Swissotel Le Plaza

A great pre-Christmas break. I was looking forward to visiting the beautiful city of Basel, located on the Rhine, to enjoy the Christmas markets and really get in the mood for the festive season.
Our flight over was on time and quite enjoyable, we travelled with EasyJet, then we took the bus and tram service to the hotel. We were very pleased with the hotel - located within walking distance of all the amenities of the city and with good facilities including nightclub, restaurant, swimming pool, sauna and steam room etc. The rooms were not huge but well appointed with a good quality modern bathroom, and maid service daily.
The staff made us very welcome, and even recommended where we should head out on a day trip - I was hoping for some snow fall but there was only a very fine dusting overnight so we were recommended to take the train to Titisee in Germany's Black Forest - this was superb.
The small town of Titisee was like a winter-wonderland with around 6" of powdery white snow that sparkled like diamond dust in the warm sunshine. This lovely town sits beside a large lake - spectacular - especially when viewed from the windows of the excellent hotel where we enjoyed a sumptuous lunch of wildboar and a few too many glasses of the regional red wine.
In Basel intself we found dining and pretty much everything to be rather expensive - but we were prepared for this, it is Switzerland after all. We enjoyed a fabulous meal at the Schuhmachernzunft restaurant in the picturesque Old Town - we highly recommend this establishment to couples for a romantic meal.
So for some tips for any of you thinking of visiting Basel - by far the easiest way of getting around is via the public transport system. From the airport take Bus No.50 which runs every 10 mins (digital timetables at each stop tell you exactly how many minutes away the next bus/tram is!) and then Tram 2 which takes you to Messeplatz stop right beside the hotel. Ensure you have some change for the Tram tickets - you can ask for this when purchasing your bus ticket at the airport - do this before getting your luggage to avoid a queue). The Tram ticket machines do not take 5CHF coins so make sure you have smaller change.
When you arrive at the hotel you will be given a Basel mobility card which provides you with free bus and tram fares for the remainder of your stay - ensure you have this with you at all times as occasionally a ticket inspector will jump on to check passengers tickets (not that we saw one).
I would highly recommend anyone to visit during December - the bridges over the Rhine are lit up beautifully and the old town is especially lovely with all the lights, and the excellent Christmas market where a range of handcrafted gifts are available. Wrap up warm - it was minus 7 when I was there, gloves and scarf's are a must.
Have a good time - we will certainly be back.