After a pleasant summer staying in 4 different accommodations in the Sud Tyrol of Italy, off we went to enjoy other parts of Italy that we hadn't ever visited during the two years (1996 to 1998) that we lived in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
When we started our road trip from the Italian Dolomiti back to France in September, we had already put 2600 km on our Kia Sportage since it was delivered to us in Lyon in June. Dimitri did most of the driving, and he was very happy with our new car.
In September, on our road trip back to France, we spent a week here and a week there. Our first stop was Lake Como, followed by Genova, Sanremo, Aix-en-Provence, The Camargue, and Aix-Les-Bains, then up to Geneva for two months.
We booked 5-star hotels along the way and mostly we were paying a fortune and not happy.
Lake Como
Audre was driving when we started the coast road by Lake Como. It was really narrow, windy, and there was lots of traffic. It was beautiful, but taking her eyes off the road was not possible. Then about 6 fancy-schmancy cars that looked like Lotus cars approached from the other direction, and Audre said to Dimitri: "I can't drive this road; I am going to scrape one of those expensive cars, and we will go bankrupt". Dimitri, with his nerves of steel, started driving and got us safely to Lezzeno, where our hotel was. Dimitri drove the Lake Como roads a couple of more times and then said "BASTA" (Italian for "stop, no more, that's enough") and, from then on, we took the bus, the ferry and taxis (at 80€ a pop) instead.
We had a very good tourist stay at Lake Como in spite (or, maybe, because) of the location of our hotel. On our first day, we used the Lezzeno village map to walk a designated path along the lake and into the neighborhoods above the main road. It was fun, beautiful, authentic, and we got exercise. We even talked to local people along the way.
Another day, we took a bus from our hotel to Bellagio. The bus was packed, but as soon as we got on, a couple gave us their seats--wonderful to be old (sometimes). We walked to the Giardini di Villa Melzi Bellagio. It was lovely.
Then we went to the Grand Hotel Villa Sembelloni and had a lovely lunch on the terrace. Afterwards, we took the fast ferry from Bellagio to Como for dinner. Another day, we took the slow ferry from Lezzeno to Como. It was really wonderful. We could actually see the villas and gardens along the way, and it was a most enjoyable way to tour Lake Como.
Our meals were mostly excellent. We went to Michelin-recommended restaurants, and they were elegant and delicious. Mistral at the Grand Hotel Villa Sembelloni was very Belle Époque, and the service was especially so. Another dinner was at Sottovoce in the Vista Palazzo Hotel, and it was also delicious. Even a down-market 2-star hotel's restaurant called Vapore was very, very good. Only one highly touted restaurant, called Feel Como was a disappointment--very uninteresting.
The weather was good during our stay--clear blue skies with warm days and cool nights (good for sleeping). After 5 nights on Lake Como, off we went to Genova. Along the way, we stopped in Milan to host Gino and Marise Malfanti for lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Ba. Gino was a friend of Dimitri's when he was growing up in Egypt, and Dimitri had not seen him for 60-something years until Gino hosted us for a lovely day in Milan in July.
We stayed at Filario Hotel & Residences, Strada Provinciale Lariana 583, 89 Lake Como 22025 Lezzeno Bagnana. We had a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment for 995.20€ per day with breakfast (parking was an extra 20€ per day).
We didn’t like this hotel. The location was too isolated, and there were only a few restaurants in the area (the town of Bellagio would have been a better choice). The hotel buildings that comprised the apartments and the hotel itself were “cobbled” together into a “Furshlugginer" mess. In addition, the way that the connections from one building to another were designed was nuts. For example, to get to the main hotel building from our apartment building, we had to walk by the pool (if it was open, otherwise on the beach). After unlocking the gate (no one told us how to do that when we checked in), you needed to step around a foot bath pool that was ridiculously large. At the other end of the pool, the gate and lock were a different system, and the foot bath pool was placed in a way that made getting around it and unlocking the gate almost impossible (for little people like us with short arms) without falling into the foot bath pool. The other ways to walk to the main building from our apartment were to walk up the driveway (quite an ascent) or to walk along the beach area and up many stairs.
In the hallways, you needed to learn where the light switches were because the lights did not go on automatically. Our building was called the Bellagio Lake Resort. Our apartment was on the third floor.
Our two-bedroom, two-bath apartment at 75 square meters was cramped. There was a hall
when we walked in, and the two bathrooms were off of it. They
were both small. One had a shower, the other did not. One had a useful counter
around the sink and a clothes washer in it. In the other one, there was a standalone
sink with no place to put stuff at all. There were shelves and cabinets on the
other wall—very inconvenient and unpleasant to use.
The bedrooms were tiny, and the master only had room for a standard double bed. That bed had a mattress of the type that shook when the other person moved. When we opened the closet in the master, we could not walk past the bed. The other bedroom had room for two twin beds lengthwise.
The windows only opened into the room, not from the top. Keeping them open was difficult. To keep out the light, shutters needed to be closed. The light switches were installed in crazy places and in crazy ways, so it was difficult to figure out what was where. In any event, there was not enough lighting in the apartment. We asked for an extra lamp, but it wasn’t enough. We wanted to sit at the dining table to use our two laptops when we arrived, but there was only one electrical outlet near the table, and it was used for the only (and very necessary) standing lamp in the room. When we arrived on Saturday, we asked for an electrical multiplier. The hotel did not have one, and we waited until Monday for one to be brought so that we could plug in our laptops to use them. In the kitchen, there were two appliances on the counter (coffee maker and water boiler), but no place to plug both in at the same time. The kitchen did not have a microwave—only a stovetop and oven.
The
furniture was uncomfortable, and there was no coffee table in front of the sofa.
The TV screen was minuscule, and it was poorly placed for viewing. The balcony was
in the middle of the building, so we didn’t have any opening on the side; it was
dark, and the furniture was poorly placed and uncomfortable.
For our first dinner, we went to Filo at the hotel. It was the worst meal of our Lake Como stay. However, the service at dinner and also at breakfast was very nice--caring and attentive, especially by Silva.
The staff at the hotel (especially Elena from the housekeeping staff) was very nice, welcoming, and generally well-trained. If it weren’t for them, we really, really would have disliked the place. The hotel was expensive (as was all of Lake Como), and it really did not provide value for the money.
Genova
Genova is not a touristic town, it's a city that works. We took the hop-on/hop-off bus twice to see the various sites of Genova. One was a tour of he shoreline/harbor and one was an old city tour. Genova is not a pretty city, although there are gorgeous old buildings (in pretty good shape) everywhere. We walked the shopping street and we were unimpressed.
Our dinners were mostly good, including Il Gozza at the hotel. Le Cicale In Città was probably the best. Santa Monica had the most creative and interesting food, but the location next to a raucous disco made it unpleasant to sit outside. Ippogriffo had the worst food and the worst service.
Our first three days were hot and sunny. The day we planned to go biking in a nearby town, it rained in the morning so we scratched our plans. In the afternoon it was sunny. Oh well.
We decided to stay in the historical port area at the NHCollection Genova Marina (Molo Ponte Calvi, 5,16124 Genova). It was built in 2000, and its last renovation was in 2004. (Genova is the Italian spelling). The hotel was in desperate need of a complete renovation. We booked a “suite with a view” (789€ per night ). Neither the architect, Renzo Piano, nor the designer should have been paid for this work.
The way it was designed was uncomfortable. We don’t like upstairs/downstairs and the pitch of the stairs made them difficult to navigate. The designer made sure that it was neither luxurious nor even utilitarian. There were no shelves or drawers for clothes, and only one bar on which to hang clothes upstairs. The bedside tables had “false” drawers, and so there was no place to store stuff. It was not as though the upstairs had a view either. It looked onto a dirty roof, and the docks were hard to see.
The lighting was awful in the rooms. Letizia, from guest relations, took very good care of us. She brought us tables to put our clothes on and to use as a desk for Audre’s laptop. She brought us lamps to help with the lighting. She left us many little gifts and sent us a great fruit plate when we arrived. Days later, she had a bowl of fruit sent to us. She was great!
The downstairs had a desk, a sofa, a second toilet, and a minibar area. Dimitri used it for his area, and that worked.
The hot water took a very long time to get lukewarm upstairs, and every day we needed to re-sign in to the Internet. What a pain. The mattress on the too-small double bed was the kind that shook when the other person moved. What a pain. The air conditioning worked well enough upstairs in the bedroom.
The breakfasts were okay—not terrible, not good. From the breakfast restaurant, we could see the yachts and sailing boats moored and their owners coming to take them out on the weekend. We could watch the ginormous cruise ships and ferries come in and out of the harbor. That was fun. The location of the hotel at the marina was not good for us. The only thing in that area was the aquarium and a museum. There were no restaurants nearby. In short, the antico porto is really not a touristic area with hotels, shops, and restaurants. It was not a good area to stay in as a tourist.
Sanremo
For the first time on our September and October road trip, we had no major complaints about this hotel. It delivered on every front—the suite itself (except the shower stalls), the location near everything, the stunning view, the staff, the pool, the breakfast, and the amenities, except for the Jacuzzi. The Jacuzzi was too cold for us to use. But that is nothing new in Europe.
Our “exclusive suite penthouse floor sea view” worked very well for us at the Royal Hotel Sanremo (825.33€ per night with breakfast; parking was extra). It was a genuine Belle Époque (residenza d'epoca) hotel (and owned by the same family that built it in 1872--when the palm trees were first planted along the promenade). It was very grand and lavish, and the expansive view of the Mediterranean Sea was Magnificent. Carole, at reception, made sure that our suite was personalized, as we requested. She also had beautiful flowers and a welcoming plate of fruit and tiny focaccia tidbits delivered. The walls had classical etchings in gilded frames. The furniture was generally comfortable, and the parquet floors were nice. It was a classic.
The suite had a large bedroom with a king-sized bed and a beautiful inlaid wood desk for Audre. There were two complete bathrooms (with minuscule shower stalls), a salon with a desk for Dimitri, as well as a sofa, coffee table, and mini bar with a big Nespresso machine. There was a magnificent wraparound balcony with two chaise lounges and tables, and chairs facing the really, really magnificent view of the Mediterranean (better than the view from poolside).
The breakfast buffet was complete, and we could order porridge too. The Murano glass flower garden at the ceiling of the breakfast room was amazing, as were the Murano glass chandeliers in that room. We were offered a welcome (nonalcoholic) drink, and they came with small tidbits that were good (including a small square of pâté that we thought was very good). We ate our first dinner at the hotel, and we didn’t like it. It was outside and cold by the end of the meal. We will give the hotel the benefit of the doubt and report that we ordered poorly (but we didn’t give it another chance since the weather got colder).
The location of the hotel was above the Empress Promenade, near the Russian Orthodox Church, the Casino, and the shopping-walk street. We could walk to all of our restaurants (and take a taxi back up the hill to our hotel).
The bike rental shop was on the walkway below our hotel by the beach. We rented e-bikes (with very uncomfortable seats) and biked the Riviera dei Fiori Coastal Park Cycle Path, 36km from Sanremo to San Lorenzo al Mare. The path used to be the train tracks, and it was reconstituted beautifully. The views of the rocky coast and the beautiful Mediterranean were wonderful; it was shaded by the ubiquitous umbrella pines, and the path was not crowded. It was idyllic and magical to be above the famed Mediterranean coast doing one of the things we love the most. In San Lorenzo al Mare, we found a perfect place for lunch at Il Veliero (Via Al Mare 32 Passeggiata mare) on the bike path. We had the daily special of mussels in a delicious sauce, and we were very happy. It was a warm day too, and the breeze in our faces returning was stiff.
Another day, we walked the passaggiata by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Casino in Sanremo (nothing special). We went shopping for stuff that Dimitri needed. He found the perfect baby blue cashmere sweater to go with his baby blue eyes at a small shop where the proprietor was a charming 91-year-old. Dimitri also found a wonderful Vietnamese woman to do his pedicure. And, he found the silk underwear that he had been looking for.
We went
to Ventimiglia on a Friday for the weekly market (junky) and lunch by the
beach. We decided we liked Sanremo better. Another day, we just laid by the pool
at our hotel. The hotel’s gardens and pool area are extensive and descend all
the way down to the road by the Empress Promenade (by stone stairs that desperately need to be replaced).
On our last Sunday, we walked the Empress Promenade by the Porto Vecchio to the gardens of the Villa Ormond (the Villa Nobel was closed on Sundays). On the return, we had a delicious fish soup at one of the restaurants at the old port. Then we had delicious gelati (mango and caffe)--our last before leaving Italy for France.
We liked Sanremo and all that we did there. Our dinners were generally good, although we were getting bored with the same Ligurian coast menus. We also liked that there were many, many couples our age-ish there. They had probably been vacationing in Sanremo for their whole adult lives.
Aix-en-Provence and Cezanne 2025
We decided to come to Aix for Cezanne 2025 to celebrate the opening of the exhibit "Cezanne au Jas de Bouffan" with works of his borrowed from places all over the world. We had a guided tour of the exhibition in English at the Musée Granet with Claire and a small group (50€ for both of us). We had booked the tour months in advance, and it was excellent.
We enjoyed the outdoor markets in Aix and bought flowers at the flower market at Place Richelme. We had a Croque Messieur for lunch al fresco near Place Richelme one day and walked the city a lot. Another day, we went outside of the city, rented e-bikes, and cycled on the Route Cezanne to a spectacular view of the iconic Sainte-Victoire. We had lunch at a lovely Maison Sainte-Victoire. We enjoyed Aix.
We did not enjoy where we stayed at Hôtel Villa Saint Ange (7 Traverse Saint Pierre 13100 Aix-en-Provence, 33442951010). Even though it had a lovely park setting and a very good Michelin-recommended restaurant, there was not much good we could say about this hotel. Our very expensive junior suite (903.71€ per day) was the opposite of value for the money. It was really just a bedroom and a bathroom with a small extension space only big enough for a desk, a table for one of our laptops, and a bench (our room at the Four Seasons Milano was smaller at 39.5 square meters, but much, much more functional, and we could even do our yoga there). When the Garellas created the hotel from the remains of the bastide, they should have made larger rooms that would be more luxurious.
The 41 square meters was poorly laid out and not designed for comfort (there was not enough floor space for us to do our yoga). The closets had shelves, but should have the arrangement whereby a suitcase could be laid inside on top of two drawers, like other 5-star hotels. As it was, suitcases had to be on the floor or luggage racks in the room, and that looked awful. We moved the bench from the end of the bed to our small extension room and put suitcases on it, out of the way. Still, the bedroom was too small.
We rearranged the furniture so that the two (sort of comfortable) chairs and table were across from the TV, and that’s where we had our after-dinner coffee. There were two bedside tables that were useful. The room was decorated to look luxurious and had all kinds of Second Empire etchings in gilded frames, wallpaper with 19th-century scenes (made to look old), and shelves with lots of books and bric-a-bracs, but these are not things we care about—we care about functionality.
There was no coffee machine in the room. We asked for one, and a Nespresso machine and coffee pods were brought. The hot water took forever in the (too small) bathroom sinks (we each had one, thankfully), and when it did, while it was hot, it didn’t stay hot when mixed to the desired temperature. The general manager called a plumber who did a good job improving the situation. The worker who installed the toilet positioned it poorly. Because of the curved wall next to the toilet, we could not sit straight. There was no exhaust fan in the bathroom and even with the door open, it got totally fogged when we showered. On some days, the towels were scratchy like they were not dried in a machine. The gym was not worth mentioning, so I won't. Shall I continue?
Okay, I will. This room had a TV “built into a mirror” and it was impossible to connect our cable to it to watch our videos. There was some room personalization done as a result of our requests, but getting the daily delivery of the correct towels was a continuing problem (and required handwritten notes). Audre likes fresh flowers, and the hotel only had silk ones around. That annoyed her. In fairness, however, there were fresh orchids on the dining room tables.
The breakfast buffet was good, although the staff often seemed overwhelmed, and service was slow. The same male staff that served us at dinner also served at breakfast (and rushed around with their clicking shoes). The two female servers (one at dinner and the one at breakfast) were personable and attentive. We were able to have eggs made to order and porridge, which made us happy. We got special permission to sit in the main dining room, not the breakfast room. The breakfast room was too small and the tables were too small and uncomfortable. The main dining room was cold, however. This hotel is the only one we've stayed at in 6 months that did not have freshly squeezed orange juice. It just seems miserly.
The garden and pool area were lovely but annoying. There was a Jacuzzi, but the temperature would/could not be raised sufficiently to be appealing to us. On the one day that we had scheduled to sit by the pool, it was a very, very windy day.
A final observation on this hotel: it was not a warm and hospitable place, with gracious hospitality. Although it was a small hotel, we had to seek out the general manager in order to talk to her. When we did, she took a meeting with us in the front reception area, and with no hospitable offer of a beverage. With the exception of the voituriers, who were warm and welcoming, most of the staff were distant. Actually, Quentin and the other voiturier were very helpful, particularly with restaurant recommendations and reservations. The rest of the staff were correct and helpful when asked, but they were not warm, friendly, or welcoming. The staff did not wear name tags, so we didn't get to know names unless they sent us an email. There were no flowers in our suite, and at the nightly turn-down service, no chocolate (or anything else) was left. It just struck us as a stingy place, trying to save money.
We generally walked to and from dinners, which were mostly good (except for The Source at the Château de la Gaude, which was awful). The absolute best was our shellfish dinner at Toinou. We had Dimitri's beloved sea urchins, the first of the season. They were small but very tasty.
Old Aix had tiny, narrow streets that are atmospheric. We took Train Touristique on the Cezanne route, and Jardin de Peintres was well worth seeing. We hiked around the Barrage du Bimont and again had great views of Sainte-Victoire.
The weather was mostly sunny and warm during the day, and very chilly at night and in the morning. The heating was not on, and we needed space heaters--it was that chilly.
So now that we have learned a lot about Cezanne and have gotten to know the town that is making a fortune off of him, what do we think of Cezanne's art? While he is credited with being the father of modern art, neither of us like his work much and are grateful for the descendants who learned from him! Aix is okay.
The Camargue, Le Sambuc
We had a nice time in the Camargue. We decided to go after reading an article about the area in the by Alexis Steinman New York Times in August. It was an easy drive from Aix. When we arrived there was a Mistral and thus no mosquitos. The weather was warm (sometimes hot) during the day but quite chilly at night.
We thought that the Camargue was well-described: It was very remote, sparsely populated, area of salt flats with lots of birds, bulls, cowboys (called gardians), and white horses.
Le Mas de Peint (Le Sambuc, 13200 Arles, 4.90.97.20.62) built in 1602 by M Peint, exceeded our expectations. It was a farm with lots of land surrounding it. We had booked the Junior Suite Elegance-Atelier (539.29€ per day with breakfast). In 1602 our room was an atelier for the “mas” or farmhouse. Our room was well-laid out and had a separate kitchen (with a microwave, stove top and oven!) The living room/bedroom had enough space for a desk and a round table so we both had space to sit at our laptops. At one end there was a fireplace (which we actually used one morning) and a (too low and too uncomfortable) sofa and coffee table. It was not so much as decorated as put together in a homey, farmhouse way. The lighting was awful--the room was dark even during the day.
We had an outside sitting area and the “mas” had a large living room, dining room and kitchen that we could use just next door to our room. Also, just next door to our room, was a large enclosed sunroom where we could also sit. Our toilet was in a separate room that made the bathroom much more functional for us. There was just enough storage space for our one-week stay. Elise, Vincent, Johan and the rest of the staff were personable, professional, helpful and friendly.
The staff personalized our room following our requests, including leaving us fruit and flowers. The main thing we found annoying was the breakfast. Because they were using local produce, we had apple juice (not freshly squeezed), mealy apples, mealy pears, and plums for fruit in the mornings (and they weren’t great either). We bought orange juice and melon at the Épicerie La Reg Aline Salin de Giraud and Audre could use the kitchen to make porridge for us. Even so, we were charged 30€ on days we had our own porridge and 50€ on days we had eggs. That was insulting. We were also charged extra for coffee pods (even though we left many). Very chintzy.
The mas had very thick walls (making Internet or the wifi work was a challenge—which was already a challenge in the Camargue) and was atmospheric with beamed and wooden ceilings. The furnishings and decorations were pleasant, like a farmhouse should have.
One day we rented bikes in Sainte Maries de la Mer and
biked toward the La Gacholle lighthouse along the digue a mer. Another day
we drove to the to the remote Plage de Piémanson, a beach along the
Mediterranean at the end of the Grand Rhône where it discharges into the Sea. The salt flats were
created in the area where the Rhône splits into the Grand
and the Petit. (The Rhône was our favorite of the two rivers in Lyon and
it was very cool for Audre to see where it finished.)
By chance, we happened upon the Festival Votive in Aigues Mortes, a tiny walled town in the Camargue. We had a dinner reservation at a 5-star hotel there called Villa Mazarin and we decided to go early and have a look at the town. We saw that there were lots of people lining the main street of Aigues Mortes, inside the city walls, waiting for the bulls to be “escorted back to the meadows”. We waited and the bulls ran with two horsemen of the Camargue (called gardians) next to them, one on each side of the bull. They were fast but we got some pictures.
After 5 bulls were escorted, the 6th one bolted off course and headed straight where Audre was standing on a park bench. There was only the back of the bench between Audre and the 500 k bull running by. A local man nearby put his arms around Audre and gently brought her down from the bench. It happened in an instant and she did not have time to be scared. And the look of astonishment on her face was priceless. Dimitri kind of caught it on video.
Another day we took a boat ride on the Petit Rhône to
see birds, wild horses and bulls. We talked to other (French) tourists on the
boat with us and that was fun. Another day we walked "our property"
and did the Balade Nature there. We saw etang (which are salty ponds) with
viewing platforms to watch birds. We ate lunch at our local (down home) café, Le Café du
Sambuc. We had their local plats du jour (which were good) and talked to the
local people sitting next to us. That was fun. We ate Camargue oysters which
were delicious! (Dimitri was disappointed that sea urchin season had not
started during our stay.)
Finding a 1 Michelin-starred restaurant in the remote Camargue was so improbable, we decided we had to try La Chassagnette, this oasis in the salt sea of the area. We had six-course menus (148€ each) and enjoyed our evening very much very much.
Aix-Les-Bains and Annecy
We drove 4 hours north and east of the Camargue and it was full-on fall in the second week of October. We had to take out our winter clothes suitcase from the car and get our puffer jackets and clothes. We planned to bike around the lakes and waited for a sunny day that might be over 65 degrees. It did not happen. The oaks and maple trees were turning lovely colors--even the vibrant red of Japanese maples. The ivy turned a beautiful red too. In Vail, we are used to seeing only the yellows (with some orange) of the aspens. These colors reminded of the falls we lived on the east coast of the US.
Every morning there was a lake phenomenon called Le Gris. It was very grey with a thick cloud cover. With the cold and grey, we didn't want to go out. In the meantime, we were able to get our COVID vaccines and our flu shots easily. We went into a pharmacy and did not have to wait. 80€ later we were all set. We were also able to have our prescriptions filled using our US prescriptions, no less.
After getting the COVID vaccine, Dimitri needed a day to recover. Then we did a great tourist-ing job in Annecy. We walked the atmospheric streets of the old town, saw the must see sites and then we drove entire lake seeing the different beautiful views from different aspects. We had a dinner reservation at a Moroccan restaurant and needed a place to rest in the evening before our 7 pm reservation. We went the hotel called the Palace de Menthon (665 route des Bains, Menthon-Saint Bernard) where we sat comfortably for an hour. It was right on the lake and had spectacular views. We also scoped out the accommodations there for a future stay.
Another day we did a long walk from our hotel to lunch for an excellent Salade Perigourdine at the Brasserie les Aiguilles in our little town of Grésy-sur-Aix and then walked La Gorges du Sierroz back to our hotel.
We stayed at Château Brachet (48 Impasse des Couduriers, 73100 Grésy-sur-Aix, 04 58 62 01 01) in the Signature Suite (557.14€ per night, including breakfast). We were wowed when we drove up the hill to the château by the gorgeous flowers bordering the driveway. Virginie, the front office manager and Alice were very welcoming. Actually all of the staff was kind, professional and friendly. Brigit, one of the housekeepers, even bought Dimitri mango juice at the store.
Our room had been personalized and we were brought complimentary fruit and flowers. The Swiss owner, Jean-Michel Belin, had painstakingly restored the château during a 10-year period; he did a good job. Our Signature Suite was a tribute to Queen Victoria (who visited Aix-les-Bain).
It was one of our most idiosyncratic rooms in all of our years of travel. At 55 m² it was also tight for us for a week. There was a nice entry with a portmanteau for our jackets and backpacks. Off of it was a large terrace overlooking the gardens in the back of the property. Unfortunately, we never used it in October—too cold. Across from the front door was a mini bar with drawers and storage for our snacks. There was a Nespresso machine with lots of coffee pods and lots of bottled water.
From there, a narrow hallway led to the bedroom and off of it was one of the world’s smallest toilet rooms (with a tiny sink). It had an unusually heavy door that was difficult to open (and keep open) and that slammed shut--really fast. We didn’t think an obese person could get in and use that toilet.
Also off of that hallway was the bathroom with a huge, old-fashioned, painted bathtub, a large shower (with 2 shower heads) that did not produce water that was hot enough (but a plumber was called to fix it). There was a small Victorian-looking vanity with 2 sinks and almost no counter space. Instead of counter space, there was a piece of furniture for people’s stuff and, off of the bathroom, was a sauna that proved useful as a storage room for us.
The bedroom had a desk and room for a table for Audre’s laptop. There was a large chest of drawers and a very small closet. There was a divan instead of a sofa and a poorly placed TV on the wall. There was a very unique high-backed chair with a domed canopy of sorts, maybe called a balloon chair. Somehow, we both unpacked and put our suitcases in the sauna room. So, the carefully decorated, vintage room looked good. The large windows looked out on the property and flowers.
The vintage fixtures on for the window latches were quirky and we had to call for help to close them. M. Belin came and voilà, he closed the window. The heating system was unique and sometimes we could not get the room cool enough; sometimes we could not get the room warm enough.
The breakfast was à la carte and we could order porridge made the way we like it or eggs benedict or other breakfast items. It was a treat to have French toast also made the way we like it. There was freshly squeezed orange juice, a mango juice that Dimitri liked, as well as, enough fruit to make us happy. It was a good breakfast and included in the price of the room. The server, Cindy, was friendly, personable as well as professional. We were well taken care of by her. The dining room was cold and the staff got us heaters and turned on the gas fireplace. In this restaurant as in too many others, the tables had center posts with intrusive legs, making sitting uncomfortable. In this restaurant, the chairs were also uncomfortable. We guess that "you can't have everything."
We walked the property and we were impressed with how large it was. At first, we had the whole hotel to ourselves. Low season is fun.
We had a nice
dinner with very good service at the hotel’s restaurant, La Table. We were
surprised by how many people came to there for dinner.
So, after one week, we went off to Geneva for two months.
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