Seehotel Sonne

The bed wasn’t firm enough for me to sleep properly, and I could hear everything and everyone from my room. There wasn’t any tea or coffee there either, so I had to ask reception for a wasserkocher. A poor experience for a four-star hotel in Switzerland. I wouldn’t recommend it.

There’s little to recommend here beyond the location. My four-day stay was forgettable and sometimes unpleasant, and one incident gave me a glimpse of the values management or ownership passes on to staff. When I arrived, a very nice young man at the desk handed me the room keys and two complimentary drink cards as a welcome. A young blonde woman with long hair then jumped up from her desk, came over, and took one card from me, saying there was only one person in the room, so I only got one drink. She put down her colleague and came across as petty and unwelcoming. She also seemed intent on discouraging me and my colleagues from looking at restaurants nearby, strongly promoting the hotel restaurant instead. Its food was heavily salted, and I had to return one dish. Nothing else about the hotel stood out.

We could stay only one night, on a Sunday, and the beautiful bar was closed that evening. We weren’t allowed to sit in the bar, though they made room for us in the lobby, which we still enjoyed. Nearby dining choices are limited, and we hadn’t reserved at the Gaststube, which seemed to be the only option. They found us a table, though, and dinner was very good. The room and meal weren’t cheap, but the quality made them reasonable value. We had a lovely lake view from our immaculate room, comfortable beds, and good amenities. The ferry stop right outside and the tram stop up the hill made getting there, sightseeing, and heading to the airport easy. From my reservation emails to checkout, everything went smoothly. Joel at reception made us feel at home right away, and he and the other staff we met were wonderful and attentive. I highly recommend the Seehotel Sonne.

The service was amazing, from the parking attendant going out of their way to fit us in to the very friendly front desk. The Easter Bunny even left chocolate treats for our kids the next morning, and breakfast was top class. Our room was really comfortable too. It’s a beautiful, distinctive, charming hotel with a very romantic feel, as the name suggests. We were there with our family, though we couldn’t get the WiFi working, and after we arrived late, the restaurant had few child-friendly choices after 8pm.