FAO D G Orf [caution wengen content]

A snowHead

Hi David i thought i should ask you this as you will probably know, when in feb or march is the best time to go to wengen i don't want to go at half term so when is half term for the various countries? Also when is the snow cover reliable and which is the cheapest way to go there as we have just bought a n investment flat and weren't going to go this year... but the season is here and i am struggling not to go! Is it better to go for a package or a DIY job any idea where to look for the best deals or is it best to book very last minute? sorry about all the questions but if you can give me a few pointers that would be appreciated. We want a ski area that won't scare Linda as she can get scared on steep terrain, but she skis blues and gentle blacks no problem [but in her head she is pettrified!] I think the terrain is a bit gentler, i hope anyway. From wengen itself using the gondola does it take long to get up to the higher slopes with a good selection of runs? Many thanks for your detailed reply as i know and hope it will be Very Happy

A snowHead

Ok Wengen up to mannlichen is a cable car not a gondola and takes about 7 mins, the train to kline schidegg takes about 25 mins, I'm not sure of half term times myself, but if you look in any ski brochure you will be able to see when the prices shoot through the roof, if you book diy it's better to book a little early to ensure March is usually fine to avoid the half term times I guess maybe the last week in Feb might be good. I go out by train which is definately not the cheapest way to go but I like it, I'm not sure where you are based but last year I think Inghams was doing a saturday-saturday flight from london to bern airport with a coach from there to Lauterbrunnen which might be worth taking, I'm better with detailed questions on the resort and surrounding area than i am on how to get there

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

andyarmitage, getting there......easyJet to Basel (usually a lot cheaper that the Geneva routes) and then from there it's a short bus ride to the station and then train (via Lucern for scenery). From memory, bus costs SFR 3.5 (one way), train costs SFR 104 (return).

Snow is usually good at Easter!!

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Really andyarmitage, How could you spell the revered Wengen with a small w! wink

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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agavin, actually there's quite a good chance that the runs will still be open to WENGEN, but Grindelwald may be worn through, Murren I'm certain will be fine with its extra altitude, however the lower runs are likely to be heavy going at the end of the day, best option is to start skiing early and try to get back to the resort no later than 15.30 which should avoid the worst of the runs

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agavin, I reckon that they should be okay then. I went last week of the season last year (well into April) and the snow was still coming down fast snowHead

As with anywhere, there's always a slight chance of bad conditions...but I hope not, because I'm going 1st week of April wink

After all it is free

Elizabeth, both your and D G Orf's comments on the snow are in direct contrast to what I had read in the Where to Ski and Snowboard and Good Ski Guide which both put Wengen (and indeed the Jungfrau reosrts with maybe the exception of Murren maybe) as having unreliable snow.

As a result I have never considered them and definitely not for a 2nd 'cheap' Puzzled

end of season ski trip, which I reckon I could possibly do with Easyjet flights to Basel.

Thanks for your comments.

Now I just have to decide between booking cheap flights to Basel or Milan ... what a problem to have ...

agavin, yep I keep reading those 2 illustrious publications, despite extensive evidence to th econtrary they still say Wengen has an unreliable snow record, so far in over 30 years of going to the resort I've only been disapointed a couple of times one of which was due to too much snow, my guess is that someone who writes the reports for those publications had a bad experience and no matter how much evidence to the contrary they will never change, the only time I'd be concerned about going there is during December, January to March are usually Fair to Excellent and in recent years April has been fair to good

By the way peak season is from 26 of Feb till 5 of March, although High season starts on the 22 of Jan a good time for a slightly cheaper holiday is probably between the 5th and 19th of March

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David i've looked on iglu ski for packages and these three hotels are coming up, i just wondered which are any good for location food etc. The Belvedere hotel, the falken hotel, and the bernerhof hotel, i think the first two are 3 star and the bernerhof is two star, well tha's what iglu say. Again thanks for any help, we are looking to go either 26th feb or 2nd march i hope that would coincide with good snow, but after reading so much about wengen i am prepared to take the chance.

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Oh I forgot the Brunner hotel as well Very Happy

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The Belvedere is the least central of the 3 you mention, but still only 5 minutes walk from everything. The Falken (aka Fawlty Towers) is at the top of the nursery slope, the Bernerhof is in the main street.

Oh, you mentioned the Brunner as well. That's uphill from the village centre, about a 10 minute walk. Right on the home run though, and a nice place.

I've stayed at the Bernerhof, it's ok, nothing to write home about, but the location's unbeatable. The Falken is old-fashioned and quaint, but has the inestimable Terry Turner working the bar, which is a definite plus. Not stayed (or eaten) at the others.

If you fancy travelling independently, give the Baren a call. The food's brilliant, and it's just 3 or 4 minutes walk from the centre.

Hi Mike why is it called fawlty towers, well i can guess but go on tell me, and terry turner what's so great about him running the bar? You have obviously been there do you rate wengen? we just want somewhere that is pretty and not too busy, and the scenery looks stupendous. many thanks andy.

You know it makes sense.

Yes I'd suggest the Baren as well but I don't think any tour op goes there, the Falken is slightly improved from its old Fawlty towers image, for starters the roof no longer leaks which is always a good start, The Bernerhof I think would be described as basic, however I'm told the food is fine just not fantastic, the Belvedere is a huge hotel which some people have said is a little impersonal I don't know anyone who has stayed there however since its last buyout. The Brunner is a ski in ski out hotel but a bit of a pain to go into the village and back, another old world style building inside despite its external appearence, I sware the building reclamation yards would love the victorian cast iron radiators in its reception area

Of the four it would be close between the Falken and the Belvedere but for different reasons, If you want more comfort the Belvedere is probably ahead however the Falken is very close to the Station and you can ski from there down to the cable car, also you can almost ski back to its door, so I'd probably take a chance on the Falken, the Bernerhof would probably come third though I imagine it's the cheapest by a fair bit, ot normally is

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

andyarmitage, if you've seen Faulty towers you get a pretty good idea of just how the Falken used to be, however Frau Cova died and her son followed her very shortly afterwards so I believe Sina (the daughter) now runs the place and she's a buisness woman all be it a very nice one, thanks to her actions the Falken got a brand new roof and several other bits of urgently needed structual work so the balconies are much less likely to fall off the building now, Terry is a slightly mad Australian or Newzelander (I think) who runs the bar there. Any of the hotels will give you good views though you are less likely to get them from your room in the Belvedere as they are likely to put you at the back, and most likely to get them at the Falken as it has good views in both directions

A snowHead

I will concur with the above about snow cover later on in the season. I have a picture somewhere (though this was some time ago) of me holding a A4 sheet of paper with 16 April written on it and it was chucking it down with snow. I now go out end of January beginning of February but when I used to do Easter time because of school holidays we were only badly out of snow once.

Having said that my brother had broken his arm that year so it was not a complete disaster and we walked. Allow me to say that this only happened once.

I don't stay in hotels as we always rent a flat so I cannot recommend a hotel.

BTW andyarmitage where are you from??

A snowHead

Hi Anne I live in York north yorkshire and we don't see much snow up here, we weren't going to ski this year but i have the bug and i know i would miss not going, and wengen has captivated me! i don't know why but it has. Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I've had the Wengen bug since I was a baby. Been elsewhere but never the same.

I know a lot of people who say the same thing. There is something about Wengen that draws you back again and again.

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Annehillskiing, and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again Laughing

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andyarmitage, I have just got back from a week in Wengen (my first trip was 3 years ago). On both occasions (booked through Thomsons or Crystal), I stayed at the Bernerhof. As people have said, it has a good central location in the main street, and is pretty good value for money. The food itself is fine, however this time the service at the evening meal was rather poor - quite long waits for the different courses to arrive (although in fairness this may have been because the hotel was full being New Year and the same staff also serve the public restaurant area). Breakfast is a buffet arrangement so service is not a problem.
Having attended the weekly SCGB/DHO social in the bar of the Falken, I can confirm that the friendly barman is an Australian. The ground floor lounge area and bar area certainly seemed popular.
If you are travelling independently to Wengen, you might also care to consider the Alpenrose (which D G Orf always stays at). It is in the lower part of Wengen, however, I believe the hotel runs regular electric taxi services up to the station area/main street for guests. I picked up some leaflets this time from them, and for the date you quoted of 26 Feb they are doing an all-inclusive rate for 7 days half-board and 6 day Jungfrau Region Ski-Pass of Sfr 1128 per person in a twin bath/WC northfacing room. For more information see www.alpenrose.ch

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The electric taxi service is run for guests in the morning to get them up to the station/cablecar and is included in the price however if you are fit enough and not wearing ski boots you can easily walk up the hill in under 10 minutes, if wearing ski boots get the buggy it will save a lot of pain, I usually ski back to the hotel at the end of the day so don't feel guilty about using the service, they also have a small 4WD vehicle for busy times

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I can also recommend the hirschen (you can ski back to it if the snow is okay). It's not the most spectacular hotel in the world, but it's warm, friendly, comfortable and the food's good snowHead

After all it is free

Hi david I e mailed the alpenrose and for the 26th of feb they have quoted £576 that's half board and a 6 day lift pass then i will have to get flights transfers etc so it doesn't work out that good really. I can get a package deal on the same dates staying at the belvedere half board for £504 that doesn't include the lift pass. Does that sound like a good deal?

try the Hirschen and the Baren - should be a lot cheaper than the Alpenrose. email addresses at http://www.wengen.com

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Thanks Mike i will

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Bear in Mind that a 6 day Ski Pass is going to cost about £145 however you will often get a good deal from tour companies trying to sell rooms that they have already reserved and not sold especially in large hotels like the Belvedere, the Baren is about £60 per night half board, the Hirshen will be about £70 a night but both are 2* hotels, the Alpenrose including the Ski pass works out at just over £80 per night so it is a good deal for a 3* hotel however you are very unlikely to get a discount from the tour ops for the Alpenrose as it is almost always nearly full due to an enormous amount of repeat buisness.

One last thing to consider though I've never stayed in the Belvedere I know one of the SCGB reps who has and she said that the Service and Comfort at the Alpenrose was much better than teh Belvedere, however to be fair this was before the Belvedere's last change of ownership and things may have changed

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Annehillskiing, Oh so true snowHead

You know it makes sense.

What I enjoy soooo much about Wengen is the friendliness. Some Fench resorts could learn a lot from it. OK, I know that is such a generalisation, but nevertheless i have found the Swiss to be extremely helpful. The first time we travelled to Wengen by train and had to change at Berne, hampered by ski bags, boot bags and cases, and looking lost, not only did a business man point us in the right direction, but helped us with our bags onto the correct platform and onto the train! A great introduction to switzerland and that impression has never been spoiled. No doubt there are bad experiences people have had, but not us!

andyarmitage- We have just returned from the Alpenrose as well. Best Christmas I've ever had (the first in 20years I haven't been working on Christmas day). Margaret and Paul were welcoming anf friendly and nothing was too much trouble. GO THERE!!!!
We are returning there end of February (7 weeks to go)

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Hi Brian it does sound good at the alpenrose, do you book a package or DIY if so where do you travel from and did you find the snow to be good? when at the end of feb are you going back? we fancy going either the 26th of feb or the 5th of march so we should try and do a DIY job ourselves, a bit dearer but to stay in a better hotel i'm sure it would be worth it.

A snowHead

andyarmitage, Inghams are currently quoting £618 for the week of the 26th £612 for the following week to include flights but not ski pass, and they fly into Berne airport on Saturdays which is just a 60 minute coach journey from Lauterbrunnen they fly from Gatwick and Manchester although Manchester is obviously a bit more expensive

Update I just checked the Inghams website, and they have no places available for the 26th of Feb though they do have them for the 19th of Feb or the 5th of March

I Chose Manchester as a departure point for you on the 5th of March and got a result of £627 PP for 2 adults sharing a North facing room the best bit is the departure times

Manchester dept 14.10 arrive Berne 17.25, Berne Dept 18.10 arrive 19.20, that means you could almost get an extra days skiing on your last day as you should not need to depart from Wengen until 15.30 or there abouts, check in at berne airport takes about 30 mins as it's tiny

Add to this an adult ski pass for either 6 days at 288 CHf or 7 days 318 CHf plus ski hire if you need it

Yes it's more than the Belvedere but I am almoct certain that you would enjoy the experience more at the Alpenrose than the Belvedere Laughing

A snowHead

Well David i think it might have to be the falken hotel as i can get this half board for £528 per person on the 26th of feb this includes flights and transfers, unfortunately the transfer is a coach from Geneva, although i haven't done this trip the transfer does put me off a bit. On trip advisor website there are four very good reveiws for the falken, i would prefer the alpenrose but as you said Inghams is about £622 is it worth another £100 or so when we will have to get ski passes and hire skis, we have boots. expensive hobby this skiing lark isn't it. David do you think that is a fairly good deal? I would like to wait until last minute but i suppose Wengen is the sort of place you don't get last minute deals on. The eiger sanction is on tonight so i might have to watch it for the scenery.

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andyarmitage, Why not go DIY. EasyJet to Basel (prices vary). Bus then train to resort (less than £60) (see Elizabeth B, post). Get an appartment via Chalet Service http://www.chalet-service.com/ (they'll even get some shopping in for you prior to your arrival if you want them to). Buy the Ski pass when you get there and hire your kit from Central Sport. You can then please your-self on the food front. Where can you possibly go wrong!!! snowHead

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andyarmitage, IS the Alpenrose worth an extra £12 a night more than the Falken, tough one, for me I'd have to say yes but only just, the food will definately be worth at least an extra £10 a night at the Alpenrose, people who've stayed at some of the 4* hotels in the village have comented that although the Alpenrose has a fixed Menu each day the standard and quality of the food actually exceeded their own, I'm not sure they are right but that's what they said, the quality of service is possibly slightly higher but I'm not sure, if you want good food I'd still say spend the extra money, especially if you can get a cheap flight into Switzerland, if you are not so worried about the food then I thinkyou may as well save the money and go to the Falken

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Well food is one of our passions and we are very fussy about quality taste etc, all our food at home is cooked from fresh so it's a tough one i just didn't at this time want to spend going on for £800 each to ski, but i know if you pick nice resorts they cost more. Oh this is tough Very Happy

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Oh plus spending money Shocked

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Assuming Terry is back this season, the Bar is very well run at the Falken, but Telford_mike's description as Faulty Towers is exactly how the hotel comes across.

You can get a nice (and very near the centre of the village) appartment for £400ish (total, £200 per person) or a really nice one for about £700ish ($350 per head), even with flights and transfer your still only talking £300-£500ish per head. You can then sample differnet eateries about the village. I stayed in Chalet Krokus last year, which was great.

After all it is free

Hi David, well as you know we have booked Wengen for the 26th feb [ will the snow still be good then?] I just wondered wether you can give us any tips on which are the best bars to go to etc, i know there aren't many but on the slopes for lunch and things i'm sure you will know the best places, also we need to hire skis as we have our own boots so where is the best hire shop. Lastly we need to get the train from Basel to Wengen, you mentioned that we need a swiss transfer ticket i think, can we book this online and if so will they post the ticket to us at home? Any other advice you can give us about anything would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Andy

andyarmitage, Ok lets see easy one first

Swiss transfer ticket, book online at swisstravelsystem I did this on Monday and got my tickets in the post this morning

For ski hire for friends I use Central Sport, you cant miss them as they are in the middle of the high street but all of them charge the same sort of prices for the same type of skis

Best bars in resort is difficult the Falken is usually good, for a bit more lively atmosphere try Chillis (opposite Central Sport) or Sinas at top of the main street. If you don't smoke go nowhere near the Tanne bar where the air is often thick enough to cut with a knife, or the Eiger bar which is often inhabited by elderly locals, Almost forgot Rocks (?) bar next to the postoffice just off the high street between Foto Fritz and Chalet Service office.

As for on the mountain

Mannlichen restaurants - either self service or table service (older building next door)

Brandegg next to the Brandegg railway station between Kline Schidegg and Grund on the blue run down is very good, go to the back and have the table service for virtually the same price as the self service but a bit less rushed, try their apple fritters with vannile sauce. Oh and leave a small tip just a couple of francs is fine if you get good service

The Eiger hotel Restaurant in Wengen next to the station is good for a lunch if you happen to be there at that time

The Eigergletscher station buffet is also good

Wengernalp Hotel is good for a lunch but you may need to reserve a table

Allmend Station restaurant is modern but gave good service stop there for a drink before skiing back to Wengen at the end of the day or Try Mary's cafe for the same at Innerwengen near the chairlift

Last year the food at Aspen (just above grund) was also good

As for snow, keep fingers crossed that we get no really hot spells and you should be fine

That should keep you going for now, if I find any other places or change my view I'll post them when I get back round the middle of Feb

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Thanks for that David we don't smoke and can't stand bars that are smoky so thanks for that tip and you have a great time out there.

Help!!

FAO D G Orf [caution wengen content]

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