Hotel Bügelhof

We had a great stay with our two kids, aged 3.5 and 1.5. The rooms were luxurious, quiet, and well insulated, with quality materials throughout. There’s a good range at breakfast, and the staff were friendly and ready to help with requests. The surroundings are lovely, and the ski lift and rental shop are within walking distance. There’s also a lounge bar and restaurant on site.

The restaurant was the best part of our stay. The food was really good, especially the reindeer, and the desserts were great too. It’s a little pricey, but I thought it was worth it. I’d give the restaurant 5 stars. The location gets 5 stars as well, and the sauna and jacuzzi were memorable, so 4 stars for those. The room was warm and cosy, but the lack of modern ventilation was disappointing for such an expensive, high-class hotel. We couldn’t check the temperature and had to keep adjusting the radiator by feel. There wasn’t even a temperature sensor, and the air got so dry at night that sleeping was difficult. 2 stars for the room. Our first impression of the service wasn’t great. The evening receptionist on arrival ignored one of us and directed everything to the other, which felt impolite. The other receptionists we met were kind and spoke to both of us. I’d give service 4 stars. Overall, it’s a good hotel, but at that price I wouldn’t recommend it to someone expecting a premium stay. It could suit someone willing to pay extra for easy access to the ski slopes, a few shops, and restaurants.

There’s a key for the ground-floor ski locker, which also has a drying cupboard. The car park is about 100m from reception, a bit of a nuisance, though you can pull up at the front door to load or unload. The place is full of historic ski relics and is pleasant for staying and dining. Rooms are small and a little dated by international standards, but pretty typical for Sweden. Winter is a decent restaurant, with a bar on the second floor. Prices are on the high side, as you’d expect at a ski resort, though I didn’t find them excessive.

The family room with a loft worked brilliantly, though a little more space would have been nice. Ski lockers were provided, which helped keep gear out of the room, and breakfast was well beyond the usual European meat-and-cheese spread. There was a waffle maker, eggs, and bacon, which suited American tastes. With just 50 rooms, the mountain lodge feel struck a good balance between convenience and avoiding crowds. I’d hesitated because the other accommodation options seemed to be run by SkiStar, but that wasn’t a problem at all. The staff were incredibly friendly, and the location was excellent, with restaurants, a ski shop, ice skating, and lifts right outside. There’s a bus stop at the Concept Store in front of the hotel, though after 35cm of snow fell overnight, the bus timing was unreliable.