If you like luxury travel, you have to visit Geneva in Switzerland. May it be for the luxury boutiques from the best names in fashion, jewelry and – of course – watches (from Vacheron Constantin to Patek Philippe), or a gourmet experience (with the crème of the crème of chocolate boutiques), there is something for everyone. And especially, luxury accomodation : Geneva is the city with the most 5 star hotel rooms per inhabitants in the world !
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The bar of the Hotel Bristol Geneva
Recently, I got to stay at the Hotel Bristol while travelling to Geneva. Property of the Countess Albina du Boisrouvray – her father was a cousin of Prince prince Rainier III of Monaco, the hotel is ideally located in downtown Geneva right by the river Rhône. Built in the middle of the 19th century, the hotel did first strike me for its authentic, yet, I have to say, a little dated, lobby. |
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| The lobby |
However, the genuinely friendly and very professional staff quickly helped me proceed to check-in upon my arrival, and I was soon able to enjoy what I had been expecting: an awesome, amazingly spacious and modern room that I would barely leave the whole week-end…
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| A healthy welcome gift 🙂 |
I stayed in a « luxury room ». Elegant and refined, it was also very spacious (36 square meters), and boasted a lounge area, which to me could perfectly have brought the category to junior suite… I could only imagine how big (and even more comfortable) those might have been!
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| The lounge area! |
My room was a prefect mix between classic and modern. The bright and light colours together with the equipments made it fit for the modern traveller that I am, while the classic and chic furniture brought that sophisticated and somewhat posh touch that I could not live without.
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| The lounge area, and THE bed |
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| A very refined decor |
During daytime in my room at the Hotel Bristol, there was one thing I could not decide about: wether I should relax in the cosy, comfortable british style sofa, or just stay in bed. Indeed, I have to say for the regular Euro traveller, this was not a regular bed. Not only was it extremely huge, but also gorgeously soft. It was equipped with a mattress topper, and the most comfortable set of pillows – 9 of them, just for me!
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| A close-up on my 9 pillows |
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| The gorgeous white marble bathroom |
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| Everything you need to look and feel great |
A reason I had, though, to leave the room was… Breakfast. If the room service probably would have been a great choice to have an excuse to stay longer in bed in the morning, there were 2 aspects of having it in the restaurant that I had to try: a harpist playing every morning and champagne, as mentioned on the hotel website. And for each, I was far from disappointed: I cannot even describe how pleasant and refined it is to start the day with the soft music of a harp, especially when combined to as-much-as-you-want champagne breakfast!
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| The harp, in the breakfast area |
Of course, the Hotel Bristol delivers a ‘4 star superior’ service. Its restaurant, the Relais Bristol, has been recommended by some of the major guides (the Gault Millau Switzerland, the Michelin Guide). You can also get your daily health kick in the fully equipped gym, which comes complete with 2 jacuzzis, a steam room, 2 saunas, and even a relaxation area with light therapy.
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| The jacuzzi |
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| One of the saunas |
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| The light therapy room |
For those who wish to unwind after a long business day or a leisure trip around Geneva, the Hotel Bristol is definitely worth checking in and checking out. To me, its main assets are the beds, which are to die for. It’s a 5 star service, without the 5 star price!