Bischofalp

We only ate at the restaurant and didn’t stay at the hotel. The food was good, with enough variety and some vegetarian choices. The terrace has a great view, though the sun gets intense. I didn’t bring sunglasses and regretted it, and it gets quite hot after half an hour of sitting there.

The hotel is modern, clean, quiet and remote, with an amazing view. We enjoyed our stay, though a few things bothered me. The breakfast buffet had no vegetables or eggs. Guests couldn’t wear outdoor shoes in their rooms, and if you didn’t bring slippers, the option was reusable plastic ones provided by the hotel. I found that a bit odd at CHF 200 a night. The owner was also the receptionist and waitress, and seemed very stressed. I found her a little patronizing, and would have liked a calmer, more professional manner.

Dinner was served on the terrace, with a fabulous view of the Alps, including the Glarner Überschibung and Martinsloch. The meals were simple but generous, with local products and regional specialties. Our room had lots of space, a great view of the Panixerpass, a modern bathroom and plenty of storage for our gear. There’s also a shoe room in the cellar to help keep the shared areas clean. Breakfast had assorted breads, meat and cheese, cereals, yogurt and boiled eggs. Silvia Hefti was friendly and helpful, and handled my dietary restrictions without any fuss. Her father gave us very useful advice for starting our hike the next day. We definitely plan to return.

The staff and service were friendly, but the food was terrible and the menu especially limited if you don’t eat pork. Our vegetarian sandwiches had lettuce on ketchup-mayo sauce, sweet chili sauce like the kind served with spring rolls, and slices of cheese. The carrot soup was okay. The bill was 52 CHF. In 13 years of living here and enjoying mountain hut food, I’ve never had a worse quality-to-price ratio, or worse restaurant food at all. There are other restaurants nearby, so go to one of those or bring a packed lunch.