Luxury Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne – Review

The luxury Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel is only a 1-hour flight away from London Gatwick airport, which makes it a suitable destination for a lavish weekend getaway. After arriving at Geneva airport, we took a short train ride to Lausanne and a brief taxi ride to this grand hotel.

Upon arrival, we found the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel situated opposite Lake Geneva with stunning views of the French Alps in the distance, creating a wonderfully romantic setting – the position was absolutely breathtaking!

Steeped in history, this hotel has been wonderfully maintained to an extremely high standard, and there is a wonderful mix of new and old character features. The interior was extremely elegant and majestic, with sumptuous furnishings and attentive staff that were completely dedicated to making each guest feel relaxed and well attended to. The staff were incredibly efficient and welcoming and we could not fault the attention given to us by everyone we came into contact with during our stay.

Our room was magnificent, with a stunning view of Lake Geneva or `Lake Lemon` as local people refer it to. After unpacking we went for a lazy stroll in the late summer sunshine, which was a fantastic contrast to the weather we had left behind in London. Even though we had arrived at the very end of the summer season we were still able to enjoy a warmer climate – perfect for exploring the nearby neighbourhood and sight seeing. The sunshine shone and we wandered through the vast gardens of the hotel, which were immaculate kept. There was an area for children to play in, which was in keeping with the surroundings and the hotel itself seemed to have a good reputation for welcoming families with children – even dogs are allowed! Larger groups and bigger families with dogs can opt to stay in suites on the top floor should they wish.

The hotel also has a fabulous spa, The Cinq Mondes totaling 150 sq metres (15,000 sq ft), with all the facilities you would expect within such a fine hotel. Expect various forms of massage and beauty treatments, steam rooms, a separate Jacuzzi, deep-water pools located inside and outside and a fantastic fitness centre for those that like to keep fit. One of us opted for a full body massage, which was expertly carried out by Sophie. This treatment was the perfect way to unwind, helping us completely relax into the way of life within the hotel.

We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed ambiance throughout the hotel. We felt it was quite an extraordinary contrast of combining complete elegance and opulence, with a casual relaxed approach – a seemingly winning formula. We loved the location of this hotel too. We were able to walk out into the street and across the road to the harbour, there were an array of cafes, plenty of restaurants and a stunning replica of an old children`s carousel adorned with Victorian style painted horses, carriages and other animals. This area is perfectly suited to families with small children and adults alike who we saw roller-skating, cycling and running in a safe pedestrian area in front of the harbour. There were regular boats sailing across the lake to France and along the Swiss coast, including some fine old paddle steamers that operate in the summer months, which even offer fine dining aboard.

Our first culinary experience at the hotel was a delicious breakfast, which was delivered to our room, the trolley was placed in the window and it was an excellent start to the day ahead.

Our evening meal we chose to have in the Café Beau Rivage – a popular restaurant filled with couples and families all enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and appetizing food. The following evening we ate in the hotel`s Miyako Japanese restaurant, a short walk through the new atmospheric and spectacular cocktail bar – again the food was first class.

Unfortunately due to lack of time we were unable to sample the delights of the hotel`s unrivalled Michelin star restaurant, whose head chef was Anne-Sophie Pic. She was recently awarded Best Female Chef in the World 2011. We were however served breakfast in this restaurant on our day of departure and we could just imagine the ambience in this beautiful room at night.

Overall, this is a magnificent hotel within a stunning setting, which we cannot recommend highly enough. If you are looking to spoil and pamper yourselves for the weekend or for a longer period, you will not be disappointed! We will certainly return one day even just to set our eyes on that stunning view again.