Luxury conversion of a 19th Century Swiss Hotel, located in picturesque village of Chateau D'Oex, Switzerland. The village has a train station, supermarket, restaurants, cafes and bars, stunning outdoor pool, sports centre and ten pin bowling. The apartment is fully equipped for 2-4 people with use of an indoor heated pool, lounge, games room, gymnasium and gardens. It is a perfect all year round destination for skiing, walking, relaxing, summer and winter sports, within easy reach of Montreux, on Lake Geneva and the fashionable resort of Gstaad. Nearby, you can visit also the beautifully preserved cheese making village of Gruyeres. For more information about the apartment visit Youtube and search for "La Soldanelle"
Size:
Sleeps up to 4, 1 bedroom
Will consider:
Corporate lets House swaps Long lets Short breaks
Access:
Car not necessary Lift access to property Nearest amenities: 500m
Family friendly?
Suitable for children of all ages Suitable for people with restricted mobility
Notes:
May take pets - please enquire No smoking at this property
Facilities
Luxuries:
Jacuzzi / Hot tub, Gym, Sauna, DVD player
Pools:
Shared indoor Pool, Shared outdoor pool (heated)
General:
Central heating, Video player, CD player, Pool / Snooker table, Games room, Satellite TV, Wi-fi available
The Swiss Alps / Vaud/Lake Geneva/Swiss Alps region
Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland, is the capital for hot air ballooning due to its unique micro climate. The first round the world balloon flight took place from this village. David Niven loved this place and lived here for many years. He is buried in the local churchyard. The famous resort of Gstaad is just up the road, as well as Gruyere and the amazing Chocolate Factory (eat as much as you can tasting sessions!).
The Chateau-d'Oex area
Near Gstaad (20 mins), Montreux (50 mins), Gruyeres (20 mins). In winter, visitors can ski the entire Gstaad "Super Ski Region," which is comprised of some six sectors, over 70 lifts, and 150 miles (250 kilometers) of trails. In summeR skiers can also access summer skiing on the gentle Diablerets glacier. Check out Glacier 3000. Summer "sledging" is also available on the nearby "Relleri" mountain.
How to get there
What's nearby:
Attractions
Restaurants
Click map icons for more information
Nearest Travel Links
Airport:
Geneva: 120 km
Railway:
Chateau d'Oex: 0.5 km
Easy Jet and BMI Baby have cheap flights to Geneva. Easy access from Geneva Airport by train or by road.
Travel Directions by Road From the airports: Château-d'Oex is 140 km, about 90 minutes to 2 hrs by road, from Geneva airport, and 180km, about 2hr 30, from Basel Airport. Via Bulle: Motorway N12 ( Lausanne-Bern) exit Bulle; take the well-signed B road to Château-d'Oex From Other directions: Via Col Des Mosses: Motorway N9 ( Lausanne -Martigny) exit Aigle, follow Col des Mosses then Château-d'Oex Via the Simmental: Motorway N5 (Bern -Thun), exit Spiez; follow Zweisimmen, then Saanen-Gstaad, then Château-d'Oex You can find a route planner for the whole of Europe under http://www.viamichelin.com/
Train is just over 2 hours with one change at Montreux on Lake Geneva. The train station in the village of Chateau-d'oex is a 5 minute walk from the apartment
Activities near Chateau-d'Oex
Sports: Ski resort location Tennis in town Watersports Waterpark Horse Riding Golf within 30 mins drive Fishing
Great for: Walking holidays Rural / countryside retreats Cycling holidays
My daughter (9 years) and I live in South Africa and have never touched snow. Our Christmas was spent enjoying the beauty of snow-covered Chateau 'doex. A typical day involved a quick walk down the hill to the station, a short train ride to G'Stadt, a window-shopping walk down the main road eating fresh donuts and drinking hot wine, then back to Chateau 'doex, a stop at the local COOP opposite the train station for a bag of groceries, then on to the park and the open air ice-skating rink, two or three hours ice skating then a quick walk back to the apartment at La Saldone. Exhausted from the exciting day, we spent our evenings in the Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and swimming pool. Then back to the apartment where we cooked super and watched DVD's left by the owner, all suitable for my daughter's age. Our fondest memories are our visit to the Chocolate factory with its all you can eat chocolate tour (we went there three times!), bum-boarding at the local slope, playing in the park, ice-skating and a cable-car trip to the top of the mountain. No, we did not ski, but the friendly people we met, who stayed at La Soldonelle, all seemed to enjoy thier skiing adventures. My daughter and I have started saving for our next trip to La Soldanelle!
Response: Hi. Thanks so much for your review. We love to get the feedback as we love Chateau d'oex so much and its great to hear that other people have had a good time too. It's also really kind of you to take the time to share the specific things you enjoyed to help other people with their stay. We provide lots of information but other people's experiences are so helpful as well. Often we have jam packed holidays in Switzerland involving loads of activities, but this Easter we chose to have a more chilled time and just really enjoyed the views, the scenery, the lovely shops for tea, coffee and hot chocolate in the village, local walks and the wonderful facilities at La Soldanelle as well. It's just a great place to have time special time together. Thanks again for taking the time to write.
18 Sep 2012
“Very nice!”
We did enjoy our staying having visited surrounding villages, Gustaad, Rougemont,Rossiniere, l'Etivas cheese making farmer nereby etc......... Facilities of the apartment such as lounge, gym, indoor pool were very useful for us, an old couple. If the room has a terrace and some sunshine, it should be perfect to stay. (it faces to the north) I am a fraid the laundry machines was not enough, so we must wait many times to use it.
Response: Many thanks for taking the time to write a review. We really appreciate it. There are two washing machines in the laundry room and two tumble dryers, as well as an ironing board and iron.I will pass on you feedback to the Manager at la Soldanelle to see how the use of these facilities might be improved. Many thanks again for the helpful comments, and I am very glad that overall you enjoyed your stay.
04 Sep 2012
“A great apartment in an amazingly beautiful location!”
The apartment is very comfortable and well appointed. The owner could not have been more helpful before we arrived and Maya, on site, was also very helpful. Although the apartment does not have a balcony, there are great views and we used the communal balcony downstairs where there were rarely any other guests. The pool was very nice, as was the gym, though we were too busy walking to take advantage of that!
The location is absolutely stunning and yet only a few minutes walk from the village and the station. It's a bit more of a haul coming back up from the village, but still only 10-15 minutes.
Well worth getting the local pass for the train, cable cars etc.
Note that there is not a sign at the bottom of the road for La Soldanelle, so look for the street name: it's easy enough.
Response: Hi. Many thanks for your review. We are delighted that you had a great stay. Thanks also for your feedback about the sign. We noticed on our last visit that the sign for "La Soldanelle" has been removed at the bottom of the hill. It has been replaced with a sign for "EMS La Pommerie"!! (I am not yet sure what or where that it is, but it is the sign to follow for La Soldanelle!). We have now updated all our directions so as to avoid any future confusion and provided a map of the village also in the information we send out. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience. We hope you will come back another time soon.
“Great Apartment, fantastic facilities, idyllic location loads to see and do”
Our first trip to Switzerland. Great apartment, easy to get to from train station. Maya very welcoming on arrival. We travelled to Switzerland by train all the way . Swiss public transport superb. On arrival we purchased a Gstaad easy access pass from the tourist information for 5 days . Cost 174 francs worked out approx £25.00 day for family of four. Covered all trains Rossiniere to Zweissimen. Most cable cars, buses, museums , outdoor village swimming pool and bowling. It paid for itself on first day. Return on a cable car about £150.00 normally. Apartment very comfortable and stayed cool in summer heat. Swimming pool in basement a big hit with our boys and games room. Kathryn the owner sends you masses of useful information and ideas of things to see and do, and is most helpful with any queries. Our favourite activity was hiking. We took cable car up, hiked across the mountain tops and then took cable car back down. The scenery around Chateaux d'oex is stunning and hopping on and off the train we often were seated in the panoramic coaches at no extra charge. All in all a fantastic holiday. Thank you Kathryn and Maya for all your help and providing us with a very special holiday.
04 Aug 2012
“a wonderful stay in the beautiful swiss alps”
The apartment in La Soldanelle suited our family of four perfectly. The owner of the apartment gave us many helpful tips to prepare our journey and plan our stay there. We used the pool and hot tub almost every day (especially after a long hike). We stayed three weeks in Chateau d'oex and discovered a new adventure every day. We spent many days hiking in the alps, enjoying the scenery and the culture. We used a swiss rail pass to travel between villages and to enjoy day trips as far away as Montreux and Thun. An amazing holiday and I encourage any traveller to explore this magical area of Switzerland.
I could not belive the high standard of the appartment for the price we paid,absolutley spotlessly clean,with every thing you need when self catering . Pool and spa area were superb with a great veiw as well . Helpful information about outings,transport,resturants ,food shopping etc given by the owner, really good tips .Favourite bits were white water rafting and the glacier visit. I would and have recommended this venue to others ,my first ever posting on TripAdvisor as it was exceptional.
“Amazing location, great apartment with brilliant facilities-you'll love it!”
A good apartment. We have 2 children aged 6 and 11 and it worked really well. We slept on the large sofa bed and it was very comfortable. The facilities were such a bonus with kids. We swam everyday and used the games room. The sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi were in immaculate condition. The village has lots to do for kids, mini golf, park, bowling, outdoor pool with slides and loads of easy walks. You could spend all your time in the village and never have a dull moment. It has a real Swiss feel and in June, tourist free. New supermarket. Look out for offers for the travel pass. We brought in UK from the Swiss office in London and got 2 for the price of 1 and kids traveled free in the region. The Gstaad pass also seems a good idea. Great days out at Glacier 3000, walking at Montreux to Chateau de Chillon with a boat ride back. Chocolate and Gruyere cheese factories for a rainy day. Cable cars up local mountains great fun. We traveled by train the whole holiday. The Swiss travel system is amazing and takes the stress out of travelling with kids! I highly recommend the apartment and location.
22 Mar 2012
“Nice Apartment”
We really enjoyed our stay at La Soldanelle apartment 41. The building is really nice with a beautiful relaxing lounge and spa rooms. The advert said 5 star facilities and we weren't disappointed. The apartment was functional and had everything in it we required for a relaxing week. We had an active 2 year old and the apartment worked well for us and was spacious enough. We recommend this apartment and would visit again.
02 Nov 2011
“Very comfortable apartment, ideal for a relaxing break”
We have now visited La Soldanelle twice, on both visits we had a great time. Château d'Oex is a lovely town with plenty of activities and stunning scenery. The apartment is very well equipped and the leisure facilities in the building are excellent. We had a warm welcome from Maya the local contact who showed us around and explained everything. We would definitely go back.
It was a lovely stay in an amazing apartment. I was there with my parents and my younger brother and we had a great family holiday. The location is great, the view to the mountains surrounding the house is stunning. In the apartment we were using the fitness room, the swimming pool and had a nice time in the lounge as well. During our stay we had the Gstaad Easy Access pass which is really good for using the panorama train so that we could get to see the lovely landscape, but it also includes numerous different activities which are worth every penny. We also had some nice walks around Chateau d'Oex which are great to relax and calm down. With only a few days there, we weren't able to do as much as we wanted to, but we would always come back and have another nice holiday there.
25 Oct 2011
“Great place for a family holiday”
We had a great 10 day stay at La Soldanelle.
Before arriving Kathryn was very helpful with all the details we needed for arrival and giving us an idea of what to do in the area.
Apartment was very nice and comfy. Facilities great, everything working and in good condition.
The extras such as the pool, games room, steam room, etc were an added bonus, lovely to just "pop downstairs" at the end of the day for a relaxing swim.
Maya the local contact was also very helpful and answered any questions we had.
Chateau-d'Oex was a great base for exploring the local area. Some great walks possible directly from the apartment. The railway was very handy. Recommend getting the Easy Access card if you are without a car.
We will definitely return at some point in the future.
16 Oct 2011
“Must try”
We were a group of 4 adults who rented the apartment for 10 days. We rented a car during our stay.
i would recommend this apartment to anyone under our circumstances. we had a great time, its a perfect place for some one looking for a peaceful and quite holiday. although i would not recommend if you will be on public transport. very impressed by the place, apartment, services (swimming pool, steam and sauna).
From the way we came into the village it was quite hard to drive to the hotel, we did not spot any sign posts - its recommended if possible to have more signs to the apartment.
“Gorgeous setting, lots of activities, very good travel links, lovely apartment”
This was a last minute, impulsive holiday for us but it worked out really well. I had visited Switzerland as a teenager when my relatives were living there, but I had forgotten how absolutely stunning it is. We travelled by train, which I would really recommend, especially for the leg of the journey which winds around Lake Geneva, and up into the mountains. The weather was beautiful, which helped, especially if you have teenagers who like swimming/sunbathing. We got a special card which entitles you to free travel on most trains (you need to check this as there are a couple of services a day where you do have to pay) and entry to various attractions. We went to some lovely open air pools, one in Chateau D'Oex, and another in Gstaad. The settings, mountains, blue sky, pine trees, etc, were stunning. My son and I went on a trip up into the mountains to a lake called (I think) Annensee, which was beautiful, and we walked around it and had fondue in a nearby cafe. We did find the train travel, especially the scenic mountain trains, an entertainment in itself. Left to myself, I would have done much more walking and visited museums, nearby towns etc, but my children were keener on relaxing in front of the television in the apartment when not sunbathing/swimming. I did get them out for one walk, which was beautiful and not taxing. We saw two red kites hovering over the valley, and were able to photograph them. In Switzerland, they not only signpost the routes well, they tell you how long it should take you to walk to your destination. There is not much traffic on the roads in that area and you get a lot of "bonjours" when you pass any other walkers. The apartment is in a converted hotel and was compact and very well equipped. You can swim in a swimming pool in the basement and also use the gym, and there is a computer for guests to use in one of the communal areas. Switzerland is expensive, but we went to local supermarkets and took sandwiches when we went out, and in that way it was manageable.
20 Jul 2011
“Beautiful scenery, great location, comfortable apartment”
We have enjoyed staying here both during the summer and winter. Both offer completely different experiences, but there is lots to do in and around Chateau d'oex whatever time of year you choose to visit. The accomodation at La Soldanelle is comfortable with good kitchen facilities if you choose to self cater, it is clean and there is plenty of room, our party consisted of three adults and one child and we had plenty of space. There is a good COOP in the village where you can buy any provisions you need. The swimming pool, sauna and any communal areas are very well maintained, clean and tidy, whenever we have stayed it has been lovely and peaceful. The location is excellent, a short walk from the railway station, which means that you don't really need a car to get around and there is a good welcome pack in the apartment giving you information not only about the facilities in the apartment and La Soldanelle, but also great ideas about where to visit. All in all, I can't recommend this apartment and location highly enough.
Response: Thank you for taking the time and trouble to write a review. We have been coming to Chateau d'Oex for a number of years now, and we love the fact that it is an all year round destination. Thanks again for your feedback.
18 Jul 2011
“Best skiing holiday ever”
The apartment is top quality with luxurious sauna/jacuzzi facilities. We had plenty of snow which added to beauty of the place and made skiing fantastic. We were very impressed with the train link to the resort only some 15 minutes away. Always on time and pristine with lovely scenery to the ski resort. After a brilliant days skiing there was nothing more enjoyable than a jacuzzi and sauna set in lovely surroundings followed by dinner and beer. I could not have wished for more from a skiing holiday.
Response: Many thanks for your review about skiing. We first learnt to ski together as a family in 2005. We started at the nursery slope in the village. Then progressed up to the local mountain at La Braye. We now enjoy exploring the vast area of the Gstaad Superski region, usually by getting the train the Saanenmoser and then skiing over and around the mountains from there. Thanks again for your feedback.
“Lovely warm comfortable apartment… amazing village and location...”
We had a lovely four night stay. I was apprehensive at first about paying a key holder but the service was fantastic and would have no problem paying for this service again. A lovely local Mara meets you and provides you with a key making you feel very welcome and shows you around the apartment - how things work etc. Under floor heating (just lovely), everything very functional. We had an almost 2 year old with us and a cot and bedding were provided for her. Very easy to arrange the renal with Kathryn via email.
Chateau-d'Oex is a beautiful little French speaking Swiss village that we just adored. We arrived just before the official snow season opened and just loved going for walks and spending time in the very comfortable chalet. There was still plenty of snow and snow boots were the very first purchase we made upon arrival!! Highly recommended and fantastic value for money. TRAVELLERS TIP: if arriving via the train DO book a taxi to take you up the incredibly steep hill - impossible to get up in the snow without snow boots (there is only one local taxi - Mara can email you the details once you have booked).
Unfortunately when we stayed the indoor pool was being serviced that week - but we were given prior notice and given a discount due to it being out of service. It looks fantastic.
Response: Thanks for your review. These tips are really useful for other people. We often get questions, for example, about the fact that we split the costs between the apartment rental and the local costs payable to the key holder, so your comments on this are really helpful. I am always pleased when people have a lovely time and enjoy the apartment, La Soldanelle, the village and the surrounding area. Our aim is that others should have exactly the same fantastic holidays that we have enjoyed over the years. Thanks again.
17 Jul 2011
“A fabulos location to explore the swiss mountains - brillinat skiing”
Beautiful apartment in the fabulous ex hotel of La Soldanell. We loved it and have now been three times. The apartment is perfectly formed ideal for a small family or a couple (two couples if you get on well). Apart from the marvellous views and fantastic pool, sauna, gym ect (which seems hardly used by anyone else) the skiing is amazing. You never need to ski the same place twice and you can take the train and then ski home across the mountains checking out the mountain café's/ restaurants and bars. You don't need a car – the Swiss know how to do public transport. It is just a chilled out, fresh place to be. Not the place if you want to party to 2am every night. And avoid arriving on a Sunday – everything is closed. I'd fully recommend it.
Response: Thanks for your review. It is great to have guests who come again and again. With reference to Sunday arrivals, it is possible for us to arrange local provisions to be delivered to the apartment for a small extra cost. I believe some smaller shops are open in the village for basic provisions on Sundays, so I will check exact opening times and post them on the web site. Thanks again for the really helpful feedback.
16 Jul 2011
“Accomodation which is excellant and situated in a wonderful part of swizerland”
A comfortable appartment with good facilities including internet access if required. This is situated in a quiet area with good access to the local area and shops Great walking area with extremely frendly locals. Many "trips out" available using the superb local transport so that exploring a wider area is easy. Highly recomended
Response: Thanks for your review. We agree that the trains are a fantastic experience in Switzerland both in terms of cleanliness and punctuality. Also to be able to relax and marvel at the wonderful views. With the special offers and train passes it can also be pretty reasonable. The local buses are also very good. With reference to the Internet, we do not currently have wifi directly in the apartment but it is accessible from the communal lounge downstairs and also at lots of places in the village and round about. thanks again for the review.
The property's weekend rates apply to: Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights
NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.
There is an additional cost payable locally which contributes to charges incurred for the apartment to be looked after in Switzerland. This is 100 chf - approximately £70 - and covers local tourist taxes, keyholder fee, utilities including water, electricity, heating, parking ( we offer a dedicated space), use of indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, fully equipped gym, communal lounge with balcony, and all the other facilities, together with final cleaning and laundry (bed linen and towels are provided). This is payable locally in swiss francs (chf) to the local key holder, a lovely lady called Maya, who will meet you and show you the facilities on arrival. There is an additional cost of 30 chf for extra laundry / cleaning for each additional person. We ask for a 20% deposit (via the on line booking system) to secure a booking and the balance is payable 6 weeks before arrival.
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