Name: Backpacker's Villa Sonnenhof
Address: Alpenstrasse 16, Interlaken
Phone: +41 (0) 33 826 71 71
Link:
www.villa.ch
Breakfast: included
Linens: included
Towels: included
Kitchen: full facilities
No lockout, no curefew
Reception: 7-11am, 4-10pm
Internet: available (payed)
Laundry: available (payed 4F for wash, 6F for dry)
Luggage storage: available (lockers - free with your own lock, 2F otherwise)
NOTE - we made it to Switzerland in the second half of August 2005, when there was flooding, so both the train stations and a lot of the tourist attractions, restaurants, pubs and even the big Coop were flooded and closed. However, this was the best hostel I have stayed in by far!!!
I stayed in a 6 person shared dorm room on the 1st floor with a Jungfrau mountain view. The room was very spacious with 3 bunk beds and a private lockable locker for each person. The sheets we were supplied with were fresh and crisp and the beds were big and very comfortable. There was plenty of room to unpack and spread out. Also, each person had a little lamp and a shelf above their head, so it wasn't a problem to get up to the bathroom in the middle of the night or leave your alarm clock/glasses somewhere. The room had a powder room (toilet plus sink) for our use with the showers just a few feet down the hall (also spotless and with a lot of hot water available). The room had a balcony with a mountain view, which was truly spectacular, especially in the morning.
The hostel staff was extremly helpful and knew exactly what was happening (weather and flooding reports included). The advice they gave us was always spot on. The whole hostel was absolutely spotless and it was cleaned every day. The simple breakfast was amazing, mainly due to the freshly baked bread. The fully equipped kitchen is HUGE and allows you to cook meals without a problem. There is a small dinning area right next to the kitchen or if the weather is nice you can go outside and eat on the picnic tables, which are covered just in case of rain. There is a lounge/games room (board games, etc.), pingpong and pool tables outside and there are plenty of flyers and brochures available to help you plan your stay.
The hostel itself is located centrally across the road from a big municipal park. The tourist information office is a 3min walk away. Both the train stations (Interlaken West and Ost) are a walking distance away (about 15min). The big Coop store is across the road from the Ost station and a smaller Coop Pronto is about a 4min walk from the hostel's front door. There are a lot of restaurants, pubs, shops and attractions (eg: extreme sports activity centers) all a short distance away.
Overall rating: Excellent (5/5)