Review: Belvedere Swiss Quality Hotel Grindelwald in Switzerland

Over the years, I have figured out that I am a nature-over-city person, and a views-over-museums person. Or maybe it’s just that I have aged into the specific type of serenity that descends — welcomingly — when I get to stare at grand peaks while doing average things, from drinking coffee and buttering toast to flopping in bed at night, tired from a full day.

Anyone with similar preferences is sure to love Belvedere Swiss Quality Hotel Grindelwald, a family owned and operated property set just 10 minutes, by foot, from the Grindelwald, Switzerland, train stop. Of its 56 guestrooms and suites, those facing south offer incredible views of Eiger mountain, which stands more than 13,000 feet tall and looms over Grindelwald valley and the hotel.

From the deck of our mountain-facing room, we looked out onto the grassy valley dotted with Swiss chalets. It may have been June, but the scene was reminiscent of a miniature Christmas village set up beneath a holiday tree — and for me, the view was the perfect mid-summer gift.

What to Expect Onsite at Belvedere Swiss Quality Hotel Grindelwald 

My family of four arrived in Grindelwald ready to play in the mountains. And local adventures were made easy by staying at the Belvedere; we used adventure passes to ride gondolas to sites such as Alpine Herdsmen’s Playground and Jungfraujoch, and we walked to every gondola station from the hotel. Indeed, part of Grindelwald’s charm is that it is walkable, and easy to reach via the dependable Bernese Oberland Railway. 

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With a tween and a 5-year-old in tow, we were also sure to schedule in downtime, and the Belvedere offered a few terrific ways to chill out. Lottie, our youngest, made fast friends with another young guest, and they played on the swing set located on the hotel’s shady front lawn. 

There’s also a 45-foot-long indoor swimming pool; the water is a comfortable 84 degrees year-round (I imagine a dip here in the winter, when outside temperatures sink as low as 30 degrees, is dreamy). Floor-to-ceiling glass windows in the pool room let in natural light, and there are ample lounge chairs for relaxing or reading. It’s a serene space and part of the hotel’s spa, but children are allowed until 6 p.m. My younger daughter, Lottie, was a social fish in a big pond here, chatting up other hotel guests of all ages as she paddled about. Another magical spa feature — also accessible to kids until 6 p.m. — is the saltwater Jacuzzi in the garden. We spotted koi fish in the adjacent pond and even relaxed here during a surprise rain shower. 

Dining at Belvedere Swiss Quality Hotel Grindelwald 

On our first evening, we sat on the sprawling, south-facing terrace of the Belvedere Restaurant. The epic mountain and valley views made for an incredible backdrop as we enjoyed a platter of local cheeses, a mushroom pasta with belper knolle (a cheese made in Belp, Switzerland), Oberland trout (a regional freshwater fish) and more. The kids’ menu pleased Lottie with familiar options such as bow-tie pasta with red sauce and stracciatella ice cream for an after-dinner treat. 

Belvedere Restaurant’s indoor space is home to the hotel’s daily breakfast buffet — a type of dining both of my children love. There were the expected scrambled eggs and toast bar, yes, but also a selection of Swiss yogurts and cheeses (if you want to live like a local in Switzerland, eating cheese at every meal is one way to do it) and — my personal favorite — a tall wooden box that dispenses balls of locally made butter with the push of a button. Clients will want to snag one of the booths by the window which, of course, overlooks the nearby peaks of the Swiss Alps.

And while we did not opt to dine at onsite restaurant 1910 Gourmet by Hausers, travel advisors will surely want to consider making a reservation here for clients. The one-Michelin-star restaurant has just six tables and highlights regional ingredients as much as possible. In the summer, that means fish and shellfish from local waters and organic vegetables from a nearby farm.

One more family-friendly option to note is the Belvedere’s three fondue gondolas. Now retired from carrying travelers to and from mountaintops, the gondolas sit on the ground at the hotel’s entrance; timed seatings for fondue-only dining can be reserved at the front desk. 

We had high hopes to try the experience, but the aforementioned rain shower turned into a full storm during our reserved time. It was pouring when our group of four climbed inside a gondola, and Lottie had her only meltdown of our entire trip when the smell of Gruyere and Emmental hit her nose. (This wasn’t even our cheese, but the leftover aroma of a fondue session the day prior.)

“It’s so stinky!” she shouted. “I don’t want to be in this gondola!”

When we asked our waiter if we could enjoy fondue elsewhere, he said that wasn’t possible, as the wafting smell of the cheeses consistently conjured complaints from other guests. I had to laugh — we all did — then we went back to the Belvedere Restaurant for a less aromatic dinner.

Rooms at Belvedere Swiss Quality Hotel Grindelwald

Grindelwald is a popular destination year-round, so booking a room as far in advance as possible is key. Suites and Family Rooms are great for groups, offering ample space and straightforward mountain-chic decor, but we even made a Classic Double (with an added rollaway cot) work. Again, booking clients in a south-facing room will add the wow factor any mountain-adoring client will appreciate. Morning coffee on our deck made for a pretty spectacular perk.

Ultimately, the hotel’s beautiful surroundings, warm service and proximity to local sights make it a great pick for a Grindelwald stay. One day at the pool, Lottie befriended a repeat American guest in her 60s, who shared that she has stayed at the Belvedere numerous times over the years with her husband. Sometimes the pair come in winter to ski, sometimes in summer to hike and dine, sometimes with their adult children, sometimes on their own. The energy of the place calls her back, she said. 

At dinner that night at the Belvedere Restaurant, we spotted a staffer delivering our new friend a scoop of sorbet with a lit candle in it. Lottie and I walked over to wish her a happy birthday, and to say that perhaps one day we’d see her again here at the Belvedere.