Parkhotel Gunten - Beach & Spa

There’s a lovely outdoor area for sitting in the sun, and the lake and mountain views are beautiful. The hotel felt comfortable and relaxing, with friendly, welcoming staff. It’s also right by a bus stop, which made getting around easy.

The breakfast buffet was a treat, with lox and real tart yogurt, and everyone we dealt with was polite. The hotel is in a lovely spot in a beautiful historic building, so you could do a lot worse for a place to stay. Still, a few things kept this at four stars for me. The bathroom faucet handle was rusty and pitted, and it took a lot of force to turn. It seemed like an easy thing to replace. Dinner was tricky. The buffet was, if I heard right, 54 CHF per person, which felt steep. We tried the à la carte dining room, but they were swamped by a large tour group. The hostess hurried us to our table and rushed off without menus. I don’t blame her, since they were clearly in the middle of a big rush, but it wasn’t a great experience from our side. They also pushed a little too hard to get us to sign up for the buffet. Nothing awful, just more pressure than I liked.

The SPA has wonderful views over the clear waters of Lake Thun, and the garden is spacious and well kept. Parkhotel Gunten sits right beside Thunersee in Gunten, and the property is lovely. The staff were very courteous and helpful. Breakfast was included in our rate and had a great spread, including Prosecco. I’d happily recommend this hotel.

The restaurant staff, especially the maître d’, were very friendly and helpful, and the spa boathouse is a real treat since you can swim straight into the lake. We had a very nice stay and would come back. The location is handy for both Thun and Interlaken, but it’s quieter and less busy. A couple of things kept it from five stars: the Spa doesn’t open until 11am, so it wasn’t usable on our departure day. The front desk was inconsistent about being helpful and friendly. They couldn’t suggest restaurants in Spiez, pointed us to a map when we asked about nearby walks, and booking Spa treatments was quite difficult.