Come on in, the water’s lovely
LIZ RYAN takes a restorative trip to Lake Geneva and cleansing French spa town Evian-Les-Bains
THERE’S a photograph of my mother sitting next to the Rhone Glacier wearing a bright smile and a pretty 1950s summer dress. It’s a record of her visit to Lake Geneva on the French-Swiss border with the Young Women’s Christian Association, taken at a time when working class girls from South Wales weren’t expected to holiday abroad.
Inspired by my mother’s stories, I knew I would one day visit the region myself. But whereas mum stayed in a spartan Swiss ski chalet and endured rather than enjoyed a visit to the newly-established United Nations in Geneva, I travelled with an old school friend to the luxurious Evian Resort on the French side of the lake.
It was a time before the world was consumed by coronavirus; although only earlier this year, it feels like a lifetime ago.
One of Europe’s great spas, the lakeside town of Evian-Les-Bains has been catering to the needs of the frazzled rich for at least two centuries. The modern Evian Resort, which has its roots in the magnificent Belle Epoch era at the beginning of the 20th century, is more than just a hotel; it is two hotels, a concert hall, a children’s club, a funicular railway and a golf course, all set in 245 acres overlooking Lake Leman, which is what the French call Lake Geneva.
We arrive in style. An S-series Mercedes-Benz – kitted out with Evian water and Swiss chocolates – is waiting at Geneva Airport to drive us to the shore. And from there, Evian One, a state-of-the-art catamaran built with low-carbon technology, whisks us along the misty 45-mile lake to our destination.
Hotel Ermitage – our home for the first night – has been refurbished by interior designer Patrick Ribes in an ‘Anglo-Normand’ style vaguely reminiscent of a northern hunting lodge. It has an informal vibe that’s geared, in a particularly French way, to families with young children. Le Spa Quatre Terres even offers a range of fruity mini treatments that will introduce your pampered little prince or princess to the essential principles of personal care.
Evian folk have always prided themselves on the purity and minerality of their local water, which filters naturally through Alpine rock, and this obsession with terroir has led to the development of a bespoke treatment. I try the Le Spa Quatre Terres’ signature body scrub – an abrasive salt rub, followed by a hot clay wrap and then a deep muscle massage.
“I can feel you’re very tense,” says my therapist kindly, as she sets to work. She doesn’t know the half of it but, before long, I’m in a better frame of mind and ready to hit the town for an extravagant night out that would, I suspect, have horrified the YWCA.
If you’re looking for action, Geneva is not the place. Lake Leman is encircled by historic towns with fabulous casinos – in fact, it is the lake immortalised in Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water, about the fire that destroyed the Montreux Casino during a Frank Zappa concert.
No conflagration occurred when Miranda and I hit Evian’s gambling house. With sensible things like mortgages to pay, we only played with what we could afford. But we watched as a dinner-suited guest surrendered £5,000 in a single spin of the roulette wheel, while a young and rakish local crew were bonding round a lively blackjack game.
Hotel Royal – which housed us for the second part of our stay – was built in 1909 in honour of King Edward VII. Making a good case for being France’s finest hotel, the five-star Royal was renovated in 2015 when the neo-baroque frescoes by Gustave-Louis Jaulmes were returned to their former glory. A reputed favourite of President
Mitterrand, it was the venue for France’s G8 summit in 2003.
Our Belle Epoch corner suite on the fourth floor is so vast, that I began to wonder if life wouldn’t be simpler if there was less distance to walk between the sitting room, the bedroom and the marble bathroom (I know, first world problems).
With four private balconies to choose from, I make an interesting discovery: lake views are spectacular, but they face north – and in winter the shade is, literally, freezing. A southern room overlooking snowcapped mountains might be better if you enjoy lazy afternoons in the surprisingly hot Alpine sun.
That night, we dine at Les Fresques, a Michelin-starred restaurant overseen by head chef Patrice Vander. From a menu that incorporates a mirror, enabling us to admire Jaulmes’ frescoed ceiling without cricking our necks, we both choose the Lake Geneva crayfish with royal foie gras and verbenaflavoured froth to start. Miranda opts for the fillet of Abondance beef as her entree, while I plump for Bressereared pigeon with poached pear and salsify.
The accompanying wines from the Royal’s exceptional list are chosen with a confident eye to finding value in the under-rated grapes of the Haute Savoie.
These include not just the oftendismissed ‘ski-chalet chasselas’ but subtle, careful and unshowy blends of roussanne, jacquere and mondeuse blanche, which seem a perfect metaphor for the quiet sophistication of the hotel.
According to Tracy Clement, the long-serving trips and tours manager, many of the Royal’s guests return year after year.
With a multitude of activities available, from skiing and dogsled rides in the nearby Portes Du Soleil during winter, to golf, watersports, biking and walking in summer, we barely scratch the surface of what Evian has to offer.
But one day, I will return to enjoy in full, the peaceful magic of the lake.