Mercure Lenzburg Krone

The kitchen team works together beautifully, from the attentive apprentice to the calm, cool boss. The chefs seem to do culinary magic: everything was fresh and delicious. Even when it’s busy, you can often find a table in this tucked-away corner of the bustling old town. The venue isn’t new, but it hasn’t quite reached vintage age either. It’s clearly upper class and so pristine clean it does Switzerland proud. Go to Krone, but be warned, you may get obsessed. I’ll be back as soon as I can.

The location worked really well, close to the national highway and Lenzburg centre for exploring the area. I stayed two nights in a room at the back and didn’t hear traffic. Having a balcony was a real plus, though there was no air conditioning, which seems a useful thing to have these days. The room was good, although I’d have preferred a better pillow. The minibar was stocked on the first day, with four Nespresso cups. Breakfast had plenty of choice, including gluten-free products. All in all, a good stay.

The room had a great view of the Schloss, and it’s about a 15-minute walk to Lenzburg station. It was spacious and clean, with a very comfortable bed and a complimentary minibar. The coffee machine was nice, though a kettle and tea would have been welcome. The main drawback was the lighting: a light by the door and one faint lamp left the room too dark. Breakfast was good quality, but the selection could be better. The staff were all friendly and helpful.

There was no telephone in the room or at reception, so to get service we had to walk down from the second or third floor to reception. The room had an old-style, heavy key lock that wasn’t easy to handle. There was only one key for locking from inside and outside, so only one of those things could be done at a time.