Flumserberg ski resort near Zurich is popular as a short day trip for skiers from Zurich. But, it’s also a great place to enjoy a longer ski trip and explore the terrain properly. We recently enjoyed a few days in Flumserberg and based ourselves at the Hotel Neu Schonstatt in the nearby village of Quarten… So is this the best hotel to stay near Flumserberg?
Hotel New Schonstatt review
The Hotel Neu Schonstatt is set just to the side of a church seminary, part of the ‘Zentrumm’ which seems to be more of a focus for the small town Quarten. The hotel sits independently from the seminary but is linked by a walkway which takes you to the main restaurants (there are two) and various facilities.
When you arrive into the hotel, there is a self-checkin area which is basically two touchscreens where you follow the instructions to get your room key. I found the process pretty simple and it took me just a few minutes to pay and activate my keys before we were on our way to our rooms. This no-contact checkin process was very smooth for us with no problems.
Note that if there are any issues at checkin, there is no-one there to help you so you would need to use the phone in reception to connect to a helpline.
The rooms are a good size. We had a family room on the 6th floor, which featured one double bedroom and a spacious living room area which had two fold out sofa beds. Our kids found the sofa beds perfectly comfortable and enjoyed running around in the large living room space.
Despite the three star rating, it certainly feels more luxurious than that. Perhaps it’s the cool modern styling and lots of room to spread out.
Our room also had a dining table with 2 chairs, a small fridge, a Nespresso machine and a large wardrobe for hanging clothes. We knew there was no kettle in the room (I checked before hand) so I bought our own kettle for tea in our room. There was also a nice balcony space where we could sit and enjoy the view (although it was very cold so we didn’t sit out there for long) and this is also where I (mostly) stored my snowboard and boots.
Both the living room and bedroom had large TVs which contained the information needed for our stay (wifi code, dining times etc).
The bathroom was also a good size, with a wet room style shower and toilet included within the bathroom. Interestingly, the light in the bathroom and the hallway was motion sensor activated which could be slightly irritating at night if someone went to the bathroom – but not a massive detractor.
The double bedroom was also a decent size with a comfortable merged-twin bed (quite standard in these parts). Overall the rooms were comfortable, quiet, and warm.
I’d also add that the views, from pretty much everywhere in the hotel, are stunning – with a good view across the Walensee and the Churfurstein mountains across the lake.
Dining at Hotel Neu Schonstatt
We enjoyed a half-board package at Hotel Neu Schonstatt, so we had breakfast and evening meal included. The breakfast buffet was very good, with a decent selection of standard European continental fare. Think: bread, pastries, cheese and cold meats, cereal selection, salad, yogurt and bread toppings. There was also a hot food selection with eggs and usually bacon or sausage. My vegetarian partner had plenty of choice too.
The evening meal buffet was also really good, with some tasty and hearty local style dishes. The cooking was definitely not high end fare, but a couple of rustic style dishes such as stews, or pasta with sauce. There was a vegetarian option and a meat option, plus a carb (pasta one night, potatoes another etc). There was also a standard salad bar and a soup too, plus the dessert selection. Drinks were additional, and I usually had a beer with my meal which was about CHF7 for a large bottle (typical for Switzerland).
The hotel also included a cafe which was available for snacks and meal times outside of hotel catered hours. This included meals, sandwhiches, cakes and coffee.
Hotel Neu Schonstatt facilities
The top floor of the hotel was where most of the extra facilities were based, with a sauna and gym accessible for guests. Obviously after a hard days skiing at Flumserberg this was a great spot to come and warm yourself up – but the sauna did get quite busy at times. And this is Europe, so yes, everyone was naked and yes it was mixed-gender. There was also a sort of relaxation room where you could make a herbal tea and lie on loungers – I guess for relaxing after the sauna.
The gym was quite small with a running machine, elliptical, exercise bike and weights machine plus yoga mats.
Apart from the gym and the catering, there wasn’t much else. There is an outside playground for kids at the front of the hotel which is quite big, and there is also a ski boot room in the basement of the hotel which is in with the laundry room.
The reception also included a small vending machine with chocolate bars and drinks, and a coffee machine too.
Is Quarten close to Flumserberg?
The small village of Quarten is connected to the larger village of Unterterzen by a direct road which zig-zags up the hill. Unterterzen is where the main train station from Zurich/Chur arrives and is also where the main gondola station for the Flumserberg resort starts. Quarten is linked to the train station by a bus service (445) which runs approximately every hour going from Unterterzen to Oberterzen, which is the village further up the mountain. So if you’re arriving by train you should be able to connect easily to the bus – we didn’t see any taxis so if you need to transfer up the hill you might need to book one in advance.
The Hotel Neu Schonstatt and the village of Quarten are within walking distance of the main gondola to Flumserberg. I wouldn’t walk down (or up) in ski boots, but in normal shoes and carrying skis/board, it’ll take you 15(ish) minutes to walk down from Quarten to the lift and then another 15 minutes to ride up to Flumserberg. Coming back, it’s a steep hill so you’d probably be better off getting the bus.
Quaten also has a few small shops for groceries, including a Spar grocery store, a butchers and a cafe/gift shop next to the train station. There are also a few restaurants including a pizzeria next to the gondola station for Flumserberg.
