Hôtel Ermitage Evian

Evian-les-Bains

Located on the banks of Lake Leman facing the Swiss city of Lausanne, Evian-les-Bains is a thermal spa city whose Evian water is famous throughout the world. In 1808, the water from the spring was analyzed and found to contain numerous healing qualities. Today, the Cachat spring bears witness to this fabulous discovery, thanks to which Evian underwent a rapid growth notably with the construction of several luxury hotels.

The period between the two world wars represented the height of Evian’s prestige with the constant presence of crowned heads and international celebrities. In 1938, at the initiative of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Evian Conference designed to help Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe was held here.

After 1945, the city’s reputation as a thermal spa began to decline a bit until sports activities here came to its rescue. In 1994, the golf course created in 1904 became the venue for an international women’s tournament, which in 2013, became The Evian Championship, one of the major events of the golfing season.

Boutique, design and urban !

Overlooking the entire city at an altitude of 125 meters above Lake Leman, the Hotel Ermitage is part of the Evian Resort. Built in 1909 in an Anglo-Norman-Savoyard chalet style, the flowery and wooden façade is a true reflection of the hotel’s natural charm.

Family friendly, convivial and surrounded by 19 hectares of omnipresent preserved nature, the Ermitage is a chic and laid back establishment, making it ideal for rest and relaxation.

The hotel welcomes its visitors in a sober reception area in which they immediately feel at home.

Guests are informally directed to the salon and its cozy fireplace corner. The atmosphere is chalet like with lots of wood on one side, and on the other, a number of board games and sofas. Still life photographs by Jean-François Chavanne depict the hotel’s surrounding nature. The Birdie bar is right next to the salon.

The hotel is less concerned with sophistication and prefers to excel by its simplicity and conviviality.

The Ermitage was renovated in 2010 by the decorator, Patrick Ribes. Its intimate and refined feeling was heightened thanks to the noble materials used and the sober lines.

The rooms are designed to create a feeling of being at home. They also possess a magnificent view of Lake Leman and the city of Evian. The bathrooms have a mineral aspect recalling the passage of Evian water from its underground origin through the rocks to the city’s spring.

The symbol chosen to represent the hotel however, is not the water but the Madeleine, a small cake served with coffee or tea which embodies the cozy side of the Ermitage. Created as a veritable home, each part of it is a living space designed to welcome its guests in the same spirit as the renovated areas: with a blend of harmony, simplicity and refinement.

A prime example is the La Table restaurant and its series of still life photographs by Jean-François Chavanne with close-ups of fruits and vegetables. La Table possesses a superb terrace which emits an aura of intense well-being. The other more intimate space is the library where guests can have lunch in a filtered, luminous and family atmosphere surrounded by books.

When weather permits, the hotel’s terrace becomes an idyllic esplanade. It faces the garden below with deck chairs designed to take advantage of the sunshine. The swimming pool is hidden behind vegetation creating a true sense of intimacy.

The Ermitage is a second home. The goal is to forget the hotel aspect and to retain the impression of a place where one would like to live. Its luxury and discretion make it a truly enchanting parenthesis between the Alps and Lake Leman.

The Ermitage is just a few steps from the Royal Hotel. They share the same park which offers a series of lovely strolls along trails designed for nature lovers.