Bernina

What People are saying

Great location and comfortable hotel

geneve_2015on 02/09/2016 19:48

Very good location, right next to "Post" bus stop so easy access to everywhere and down to the train station. Next to restaurants and cafes. Very friendly and easy to talk to staff, and comfortable facilities. I would stay here again.

Very nice hotel, nice staff, tired appearance

MilesTeggon 14/08/2016 23:09

Let me start by saying that I'd be more than pleased to stay at the Bernina again. I want to make this clear because my review might seem a little negative, that's me, and I wouldn't want the hotel to suffer from choosy people who might find something to whine at in the things I mention.
Firstly location: the hotel is at the southern edge of the village. Not as Google earth would have it toward the northern end. Being at the edge of the village it's quite, at least in summer, and except when Portugal win the European cup. It's on the main street, at the point where the road from the main station meets the main street. A very short distance from the Post, where all the buses stop and the local Coop. It's also only a short walk from (Pontresina) Surovas station which is mush closer than Pontresina main station, and on a level rather than down/up hill. That said the walk uphill from the main station is an easy on even at the end of a day's walking.
The hotel itself : is a block of a building with a flat roof, stuccoed and painted in the local tradition, which is similar but less elaborate than that found in the Inn valley in Austria. (This being the Inn valley in Switzerland).
The interior : is old fashioned 19th century-ish, presumably intentionally so, with mounted ibex sculls, old photos and traditional (rather than antique) knick-knacks and display furniture. Some of the walls in the public areas have designs painted on them, which are naïve, or painted by children depending upon how generous you feel. That said, it is important to stress that everything is clean, and in good repair, so this look is presumable intentional and not representative of the ravages of time. Unfortunately, the latter can be the impression. The owners should take the advice offered when selling a house, and 'declutter and simplify'.
Our room: was fine, like the hotel it seemed to show it's age, but was clean and in good repair. The bathroom, with bath, was small and the wash basin was located in the room. This created an unfortunate B&B effect, but was no problem as I'd used the bath tap as necessary to wash my hands and access to the toilet wasn't affected by someone washing. Although a superior room, ie it had bath & balcony, the seating area in the room was small with only one easy chair. The room safe was also small for modern requirements and wouldn't take iPad or Kindle or camera. The only real problem with the room however was the water supply, the hot must be gravity fed, so being on the top floor the hot water was reluctant to come out of the tap, and when faced with a mix of high pressure cold water just gave up, making an acceptable mix nearly impossible. The beds were good, they could be angled, which as I get gastric reflux and can't sleep flat was a real plus.
Food: was again fine,nothing to complain about there. Breakfast is buffet with usual breads, jams, ham & cheese, choices of teas and coffees, cereals fruit etc. Certainly nothing to complain about, but not mind boggling extensive either. Hot breakfast on request, but as I'm English, introverted and not particularly assertive never got around to requesting anything, neither did anyone else either as far as I could see. The hotel was running well bellow capacity, and most of the guests were English, contrary to what other reviews might suggest. Dinner was again fine, five courses including salad, some nice dishes, generally very well cooked but nothing to exite either egon ronay or michelin. One old dear wanted to take the chef home with her, but either she just wanted his body, was an incorrigible sycophant or didn't get out much. Probably one of the last two. Dress code is more than lax, one person turning up in a slept in T-shirt, shorts & sandals (no socks) to dinner, which even I thought was a bit disrespectful to the other guests who all made an effort if modestly so.
Staff : excellent, friendly and helpful. Mostly speaking good English, or trying extra hard where they weren't fluent. A special reference for Sandra, who waited at breakfast and dinner largely single handedly. It was quiet and she did bustle about so no one suffered. What a delight, always friendly but also rigorously respectful and deferential. The Swiss tourist board should clone her.

Family hotel, great hosts !

alexb007on 15/01/2016 09:18

Visiting Pontresina four years in a row, we decided this year to opt for a smaller hotel with more flexibility in our program and (always) price friendly ! The booking was made quite late (in early November) and the offer was, relatively, correct.

Arriving at the rail station of Pontresina, we were expected by the hotel van (no more climbing the steep road with our suitcases...). The rooms were next to each other (a triple for our kids and a large double for us), clean, very warm but a little bit old-fachioned. Breakfast was excellent (cheese, ham, tasty frech bread, muesli, and home made jams, yamm!...) and all small issues that arose were treated swiftly and with a smile by the very nice Schmidt family. We dined twice at the hotel, once for New Year's Eve: good cuisine, lots of food, good prices.

All in all, this is a good family hotel, with a very long history which can be seen on its walls (but also in the rooms). Do not expect a modern, high tech hotel; instead, expect a friendly welcome, a healthy breakfast and a warm smile !

Charming Hotel with Excellent Staff

Vacation00002on 24/08/2015 17:12

We truly enjoyed our stay at Hotel Bernina. The best feature is the staff. Sigrid oriented us to the community and activities and answered our questions. Our hotel room was typical of Europe in general, small with a small bathroom, but it opened to a lovely shared patio with views of the mountains. We slept better here than anywhere in Switzerland as the town is relatively quiet and the bed was comfortable. Breakfast here is also better than anywhere else we stayed. The fare was usual (sliced meats, cheese, cereal, yogurt, breads, etc.) but the display and quality was better. We were offered eggs had we wanted them.
We had one meal at the restaurant and found the food excellent with traditional local food options. We would definitely stay here again!
Be aware their free wifi does not reach to the top floor and the connection isn't perfect. I took my computer to the lobby and got enough done.

Perfect location and hospitality in Pontresina

Kingstonj75on 11/08/2015 11:36

My wife and I stayed two very happy weeks in a balcony room on the fourth floor of this excellent hotel. The position at the top and quieter end of Pontresina was ideal, with a bus stop and supermarket nearby. The Engadine travel cards provided by the hotel allowed unlimited free travel on buses and cable cars, and train travel on the Rhaetian Railway as far as Alp Grum - this saved us a fortune in fares!
Meals were excellent and the dining room staff were kind and delightful. A pre-dinner drinks reception on Swiss National Day ensured that we were able to meet other guests and staff in a relaxed way, and acquaintances made then ensured a very friendly atmosphere for the remainder of our holiday. Guests were mainly Swiss or German , with one couple from the Netherlands - we were the only ones from the UK!
The very efficient cleaners ensured our room was spotless, as was the rest of the hotel. Our overall impression was that the Bernina was a very well run establishment, in the best tradition of Swiss hotels, and we would recommend a stay here in Pontresina above anything in nearby St. Moritz.
Our thanks go to the Schmid Family management for a most enjoyable stay .