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Top Ten Swiss & Austrian Hotels

It's not easy to define what makes a good hotel - the service, welcome, food, setting, comfort, and even the views all play an important part. Here we list the most highly praised Swiss and Austrian hotels from both our summer and winter programmes which combine the best of some, if not all, of these factors.

Hotel Victoria, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. This hotel receives such high praise (many guests return time and again) that we include it in all our hotel-based brochures except our horse riding programme! This is in no small measure due to the Platzer family, who offer an outstanding level of personal attention, giving the overall feeling of being a welcome house-guest in fairytale surroundings. A great base for walking in summer and for skiing in winter.

Posthotel Engiadina, Engadine, Switzerland. The 4-star Engiadina is one of the highest quality Swiss hotels in our skiing programme (it is also an excellent base for walking in summer), and is exactly the kind of Swiss hotel we seek out – family-run and in an exquisite village setting. Built at the height of the Grand Tour era, it boasts high-ceilinged public rooms in which it is easy to imagine wealthy Victorians sipping tea by the fireplaces, something that adds to the charm.

Romantik Hotel Bella Tola, Val d'Anniviers, Switzerland. The rooms (all of which are spacious and south-facing), the views of the mountains, the unbelievably comfortable beds, the excellent cuisine, the spa, the abundance of space around the hotel in which to relax – all these factors make this a fantastic base for a week of downhill skiing (or walking), but what makes the Bella Tola such a special place is the attentiveness of hosts Claude and Anne-Françoise Buchs. Both are extremely helpful and you'd be forgiven for thinking that Claude never stops smiling.

Inntalerhof, Tyrol, Austria. The epitome of Tyrolean hospitality, fantastic cuisine, a superb spa complex and an idyllic setting ... the Inntalerhof seemingly has it all. The view from the restaurant and the superior rooms is just as breathtaking in winter as it is in summer (when the hotel features on our Leutasch Valley walk), stretching down the Inn Valley which is framed on either side by majestic peaks.

Hotel Meisser, Engadine Valley, Switzerland. Another hotel that astounds with the level of personal attention afforded to guests. Featured on our Villages of the Engadine walk and in our winter programme, it is a real family affair – Benno Meisser is helped out by his partner Maya, and his parents Ralf and Kathrin. The rooms here are full of charm, many with panelled ceilings, and the setting in the valley's best-preserved village only serves to enhance the romance of the hotel.

Hotel Matschner, Steiermark, Austria. The hamlet of Ramsau may not be in the Tyrol, an Austrian region renowned for its tradition of warm hospitality, but you will find as warm a welcome at this high-quality 4-star hotel as at any Tyrolean hotel. Run by two generations of the Knaus family, the hotel offers well-equipped bedrooms, each with a panoramic private balcony, and excellent facilities which include a sauna, jacuzzi and indoor pool. What guests like most about this hotel is its location on a high plateau beneath the rocky peaks of the Dachstein range, making this a walker's and skier's paradise.

Hotel Alpenrose, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. Wengen is an idyllic, picture-postcard Alpine village which features on our High Route walk. The spacious Hotel Alpenrose is quite simply a haven of tranquillity.

Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann, Lucerne, Switzerland. This is a very special city hotel and is the starting point of our Lake Lucerne walk. Beautifully converted from several 16th-century townhouses, the hotel is elegant, atmospheric and very romantic, with great attention to detail. The location is ideal, close to the Kapellbrücke Bridge, Lucerne's most famous landmark.

Hotel Castle, Goms Valley, Switzerland. Our reasons for including this secluded 4-star hotel are twofold. Firstly, the welcome is among the warmest you will encounter in Switzerland (the hotel has in fact won awards for the outstanding level of service). Secondly, the food is superb – owner Peter Gschwendtner is a great chef, creating delicious mountain dishes with a lightness of touch. The icing on the cake is the view across the delightful Goms Valley from the restaurant.

Hotel Gosauerhof, Salzkammergut, Austria. With its locally renowned cuisine, the Gosauerhof is the perfect place to end our Lakes & Mountains walk. What makes this hotel truly special, though, are the unrivalled views, some of the best you will encounter on your travels in Austria. Sit out on the terrace after dinner with a drink and watch the Dachstein Mountains glow pink as the sun sets.

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