7121 posts
Hi swissfans!
Don’t worry, apartments are generally less expensive than hotels, so you can indeed run into a good deal without getting suspicous ;-). The official amount of stars granted by Swiss Tourism is a good indicator of what (luxury) standards to expect. One and two stars indicate pretty basic conditions; three stars indicate a well equipped apartment; four and five assure more space and luxury. It’s worth to try and find this information about the particular apartment in Aeschi you’re looking for. The description and guest reviews look fine to me. Note that the location isn’t central and not ideal for train travelers. If you’re traveling with a car you’ll be fine. Also, be aware of additional costs. Wifi and the rental of bed linen don’t seem to be included in the standard price. You can also expect additional tourist tax payment and an amount for cleaning.
Further tips can be found at myswissalps.com/rental s.
72625 posts
Thanks, Annika. The apartment mentioned in my post is just an example which is picked just because the rental charge seems to be exceptionally low. If I am planning to hike in the Bernese Oberland region, will Grindelwald be an ideal choice ? it is described as “hiker’s paradise” in the website and I believe that’s because the location makes it convenient for hikers to travel to popular trails in the region ?
15484 posts
Hi swissfans,
The Bernese Oberland is a pretty large area. The Jungfrau region is a part of it, and Grindelwald is a very good base for hikes in that region. You’ll find other options on the Jungfrau region page. You can pretty much start hiking right from the village in Grindelwald, and even more options after a short cableway/train/bus ride. You will probably find holiday homes in Grindelwald to be more expensive than the one you linked to. If you avoid high season a nice deal might be possible though.
279 posts
Hi,
As a rule of thumb, there are a few factors that will determine how expensive a holiday apartment (Ferienwohnung in german, or FeWo for short) will be.
1: Are you renting an apartment or the entire Chalet? A whole chalet can be very expensive, but if you are travelling with a large group it can still work out quite cheap.
2: Distance from the train station. The further you have to walk, the cheaper the FeWo, particularly so in car-free towns such as Wengen, Muerren and Zermatt.
3: Is there parking?
4: The age of the apartment, or the length of time since its last renovation,
5: View of the mountains. Expect to pay more for a FeWo with panoramic views.
6: Are there shops nearby? You can save a lot of money by cooking for yourself, but you will have to get your own groceries.
7: Incidental charges such as cleaning etc.
I personally like Grindelwald very much and visit there everytime I go to Switzerland. I’ve been staying in the same FeWo for the last 12 years and wouldn’t even dream of using a hotel if I was there for a week or more. Grindelwald, however, is a victim of it’s own success and you will have to pay a bit more to stay there.
Cheers
Alan
604 posts
Alan has provided a good list of things to look for. Additional items that are important to me:
1. Wifi
2. Are there laundry facilities? If you are staying for awhile it is nice to be able to do laundry in something other than a sink
72625 posts
Big thanks to all for the help. The info provided is really useful. Much appreciated.