Pension Gimmelwald

Friendly, relaxed and fun. Nothing fancy, but quite comfortable. When you get back from hiking, hang out in the stube (parlor or sitting room) and swap stories with other travelers over a beer. Dave and Sabine are wonderful hosts who really love what they're doing. All the staff are attentive, efficient and friendly.

We stayed in a room with a private bath and were very comfortable. The included breakfast was great, and the views from the upper balcony, the restaurant deck were spectacular. We were made to feel welcome, and everyone we encountered wanted to help us have an enjoyable stay.

We spent two and a half weeks in Switzerland. We saved what we believed would be the best for (almost) last. We were not disappointed! Though we loved all of Switzerland and dream of returning, Gimmelwald and the Pension Gimmelwald, accessible only by cable car from the Lauterbrunnen Valley below, are our fondest memories. The Pension is simple, rustic and cozy. The rooms and community bath/shower facilities were clean and comfortable and added to the charm. The food in the restaurant was wonderful. The best part of all was the feeling of togetherness and kindness shared by everyone; guests, proprietor (and her parents who were helping out), and staff. From the morning coffee with the incredible mountains so close we could almost reach out and touch them, to the evenings singing songs accompanied by the proprietor’s father’s guitar in the common room, it was a memory we will always cherish. Thank you so much!!

The owner of this restaurant was so rude to my fiancee and I that I still can't believe it. It was a bizarre, horrible experience. My fiancee called in the morning and made a 7pm reservation for us. We then proceeded on a day long hike. He ended up proposing to me on the trail. Because of the distance of the hike and the excitement of the proposal, we realized we'd be about 15 minutes late to dinner. So, he called and asked if it was ok that we would be late. The owner advised him that it was fine, she would make it work. We got there and one of the servers sat us and brought us drinks. Everything was fine until the owner came out. She was short with us, terse, and clearly irritated. She slammed two dinner plates in front of us, both meatball dishes. I told her that I'm a vegetarian and that we had ordered a fondue for me over the phone. She grabbed the meatball dish away from me and huffed off without saying anything. She returned shortly after and slammed some sort of stuffed red pepper dish in front of me. She said, "There. That's vegetarian. Are you going to eat it? If not, I'll take it away." I was shocked, mentally exhausted from the hike, and didn't know what to say. She turned to my fiancee and said, "Maybe I didn't explain well enough over the phone how important it is to be on time." She then huffed off again. We debated what to do, wanting to just leave, but we decided to eat and ask for the check since we had hiked for almost 11 hours, were very hungry, and were unfamiliar with the area and unsure where else to go for dinner. The food was bland and overpriced. There wasn't much food on our plates and what was there was mediocre at best. I asked one of the servers for the check and told her about our experience. She told me that the woman who had mistreated us was the owner and apologized for her behavior. Some parting words to the owner: If it is so imperative to you that all your patrons be on time, then when someone calls to ask if it's ok to be late, simply say you can't accommodate late guests. We would have been happy (and much better off) to go elsewhere. Throwing a fit like a toddler and expressing your frustration to your guests in such an unprofessional way is always unacceptable but all the more so when you're overcharging people for bland food. Guests paying those prices should be treated well. In our case, we had just gotten engaged and deserved to enjoy a nice dinner after but instead were scolded by you. Your behavior was bizarre and completely inappropriate. Whenever I remember this experience, I am embarrassed for you. You should be ashamed for throwing a fit like that in front of patrons at your own business establishment.

The staff are fantastic and make you feel at home. It is rustic living among the Swiss of Gimmelwald. I love this town, and love the hotel. The bar is fun to chill and meet others from around the world.

Gimmelwald felt like stepping into a dream. Everywhere you looked was grand and breathtaking. When we arrived at the restaurant, only two tables were occupied in the spacious interior, which had many empty tables. One table had four people, and the other was occupied by a couple, all of whom were non-Asians. We asked an older female waitress for a seat, but she told us she was only seating parties of three or more because they were busy. When I pointed out a table with only two people, she dismissed us. That was the only interaction we had with her. We then decided to try the balcony area, which had a separate entrance and different waitstaff, hoping there would be an available seat. And we saw only one table was occupied. A male waiter greeted us kindly, inviting us to choose a table while holding the menu. However, the same female waitress who had refused us inside saw us about to sit, walked over to the male waiter, and whispered something to him. Suddenly, he apologized and said they had a long list of reservations for the rest of the night and could not serve us. Anyway, since the restaurant was next to where we were staying, we walked by it several times while exploring the tiny village that night. At no point did the restaurant seem full, and we noticed a few non-Asian couples being seated. Without saying, it was extremely disappointing for my child who is Black/ Asian to experience this refusal of service for a reason we could only assume, one that felt sadly obvious even to a child. Fortunately, my teenager wisely suggested that we focus on enjoying ourselves and not let the incident ruin our trip, so we tried to do just that. But it was hard to shake off the lingering disappointment especially we traveled across the globe to experience the magical place. Therefore, I felt compelled to share my experience so that others won't go through the same. We must treat each other with kindness and respect. In the meanwhile, I assume/ hope our experience does not represent this establishment as a whole and the little that we saw, other staff seemed nice and were enjoying what they do.