My Nespresso adventure took me to Lausanne, a lovely town by the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman). It is the 5th largest city in Switzerland; headquarter of the International Olympics Committee and the smallest city in the world to have a metro system.
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| evening view over Lake Geneva from Lausanne Palace Hotel, it was June the wettest month of the year in the lake…. |
we stayed at Lausanne Palace Hotel and SPA, overlooking the lake this hotel evokes grandeur luxury with traditional deco, part of the Leading Hotels of the World
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| Bar lobby |
my hotel room at the Lausanne Palace
The room was big with a very long balcony overseeing Lausanne old town. The hotel was grand, and my room was very clean, spacious with a sitting room area, massive TV, and wardrobe changing area, but some how the deco, in my view, felt a bit tired. The bathroom had mirrors on the ceiling with some painted flowers; dark brown marble tiles, bath and shower were spotless. I love the toiletries. Fabulous! I love turn down service too…. it feels special. The service was perfectly cordial.
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| all rooms have a Nespresso system – drinking coffee made easy |
Dinner at Côté Jardin
Ample, airy and modern dining room with views over Lake Geneva, what is not to like? the room has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a massive terrace. Superb on a sunny day. The restaurant was full, and the atmosphere was quite vibrant, I believe half were hotel guests and the other half very elegant locals.
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| Côté Jardin restaurant picture by Lasanne Palace |
I was surprised to hear Lausanne is located in the middle of the Swiss wine-making region. I never tried Swiss wine, so it was the perfect opportunity to taste some. The Swiss wine production is very small, and usually wine are only supplied for local consumption. We had a white Cuve de Christele Gerald Clavien, from Miege, Sauvignon blanc grape, fresh and delicate. It was a good pair with our vegetarian starter. It would have been better with seafood.
Starter: zucchini pie with a mix Provencal style salad, courgette very finely sliced encased in a thin pastry, hit the spot! Nice rosemary soft bread on the table with black olive spread.
Main dish: roasted lamb chops with green, eggplant and red onions, the lamb was so juicy and tender – marvellous. The eggplant was a bit disappointing. It needed a bit more seasoning. Nice jus!
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| The main dish was paired, by one of the guests, with a Swiss rose wine, from Miege, Gerald Clavien Dole blanche 2013. It wasn’t a match at all; this wine had a very light sweet strawberry note, medium acidity and long finish. Perfect with salads, seafood and aperitif, not with red meat. It was not the restaurant’s fault. |
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| dessert: frozen vacherin with Greek yogurt sorbet and apricot compote with rosemary |
The dessert was a contrast of flavours and textures, ice and sweet; the apricot compote tartness cut through the sweetness of the meringue; the rosemary lifted the whole thing to another level – a winner!
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| Nespresso Grand Cru – Ristretto and after dinner petit fours |
Average per person a la carte : CH 85 (about £55/ $95 / 70€) + drinks – remember Swiss Francs and not Euros in Switzerland. Cote de Jardin : Menu
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| Havana Bar – pure luxury cigar bar
Next day the breakfast was a buffet filled with cold and hot food, juices, cold meats, cheeses (of course), hot beverages and freshly made eggs to your taste. That’s why I like hotels it’s nice to be pampered, once in a while. Breakfast : CHF 40.- /34.50€/ £26/ $44.50. The hotel has other restaurants.I enjoyed staying at this hotel because of its service and location, right in the centre of Lausanne; a stone’s throw from the main shopping area, Lausanne Cathedral with stunning views, easy access to Olympic Museum (1 Quai d’Ouchy) and La Collection de l’Art Brut housed in the Château de Beaulieu, an 18th-century by Lake too. Great location for shopaholics and some cultural things.
Lausanne Palace Spa- 7-9 Rue du Grand Chêne CH-1002 LAUSANNE
Tel. : +41 21 331 31 31 – reservation@lausanne-palace.ch hotel tariffs: Lausanne Hotel The following day we spent at Nespresso you can read more about it at Nespresso visit, afterwards, we went for a quick lunch back in Lausanne, before taking a flight back from Geneva to London. Restaurant L’Accademia, Lausanne |
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| the entrance to Restaurant L’Accademia – Lausanne |
This restaurant is located inside another hotel Angleterre et Residence in Ouchy, Lausanne
Le Port D’Ouchy overlooks the Lake Geneva and lovely area for a stroll and people watching.
Byron composed his famous poem
“The Prisoner of Chillon” in a single sitting on 28th June 1816 at the
Hôtel de l’Ancre. The event is commemorated by an inscription on the
façade of the building (now the Hôtel d’Angleterre).
“The Prisoner of Chillon” in a single sitting on 28th June 1816 at the
Hôtel de l’Ancre. The event is commemorated by an inscription on the
façade of the building (now the Hôtel d’Angleterre).
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| Tomato and mozzarella di bufula with basil at L’Accademia |
Starter was good and simple, a mighty tower of slices of fresh ripe tomato, fresh snowy white fresh mozzarella with a sneer and sprig of basil.
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| Grilled seabass |
main dish was fresh grilled seabass with Italian taggiashe olives, perfectly cooked fish garnished with dark purple/brown small, oval and salty olives, cherry tomatoes and roasted potatoes.
Another nice white Swiss wine: grape: petite arvine, intense, fresh, crisp and citrousy hint of pineapple, straw yellow colour with mineral notes.
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| Red fruits tart |
Dessert: Tartelette aux fruits rouges has a good balance between the sweetness of the light smooth Crème Pâtissière and tartness of the red fruits and fine pastry. It looked very pretty!
Nice lunch at L’Accademia, the place was buzzing at lunchtime; the food came fast in hot plates and very good portions. Service was discreet and polite. There’s an outdoor area overlooking the lake perfect for sunny days!
Average cost per person : CH 95 / £62 / 80€ / $105 + drinks and service
Restaurant L’Accademia :
Place du Port 11, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland
| t:+41 21 613 34 34 |
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| Ouchy port – Lausanne |
All pictures in this post was taken using iphone 5
Disclosure: I was a guest of Nespresso in this trip. I received no further remuneration to write about Lausanne Palace or the restaurants. I retained full editorial control over this and other related posts. All views are my own.
Great pictures! The food looks amazing as does the scenery…definitely want to visit here!
Hi Katie, It's a very quaint place definitely worth a visit.