the whole experience very disappointing. We ordered sparkling water by the bottle but were brought glasses of tap water, with no explanation. My T-bone, which I’d asked for medium rare, came well done. There wasn’t a steak knife, and when I tried to ask for one, I couldn’t find any staff, so I struggled through the meal with an ordinary knife. The room was extremely hot, with no proper ventilation or way to cool it. Most of the staff spoke very limited English, which was surprising and inconvenient for an international hotel.

The beds were perfect, and everything was extremely clean and modern. It’s a fantastic hotel complex, and the restaurant matches it in every way. The price is just right. This will be my regular stop whenever I’m passing through Sweitz.