Hotel Albula & Julier

As many reviewers, we stayed as part of a Rail Discoveries package. In our opinion the hotel, staff and facilities were spot on! Rooms were spacious, with a large bathroom. The shower was powerful, heat consistent and water so soft! Two sachets of body wash/shampoo, and a small bar of soap provided, along with tissues. Not sure if sachets replenished as we took our own toiletries. Bathroom was cleaned everyday and towels replaced as required. Sockets either side of bed but only pin plugs and no USB charge points. For us the plllows were too soft. Also a double room was two single beds pushed together with two single duvets, just a minor issue. No tea making facilities in room but do not worry! Kettle available for £10/€10 or 10 SF deposit. For 50 cents a coffee sachet, sugar and cream pot ( long life) provided as well as cups… it really was a bonus for us as we like that early cuppa in bed! I would advise taking your own tea bags of choice and a long life milk of your liking. The food seems to attract some negative comments, I can only say that among our group of four there were no complaints! Maybe fussier eaters would object but I tried veal for the first time in my life and it was fine. Not as many veg served as we would have at home but again no big problem. It was good that at every meal diners were offered extras of all components of the dish. The drinks were also provided as required and staff regularly asking if more were wanted , The dining experience was very enjoyable. Now… that hill! This is totally judged by one’s own physical capabilities, but it is totally not a problem! A bus is timed to coincide with train times and some used this every day to get up the hill, without issue and I believe without payment too! We walked up and timed it at six minutes ( quite briskly) others maybe took a maximum twenty minutes with a breather. Most somewhere in between. Do not let it put you off this trip! The packed lunch provided we all thought was superb! Certainly saved the expense of eating lunch out every day and sitting on a bench in the sunshine with a picnic lunch, outstanding scenery provided some lovely memories. All in all this hotel was just what was required and a very enjoyable part of our overall holiday experience Phil and Sue

We visited this hotel as part of a Rail Discoveries tour package. It has apparently been in the family for several generations, the staff were very helpful and friendly. Breakfast was continental style and good. As part of our package, we had a packed lunch, which was OK. However the rolls they provided, only ever has one filling. Eg cheese, fish paste, ham etc. They would have been nice with a bit of salad etc. There was also a piece of fruit, chocolate bat and bottle of water. Evening meal was a wide range of salad items form a buffet, followed by a main course and desert. Unfortunately there was no choice, so if you didn't like a particular meal, you were a bit stuck. Nor was the menu published n advance. Drinks were inclusive for the duration of the meal (See below). Now the reasons for only a 3 star rating: We all complained that hotel was so hot. With about a 100ish people in the dining room it soon got very warm. We opened a window and got told, off as "the heating was on" it wasn't the radiators were cold. In the room the folder asked guests to only open the window for a max of 3mins to save energy. I could not find any kind of thermostat or radiator in our room, but it was too hot to sleep, so we did leave the window open. However the noise of the river was surprising loud, so sleep was not good. The hotel location is in a village with very few facilitates, so you re fully reliant on the hotel. There was no bar or lounge area, apart from some seats in the reception area. To be fair, drinks could be ordered from reception, but given this is a small family run hotel, most of the time it was not staffed. There are no tea / coffee making facilities in the room however, kettles can be loaned from reception, however there was never anyone at reception when I thought of asking. I'm guessing electricity usage is a concern, as the room towel rail was on a one hour timer and a thermostat (the only one to be seen). But what tended to happen, was the room was so hot, the thermostat never turned the towel rail on and the towels were always damp. All in all it is not a bad hotel and the staff / family are lovely, however my advise to them would be to move with the times and modernise a bit. A 3 star hotel with a 3 star rating.

I stayed recently as part of a Rail Discoveries tour. I found everyone from the owners through to every member of staff as friendly and helpful. The meals were enjoyable and the rooms were clean and tidy. If I visit Switzerland again I would not hesitate to visit this family run hotel again.

A very good Hotel with service to match, all meals served by a very friendly staff, Rooms are good and spacious. Steep hill down from station to Hotel,but a bus stop 5mins away to take you up to the station for trains. Opposite the bus stop there is a very good bakery and it's cakes are yummy. There is also a Bank.

Stayed here as part of a Railtour holiday in June 2023. As others have said the walk to and from the station is steep, but there is a frequent bus service to and from the hotel. On arrival our luggage was collected for us and taken to the hotel. My room was a single so it is compact and directly above the river. The choice at night is either a warm room, or, opening the window to a very noisy river. I left the window open every day when I returned and closed it when going to bed. The food and service from the staff I cannot fault it has been first class! Every night we have been offered seconds or thirds of the main course. One evening I needed a packed lunch for the next day and it was provided with no problem. All in all highly recommended it’s a 10 from me!

Stayed in the Hotel Albula and Julier, Tiefencastel for 6 nights as the main part of a rail tour holiday. The hotel is located in the small town of Tiefencastel which is an ideal location for the tours we undertook. It also has good bus services to supplement the hourly railway service to Chur, St Moritz and beyond. As noted on other reviews, there is a fairly steep pathway from the hotel up to the railway station (about 800 metres in length) but it should not pose any problems for most people. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the hotel up to the station. The hotel rooms are spacious, clean and continuously warm with plenty of hanging space and a powerful, hot shower. The hotel does have a lift, presumably to all floors although, as we were just on the 1st floor, we didn't use it. There is a good selection of cold food at breakfast, particularly the home made museli which is superb. Also fruits, cereals, breads, cold meats, cheeses, boiled eggs, etc. Tea and coffee (decaffeinated coffee if required) is served by the waiting staff. Packed lunches are simple, a filled roll, a chocolate bar, hard boiled egg, fruit. It saves on buying out which can be expensive in Switzerland. Evening meal is a four course affair. Great selection of salad first course with tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, lettuce, beetroot, all in a tasty dressing and some of the best homemade sauerkraut I have ever had. You could fill up on this alone. Second course is soup or, on one occasion, an unusual Hawaiian cheese and pineapple pizza. Main course is pork or beef with vegetables, cooked in a variety of ways (slices, meatballs for example) plus a lovely beef goulash one evening. You also get offered seconds as your main course progresses. Finally, the desert course is ice cream based, again served different ways each evening. Complementary wine and beers are available between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The food was well above my expectations and I would genuinely question any review that was critical of it. Complements to the chef. There was no tea or coffee nor a fridge in the room but the room does have a safe. The TV is a decent size, chanel 38 onwards for BBC/ITV channels. Not every mains socket adapter works in Switzerland so you may need to hire one from reception. There is a CHf 10, €10 or £10 deposit required (reception will accept any of these currencies) which you get back in the same currency when you've finished with it. There is a communal seating area in the hotel foyer, big enough for our party to gather after dinner and socialise. There is a bar service available outside of the complementary dinner drinks times, chargeable as you order. In summary, the Albula and Julier is a very nice hotel, ideal for a rail tour based holiday and I thank the owner, manager and all of the friendly and helpful staff who made our time there so enjoyable, with a special mention for the ever smiling Denisa who tried so hard to make sure we had a great stay (which we did).