HOTEL DE LA PAIX
THE FIVE-star Hotel de la Paix must have one of the best settings in Geneva. It’s right on the lakeside opposite the famous Jet d’Eau. It has views across the water to a snow-capped Mont Blanc on the horizon and it’s within easy walking distance of all the smart shops and the old city.
Built in 1865 in Italian Renaissance style and recently refurbished, it now calls itself a boutique hotel. But I found it a bit grander than that description suggests.
It may only have 84 rooms and 15 suites, but it has an imposing central staircase, a massive chandelier, a six-storey-high lobby, a Michelinstarred restaurant and its best suite is named after former regular visitor, Princess Grace.
On the first day I’d thrown open the french doors to my little balcony to enjoy the sun sparkling on the lake. The next day I could only look through them to the rain lashing the prom and be glad I had a comfy sofa, a deep bath to look forward to and an in-room coffee machine.
My deluxe category room had good natural light, effective soundproofing against the traffic outside, a firm but comfortable bed and perfectly pleasant if rather bland decor.
It had fallen victim to the current hotel fad for banning chests of drawers, offering only wardrobe shelves instead, which might be fine for a weekend but would be irksome for a longer stay.
And I did find it slightly unnerving to have a sizeable gap in the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom, with no door. The loo was separate but nonetheless I’ve always thought privacy a key element in any bathroom.
The hot and cold buffet breakfast offered lots of choices and managed to pull off the tough trick of keeping scrambled eggs soft and creamy. Service was attentive and efficient, with the doorman especially being both elegant and ebullient — a welcome sight in all that rain.
LIZ GILL ACROSS 1 Traditional ‘wish you peace on the sabbath’ greeting (Hebrew) (7,6) 9 He puts support in charge of language (7) 10 Sadly in disarray, these people from the old western Anatolia (7) 11 Paul ***** - famous Quantum Mechanics physicist (5) 12 A small smile, a leer (Yiddish) (9) 13 Died - an employee diligent in religious orthodoxy (9) 15 Somewhere you’d regret imperfect Arabic initially? (5) 16 Portrayed as haggard (5) 18 Financial assistance, alms (Hebrew/Yiddish) (9) 20 Assyrian king who cast off Vashti to marry Esther (9) 23 Open space for a Spaniard (5) 24 Jewish Day of Rest (Hebrew) (7) 25 Notorious Nazi death camp near the River Vistula in Poland (7) 26 Jewish collaborator with Oscar Hammerstein in creating ‘Oklahoma’ (1902-1979) (7,6) DOWN 1 Where those about town come from? (7) 2 Anglo-Jewish humourist and one-time editor of The Jewish Chronicle (1938-2007) (4,5) 3 Reverses bets - in Cambridge? (5) 4 Point to me in tattered letter using rangefinder (9) 5 One who has been to Mecca on pilgrimage (5) 6 Hide when he comes in later, running (7) 7 Traditional gifts given at Purim (Hebrew) (9,5) 8 Israeli soldier abducted in Israel by Hezbollah on 12 July 2006 (1975-2006) (4,10) 14 How heroin may be pronounced when taken illegally? (9) 15 Whose epic could become a magnum opus? (9) 17 Tongue from a sheep, excellent cold (7) 19 A servant - the ‘lighting’ candle on the Chanukkiah (Yiddish) (7) 21 One emerges from part of Italy, a very shady spot (5) 22 This type of painting becomes firm after a short time (5)