Beau-Rivage Palace

Hotel description

One of the last of Europe’s traditional grand hotels, Lausanne’s Beau-Rivage Palace recalls the days of aristocrats traveling by coach; from within the gardens of the hotel’s ten-acre grounds, pressed up against Lake Geneva, it would be easy to feel a little bit lost in time. Views are spectacular, with the better rooms looking over the lake and the French Alps, and the hotel itself is rather easy on the eye-though recently renovated, the exteriors remain faithful to the 1861 conception and the 1908 addition.

The rooms can hardly have changed much in the intervening years; if not for the televisions and the central air conditioning, they could pass as period reconstructions. This hotel predates the modern trend toward egalitarian room design, and the rooms vary widely in terms of space and orientation. Needless to say, the most desirable are on the lake side, looking out at the Alps from private balconies-so if the view matters to you, you may end up paying a touch more. Leisure activities include the full host of luxury hotel offerings and then some, from tennis, golf and sailing to reflexology, lymph drainage, and Chinese medicine.

The hotel’s Rotonde restaurant serves gourmet French cuisine with a view of the parklands and Lake Geneva, and a Parisian-style brasserie fills in for less formal duty. The Bar Anglais is the more traditional social venue, with an intimate drawing-room atmosphere, and Le BaR is billed as the place to see and be seen. Presumably this means something different in Lausanne than in, say, Berlin-there are plenty of hotels all over Europe for the would-be hipster, but the Beau-Rivage is one of the few remaining for the modern aristocrat.

Travelling with Kids

Guests over the age of 18 are considered adults. Some rooms accommodate 3 or more. The "Superior room" room sleeps up to 3 guests. For crib/cot, must book "Superior room" room or larger. For 2 adults + rollaway bed, must book "Superior room" or larger. For 2 adults + 2 kids beyond crib age, must book "n/a" room or larger. Connecting rooms available. Can be confirmed upon reservation.

Cribs are available and may be subject to an additional fee. Roll-away beds available for an additional fee of SFr130. No additional charges for kids beyond crib/roll-away.

Pool available that allows kids. Babysitting services provided by screened outside help at SFron request per hour. The restaurant is kid-friendly with high chairs and a kids menu. Room service offers a kids menu. Treasure hunt(from 3 years old) pastry lessons (from 6 years old) florist lessons (from 6 years old) Special Spa packages with the mother (from 12 years old)

Emergency amenities include diapers, milk bottles, bottle warmer, change table, pram, small bath, humid tissues, baby phone, milk powder and etc...