By Yusuf Chachia on Sep 26, 2019 in Accommodation, Attractions, Cruises & Boat, Travel, Europe, Family Travel, Featured, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Leisure Travel, Regions, Restaurants, Speciality Travel, Switzerland, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

 

With its rich and diverse tourism offering, its privileged position within the heart of Europe and its incredible location on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, the Olympic capital of Lausanne is not just a famous sporting city but also a cultural one that springs to life during the Summer months.

The Summer is also a great time to visit for cultural events such as Festival de La Cité and the Winegrowers Festival (Fête des Vignerons) and, with the city being so accessible (just 40 minutes from Geneva International Airport, and two and a half hours from Zurich Airport) and easy to get around once you’re there, there are so many exciting things to enjoy, along with numerous architectural highlights and plenty of green spaces. Here we share a handful of our own experiences from our recent family stay in the welcoming capital of Vaud.

Take a tour of the city

A great way to get to know any city is through a local guide, and Lausanne is no exception. We took a private walking tour with a local guide, allowing us to discover the magic of Lausanne, its evolution around the Cité hill sculpted by the Flon and Louvre rivers, to explore both the ancient and modern architecture of the city centre, and learn all about the different districts.

We learnt how Lausanne had been an important commercial passage between France and Italy since Mediaeval times and visited Lausanne Cathedral, consecrated in 1275 and today one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in the whole of Switzerland.

The interior is equally impressive with its stunning rose window, great organs, painted portal, 13th Century choir stalls and ancient and modern stained glass windows. This is also a place where, if you happen to be following the Camino de Santiago within Switzerland, you can get your pilgrim passport stamped.

It is from the cathedral that each night, between the hours of 10pm and 2am, that a night watch (le guet de la cathédrale) calls out from the top of the belfry; you can learn more about this 600-year-old tradition in the video below.

Our tour also took us to Lausanne Castle which has been completely renewed and, once the bishop’s residence, now serves as the seat of the state of Vaud. Outside it stands the statue of Abraham Davel, resposible for liberating Vaud from the power of Berne, but later betrayed by military colleagues and beheaded. However, it was because of his efforts that Lausanne became independent.

On completion of its construction in 2012, The Alpina Gstaad was the first five-star hotel to be opened in Gstaad for over a century. Set in five acres in the Bernese Oberland, the hotel blends traditional Swiss architecture with contemporary flair – both inside and out.

This 56-room luxury hotel is co-owned by Jean Claude Mimran and Marcel Bach – look carefully and, within the hotel’s regularly rotating art gallery, you’ll find artwork to signify the owners’ respective Senegalese and Swiss roots. The interiors combine Ringgenberg limestone, antique fir wood and tanned leather to give a modern, minimalist, yet cosy feel in a chic Alpine setting.

The welcome

We arrived by train from Lausanne, changing at Montreux, and had communicated our arrival time in advance with the hotel. A driver was there to meet us the moment we arrived and drove us up the hill to The Alpina. The hotel is reached along a dramatic tunnelled approach that leads to a two-tiered vehicular access point at the hotel’s main entrance. We were welcomed in and our bags were taken care of.

Once inside, a staircase leading to the lounge, bar and restaurants lies ahead, flanked by large, beautiful fresh flower arrangements, with reception to the left and the concierge desk to the right. Here we were warmly welcomed by a number of staff, including a personal welcome from Tim Weiland, The Alpina’s General Manager with a wealth of experience, having worked for more than 20 years at luxury hotels all over the world.

The room

We stayed in rooms 208 and 209 – interconnecting De Luxe rooms (one double and one twin) with views out towards the sun-drenched slopes of Schönried. At 33 square metres in size, they offer ample room and have a private terrace on which you can sit out and admire the view.

The rolling green hills – with chalets dotted about here and there – are a beautiful sight in the Summer months. In the Winter, they are of course snow-covered and this area in particular is a popular skiing area for Swiss former alpine skier Michael von Grünigen who was born in Schönried.

The bathroom

The bathroom is spacious and feels bigger still thanks to the neutral, light beige tones. A bath lies at one end of the bathroom, and at the other a separate large walk-in shower with dual shower heads.

Fluffy robes and slippers are provided, along with a supply of Acqua di Parma toiletries.

The facilities

With four restaurants, the hotel is extremely well-catered for when it comes to dining. There’s the Alpina Lounge & Bar, the Michelin-starred Sommet restaurant, the Japanese MEGU restaurant which also has a Michelin star, and Swiss Stübli which specialises in Swiss cuisine.

Sommet is also where breakfast is served each morning. As well as the usual buffet options you might expect, there’s a juice bar manned by a member of staff from the spa and a variety of cooked options that you can order. Among them are some Asian specialties including Martin Göschel’s breakfast recommendation to set you up for the day ahead: an Asian-inspired soup with vegetables and noodles, inspired by Martin Göschel’s breakfast stops when cycling across the continent.

The Alpina Lounge & Bar is a relaxed dining atmosphere where the signature dish is The Alpina beef burger but also excellent is the crustacean bouillabase with different types of fish and seafood, a rouille sauce and homemade mini baguette.

Dinner at Sommet Restaurant is a real treat. We began proceedings with a poached quail egg accompanied by a wonderfully light and subtle celery mousse.