a room with two beds and a table and chairs

Review: Touring the Hotel Schynige Platte (Wilderswil, Switzerland)

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Introduction
Virgin Atlantic 207 787-9 Economy Class Hong Kong to London Heathrow
Swissport Lounge London Heathrow
Virgin Atlantic 206 787-9 Premium Economy Class London Heathrow to Hong Kong
Plaza Premium Lounge Hong Kong
United Club Hong Kong
Swiss 139 777-300ER Business Class Hong Kong to Zurich
Swiss Arrivals Lounge Zurich
Glacier Express 902 Zermatt to Andermatt
Hotel Victoria Jungfraujoch
Touring the Hotel Schynige Platte
Hotel Baur au Lac Zurich
Swiss Senator Lounge Terminal A
Swiss Panorama Business Class Lounge Terminal E
Swiss 138 777-300ER Business Class Zurich to Hong Kong


Schynige Platte is a 50-minute ride from Wilderswil Village (around 5 minutes from central Interlaken) in a non-air conditioned tram, so suffice to say that it’s always nice to have some accommodation up there.

a train on the tracks
Train to Schynige Platte

Our guide Beat (who was phenomenal throughout our few days there) gladly arranged a hotel tour at the Hotel Schynige Platte, and contacted the hotel manager during the process. The Schynige Platte hotel is rather modern on the outside, and there’s a rather popular restaurant that serves rather nice Bratwurst.

a building with a staircase
Hotel Schynige Platte Exterior

The hotel isn’t the main thing the building is used for – it almost seems like an afterthought, given that it’s not in any bigger font than the rest of the facility on the signage that I’ve seen.

a sign outside of a building
Hotel Schynige Platte Signage to Rooms and Restaurant

I walked through a lobby-like area, which is resemblant to a canteen more than anything else. That’s how it was designed though, and the food spread, while paid, looked awesome.

a room with many cups and tables
Hotel Schynige Platte Lobby

food on a counter in a restaurant
Hotel Schynige Platte Lobby Food Spread

a trays of food on a counter
Hotel Schynige Platte Lobby Food Spread

There was a view of the kitchen too, which was nice.

a kitchen with food on the counter
Hotel Schynige Platte Lobby Food Spread

We met the manager Thomas by the side. While he seemed like a rather aloof guy, he was really nice and accommodating to us. He brought us into the corridor leading to the rooms. His wife, Jasmin, wasn’t with us, but she also seemed to have a large role at the hotel. The hotel has a rather rich history – it was constructed in 1894, burnt down on 1898, and rebuilt in 1899, and mostly hasn’t changed until now.

The actual hotel is located through a small cutout from the food court, which takes you to a couple of stairs. There are 19 rooms at the hotel – it doesn’t seem to have rooms 2 or 3, but the rest of the rooms are located on two levels. The hotel’s website has a pretty nice description of each and every room at the hotel.

a staircase with a railing
Hotel Schynige Platte Stairs

The hallways are incredibly warehouse-style, though almost seem rather charming.

a hallway with a long wall and a shelf
Hotel Schynige Platte Hallways

Thomas described room 6 as the “nicest room” in the hotel, as it featured a massive patio with a view of the mountain trails.

a metal object on a door
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 6 Entrance

Hotel Schynige Platte
Check-in: Thursday, July 28, 2016
Room Type: Room 6/Room 8
Room Number: 6/8
Stay duration: Just Visiting
Check-out: Thursday, July 28, 2016

The room was rather charming, in a way. It featured two beds pushed together, a chaise longue, a desk, and a bedside table.

a room with two beds and a table and chairs
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 6

a bed with pillows and a lamp
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 6

The bed looked old, but pretty comfortable, definitely sleepable in after a long hike.

two beds with white sheets and pillows
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 6 Bed

While you might complain about how old the rugs and desk look, I thought it was perfect for the hotel’s history and location, as they were in good shape. There wasn’t a musty smell or anything, which was reassuring.

a couch with a fur blanket in a room with a table and chairs
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 6 Chaise Longue and Desk

According to Thomas, the highlight of the room was the patio, and I can’t say I disagree. The patio was huge, and featured a table and faced the Alps – while I wouldn’t stay there for hours on end in broad sunlight, temperatures in Schynige Platte can be nice year round (0-12°C in summer), so I would’ve sat there to soak in some views.

a table and chairs on a terrace with mountains in the background
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 6 Patio

I wonder if you’d fall off the edge of the patio if you got to the end, though. It’s massive.

a view of mountains and clouds from a balcony
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 6 Patio

Room 6 would definitely be one of the best choices, but Thomas was nice enough to let us check out another empty room as well. Room 8 looked much more modern and well-decorated, but lacked a patio, or any sort of outside space.

two beds in a room
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 8

There were simple beverage devices, but you wouldn’t expect a coffee machine in this setting, would you? If you wanted a coffee, you could really just go down a set of stairs and back into the lobby.

a bathroom with a mirror and a sink
Hotel Schynige Platte Room 8 Side Table

The toilets are communal, though they were in much better condition than I had anticipated. The showers and the toilet were both in mint condition.

a toilet with the lid up
Hotel Schynige Platte Bathroom

a bathroom with a sink and toilet
Hotel Schynige Platte Bathroom

a shower with a glass door
Hotel Schynige Platte Bathroom Shower

We bid farewell to Thomas, and were on our way back down on the tram.

Bottom Line: Is the Hotel Schynige Platte a good hiker’s choice?

Schynige Platte is legitimately beautiful, and features lots of hiking trails. We took a two-hour hiking trail, but it’s possible to start off in the morning and end during sunset.

a green mountain range with a house and trees
Schynige Platte

Of course, you have to lower your expectations. The Hotel Schynige Platte:

  • features shared bathrooms
  • doesn’t have WiFi or any calling device
  • features none or limited power ports

Otherwise, the hotel features amazing views of Schynige Platte no matter which room you stay in, as it’s on the peak of one of the mountains, and is a good stopover point in that regard. In other words, it’s kind of like a quaint, luxury dorm. I’d definitely stay here if I wanted to do a lengthier trail.

It’s worth noting that the hotel retails from ~HK$1,240 (CHF 155), which isn’t cheap for a hotel of this caliber. But of course, this is Switzerland…

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