swiss/german/austrian lakes - kinderhotels or other?

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Has anyone been on a summer holiday to lakes/mountains where you can swim in the lake and use the ski lift to go up the mountain? Anywhere that you'd recommend that's good for kids, maybe has some childcare/clubs - speaks english. Have looked at kinderhotels - fine for us but not great for the kids not to have english speaking kids around them (wont want to join in etc). Sounds really xenophobic - dont mean it like that. Tell me where you've been? Have your kids minded - I just think the holidays mainly about them. They would choose Thomson the Dog everytime but we're a little fed up with it!!

You will find all nationalities at Kinderhotels and the staff will speak English, however if you don't fancy that why not try Esprit www.ski-esprit.co.uk/Sun/home/index.htm

Oh thanks verylapsedrunner that looks a good option. Have sent off for yet another brochure!! I would like to go to Switzerland as I have some friends out there.

There's another chain of child friendly hotels in Austria/Germany/Italy called Familotel (www.familotel.de) The website is in English as well as German. We stayed in one of these hotels for a week after spending a week in a Kinderhotel and thought that the Familotel was far better.

Look at myswitzerland.com. Swiss Kids hotels, a similar organisation of family orientated hotels to the Austrian Kinderhotels but in Switzerland, some of which we and friends have visited. Language of childcarers will still be predominantly German, French or Italian but they do attract Dutch and Brits too so English often heard. tbh our dc haven't really minded and at one , Alphuebel in Saas Fee , the childcare is run by a Brit anyway.

Esprit do summer holidays at 4 mountain resorts. We're trying Austria with them this year. British staff run the Chalets and the Esprit kids clubs.

We did Kinderhotels last summer.

TBH it was more of an issue that the children's club staff didn't speak English than the actual children - many years of hols in odd places with no other English DC around have shown me that play is play, no common language required.

It was a pain that you have to sign up for all the DC/Adult activities and the sheets had no English translation on, I had to keep taking them to the reception desk and saying "is this yoga/nordic walking/ children's massage etc"

My DH's father's first launguage was German but his ability is limited .

There were some other English speaking families there, but actually we didn't speak to anyone them more than a 'good morning' the whole time!

The lifts were not on as out of season and it was a heck of a trek!

We went to the Post Hotel, a Kinder hotel in Unken, Austria and the kids just loved it, and so did we. They were 3 when we went last summer and right from when we arrived, where they have a set of steps so the kids were on the same level as the girl at the front desk, to the slide down to the basement 5 paces away it was heaven. Most of the team there spoke english so no probs with the language, facilities were first class and unlike most 'child friendly' hotels this place puts the kids at the heart of the whole operation. Food was excellent, and loads of healthy options and with a wide range of organic produce, it would put many London restaurants to shame The nursery/kids club gave the two of us the chance to actually relax away from the kids as much or as little as we/they wanted. 10 months later and they are still asking to go back. Couldn't rate highly enough and we'll be trying out another kinderhotelthis year (any recommendations welcomed) and probably do a skiing hol in the winter too, it was that good

We've been to several Kinderhotels both for skiing in the winter and in the summer and both our dcs (now 4 and 5) and dh and I had a fabulous time - great childcare and facilities, lovely spa & pool area, excellent food and lots of other family friendly things (e.g free buggies, bikes, guided walks etc).

Our favourite hotels have been Hotel Hagleitner (in Zell am See) and Hotel Alpenrose (in Lermoos).