The Cambrian, Adelboden, a Member of Design Hotels — Hotel in Adelboden

A Wonderful Stay at The Cambrian in Adelboden – With a Few Caveats

My wife and I recently stayed at The Cambrian in Adelboden for our honeymoon, and overall, we had a fantastic experience. The hotel offers breathtaking views, an incredible spa, helpful staff, and a relaxing atmosphere. That said, there were a few aspects of our stay that could have been improved, which I want to share for future guests to consider.

The Highlights: Incredible Views & Spa: The views from the hotel were absolutely stunning, like something out of a movie. We also loved the spa – it was spacious, never overcrowded, and had excellent facilities. We enjoyed a couple's massage package, which was top-notch. As spa-goers from the USA, we really appreciated the experience, as it's not a common offering in most American hotels.

Staff & Service: The staff was friendly and helpful. A special shout-out goes to Gabriel, the bartender, who made our time at the bar particularly enjoyable. The hotel offers a cozy ambiance with a fireplace, which we enjoyed each evening, and the location allowed us to explore the beautiful surroundings, including various hiking trails.

The Town: Adelboden is a charming town with shops and restaurants. However, we visited in early November, which is a slower time, so many businesses had limited hours or were closed. This didn’t impact us too much, as we spent a lot of time at the hotel, enjoying the views and the relaxing environment.

Things to Know Before You Go: Noise from Ongoing Construction: When we arrived, we were informed that there was construction happening in the hotel. We could hear the noise for the first few days of our stay, especially around the elevators and pool area. Although it wasn’t disruptive in our room (with the doors and windows closed), it was noticeable when we were outside or in the spa. On Day 2, the hotel offered a glass of Prosecco to guests as a gesture to offset the inconvenience, but I felt this didn’t fully address the issue.

Food & Drink Policies: The hotel’s food options were somewhat limited, particularly because their main restaurant was closed for dinner during our stay. We were left with bar snacks or food from local restaurants, but the limited offerings quickly became repetitive.

Spa Noise & Atmosphere: While the spa was lovely, we noticed that the relaxation area was sometimes disturbed by loud noises from children playing in the pool outside. The hotel could consider ways to reduce this noise – perhaps with soundproofing or background music – to create a more tranquil environment for those looking to unwind.

Unclear Hotel Policies: One issue we encountered was the lack of clarity around hotel policies. It felt like different staff members had varying interpretations of the rules, and there wasn’t a clear point of contact or management structure to handle issues. This made the experience feel a bit disorganized at times, which might be more common in Europe, but it was a bit unexpected from a hotel of this caliber.

Final Thoughts: Despite these few hiccups, we genuinely enjoyed our stay at The Cambrian. The positive aspects – the spa, the views, the staff, and the relaxing environment – definitely outweighed the negatives. However, a few improvements could make future guests' experiences even better:

Clearer Communication: It would be helpful if the hotel provided more explicit communication regarding their rules, especially about outside food and drink, as well as ongoing construction.

Proactive Problem Solving: The hotel could improve how they handle disturbances like construction noise. Instead of waiting for guests to complain, they should offer solutions or compensation upfront.

We are both "go with the flow" people, so these issues didn’t ruin our honeymoon, but I wanted to share this feedback so that others can have a more informed experience. Would we stay here again? Absolutely. But with a bit more clarity and proactive management, The Cambrian could take an already great experience to...

usually don't write reviews, but the terrible experience I had at this hotel makes this an exception. I booked this hotel for part of our honeymoon. I read the reviews and it looked like a great choice. Obviously, the pool looks incredible, but the photos don't show that it is now a deck overlooking other buildings. It's definitely not as pictured. That's not a big deal though. It was the "customer service" that really ruined this portion of our honeymoon. My husband and I thought it would be nice to go horseback riding in the area. So I went to the front desk in the morning and asked where we could go. They said they would make arrangements and let us know. They told us that we would be set to go at 2:00on and it was about a 20 minute drive. They said nothing about a cancellation policy. As the day went on, I began to feel like I was getting sick. I badly wanted to go and tried my best to suck it up, but by 1:30pm, I realized that it would not be the best thing. Therefore, I called the hotel and let them know that we were not going to be able to make it because I was ill. The lady on the phone said she was very appreciative that I coordinated of not just showing up. Again, nothing was mentioned about having to pay a cancellation fee. I figured if not when we first inquired about going, then at least this would have been mentioned at this time.

A bit later, my husband goes to the front desk to ask a question and he was then informed by the manager that we were going to be charged a cancellation penalty. Nice of them to tell us after the fact. They didn't tell us how much it would be either. I spoke to the manager (who can clearly see that I am not feeling well), and explained the situation. She said that they are not in charge of the place and that she had no control over us being charged, but it would go on our hotel bill. If I would've made the reservations directly, we would've never been charged, but the hotel used us as their guests to take advantage of the situation and conveniently tack it on to our hotel bill.

Upon check out, I noticed that the charge was the full amount. After some discussion, I was informed that the manager was in a meeting and could not discuss it with me at the moment. After some discussion with the receptionist, her colleague spoke to her and they both told me that since I was never informed of the cancellation policy that the manager would refund me a portion. But after reaching out to the manager through email, she told me that that wouldn't refund me anything.

At this point, I then reached out for the stable and they told me that the hotel has known about the 100% cancellation policy for over a year. I was never told this when making the reservation, nor when cancelling. Therefore, the hotel should accept part of the responsibility. A hotel that cannot accept that they were partly at fault for an incident like this deserves less than one star. So much for customer service. Furthermore, the manager stated that "Swiss law" says that they dont have to disclose cancellation or change policies. I find that very hard to believe. What kind of business...

Beautiful decor and friendly staff. Our south-facing room was very comfortable, though the furniture layout didn’t fully take advantage of the mountain view—moving the bed or sofa could make a big difference.

Breakfast was fresh and varied, with plenty of options.

While the overall stay had its enjoyable moments, there are several areas where the hotel could make meaningful improvements.

First, the Marriott Bonvoy program was not recognized at check-in or check-out. Staff seemed unfamiliar with it and had to call a colleague who also lacked clarity. At a property of this size and brand affiliation, better staff training regarding loyalty programs should be a priority.

The shower system is also outdated. There’s no door or enclosure, so water easily splashes into the rest of the bathroom, making a mess and causing some inconvenience.

Rooms with terraces lack privacy, as anyone on the pool deck or restaurant terrace can easily see inside. On top of that, noise levels at night can be quite disruptive, particularly for rooms facing the common areas.

The lack of air conditioning was surprising. When we asked at the front desk, we were advised to open the windows at night to cool down the room. Unfortunately, the outside noise made that option difficult. We visited in May and already found it uncomfortable—this could be even more problematic during the summer months.

During visits to attractions in Adelboden and the surrounding areas, we were informed that hotels typically provide a visitor card that offers discounted rates or other benefits. This was not mentioned to us at check-in. While we cannot fully verify whether this is standard practice, if true, this card should be proactively provided to all guests upon arrival without requiring them to ask for it.

Lastly, the car parking process was unclear. It’s not evident whether guests should park their own vehicles or if staff handles it. At check-out, the wait time for getting the car back was long. While we understand front desk staff might be overwhelmed with requests, either guests should be warned of potential delays in advance, or the hotel should consider assigning dedicated personnel for car handling—especially given the hotel’s size. Reception staff should be able to focus on front desk responsibilities without being stretched thin.

That said, we appreciate the kindness and effort of the staff throughout our stay. We understand they are doing their best in a busy environment, and their warm attitude made a difference. With a few operational adjustments, this hotel could offer a much smoother and more comfortable...