The Place
Usually, we are suspicious of hotels that drape themselves in flags but the Appenzell’s decorations are all part of the extraordinary main square of a town famous for its multi-coloured houses. The checkerboard facade of butter-yellow and purple, the silhouettes of medieval towns- folk and those long banners are part and parcel of the Appenzell effect.
It would be easy to cash in on the regular show of camera-carrying tourists by running a hotel that is merely adequate, but Margrit and Leo Sutter have worked hard to make this a special place. On the ground floor is Leo’s popular Konditorei, full of home-made temptations such as Biberli and Züngli (local cookies), cakes, ice-cream and jellied fruit confections. In summer, visitors sit outside beneath striped sunshades, lunching on salads, trout, pork chops and vegetarian risottos, perhaps with a glass of freshly-pressed strawberry and pear juice. In the evening, the restaurant inside has more sophisticated fare and, of course, Leo’s desserts. Bedrooms are imaginatively decorated using soft blues, pinks and greens, and the small bathrooms were updated some twenty years ago.