Am Pavillon B&B

Hotel review

This 19th-century townhouse, in a handsome terrace, is a remarkable find in a notoriously expensive city; it’s both stylish and excellent value. Owner Stefan has a fine eye for design. The whole house is sleek grey-on-grey and furnished with a cool, spare touch that mixes modern minimalist furniture with vintage and designer pieces - perhaps a Corbusier or Ercol chair - and adds a splash of colour in a cushion, throw or artwork. Each of the nine bedrooms (three on each floor) is light and airy with parquet flooring, designer lighting and huge sash windows; some have stone balconies. To preserve the original features of plasterwork cornices and deep door architraves, each floor has a shared bathroom; bathrobes and lush toiletries provided. Breakfast is a communal affair - cheeses, meats, home-made smoothies and Stefan’s fabulous home-baked muffins - around a highly polished table and beneath a spectacular modern chandelier. Eat outside on the terrace on sunnier days, although the views are grittily urban towards the railway station. There’s also a sitting-room with an excellent range of teas plus a smart coffee-making machine. On the edge of the Länggasse district, a former working-class area that now houses the university and is becoming cool and trendy, the house is a 15-minute stroll to the Old Town. Or you can borrow one of the free bicycles. Staying here, you will feel like one of the locals.

Helen Pickles Review published: 2024-02-26