Hotel Restaurant Bellevue au Lac

The peaceful setting, cozy room, and warm welcome made the stay wonderful. We booked a junior suite overlooking Lake Thun, and waking up to the lake and the Alps was lovely. At reception, Noah ( he was from Syria) was so kind and helpful. I’m not sure I’ve spelled his name correctly, but he helped us with all sorts of things, even the little ones, and made us feel at home in a foreign country. Thank you, Noah, for making our stay so memorable. The hotel is conveniently close to Thun train station. There’s a bus stop right outside, and the bus takes about 10 minutes to the station. Interlaken is 30 minutes by train from Thun station. I’d happily recommend the hotel. My only con was breakfast. It could have had more options, especially for Indians 🙂 The rest of our stay was wonderful.

The property itself is gorgeous, and there’s a Thai restaurant down the road that was amazing. There are also plenty of shops nearby if you want to buy bottles for the room. The hotel is alcohol-free, which was made clear on the website and in the emails, so that wasn’t a surprise. I didn’t eat at the hotel restaurant, and didn’t see anyone else eating there either. I did often see staff playing pool in the bar, which seems to be out of use. The place feels like it may once have been grand, but now it’s overpriced and mediocre. It badly needs renovation to match the image online. The room had dated furniture and old red carpet, though the bathroom was an exception, with its barely frosted glass enclosure and no proper door. We booked a “Panorama Double Room with Lake View.” It was large, but the room didn’t feel luxurious or welcoming. It was dusty, with spiders tucked into corners. The balcony was tiny, with room for two chairs facing each other rather than the lake. From inside, the four-foot-wide door didn’t give much of a panorama. There were only two flat pillows, despite the large alcove sitting area. The hallways were so dark I needed my phone flashlight to find the keyhole. We got only one key, so my companion and I always had to leave together. The walls were thin, and we could hear other guests at all hours. A large industrial fan was left in the room to keep it cool during the summer-to-fall transition. We didn’t want to leave the windows open because more spiders might get in. Breakfast was the worst I’ve had at any hotel in Europe, and pretty poor overall. The croissants seemed to come from a bulk bag, the fruit wasn’t ripe, the eggs were far too salty and seemed like they might be powdered, and the only sausage was the soggy chicken one others mentioned. The hotel could be a beautiful place again with serious renovations. As it is, it’s a three-star hotel at best and grossly overpriced. Sadly, I can’t recommend it.

The hotel is in a great spot, and some rooms have fantastic views of the lake and mountains. Our dinner, which we’d booked in advance as part of a romantic stay package, was tasty. But the restaurant was nearly empty, there was no dessert on the menu, likely because so few guests were there, and, as advertised, no alcohol was served. Communication was a problem throughout. It took weeks to get a reply about my booking, and then several emails to clarify and correct details of the advertised package, which included a three-course dinner. There were still uncertainties during the stay.

*** NO ALCOHOL *** This hotel does not serve alcohol of any kind. It was taken over by moslims (UAE) in 2025, and they decided not to serve it anywhere on the property, calling it a “wellness hotel.” I’m not sure how long that approach will last, since the hotel is in Switzerland, where people often enjoy a cold beer on a sunny terrace or wine with dinner. I booked a Suite with Lake View through booking.com and paid almost $400 a night, rather than $200 for a regular room. On arrival, we were given a room with only a partial lake view. I complained at reception. They said the hotel was fully booked and insisted it counted as a lake-view room, even though we were looking out at the roof of the neighboring house. I asked for the manager because I didn’t accept that. I was told the manager had left for the day and asked to accept the room and come back in the morning. I kept insisting, and then a manager came out of the office next to reception, carrying keys to several unoccupied rooms. PS. Someone should tell them there are still wine bottles above the doors to the stairwell.