La Réserve

Geneva

Geneva, in the extreme west of Switzerland, surrounded by the Alps and the Jura massif, lies on the banks of the Rhone River and Lake Leman. From a hill on the left bank of the lake, the city spread out in the 19^th century after the destruction of it fortifications. Occupied by the Romans and then the Burgondes, Geneva became very rich thanks to its fairs and its markets and was greatly coveted by the Duchy of Savoy for a long time. By receiving Jean Calvin in the 16^th century, it became the seat of the Reformation and was nicknamed the Protestant Rome throughout Europe. As the capital of peace since the early 20^th century, it is now the European home of the United Nations and the principal seat of the International Red Cross.

A number of sites bear witness to Geneva’s rich historical past. Saint Peter’s cathedral dominates the old city and its small-animated streets. Other places of interest include the Bourg de Four square, the Palace of Nations, the Wall of the Reformers and the old city itself, with the typical architecture of an 18^th century city. Geneva is also a city of art and culture and has received numerous artists and intellectuals including Voltaire, Rousseau, Franz Liszt and Jorge Luis Borges.

Tourists should not leave Geneva without having visited its elegant boutiques, or without having walked along the lake and in its numerous parks. Finally, a short cruise on the lake to admire the 140-meter high “jet d’eau”, which has become the symbol of the city, is an absolute must.

A mythical palace

Nestled in the heart of a sumptuous four-hectare park on the banks of Lake Leman, La Reserve Geneve Hotel & Spa is one of the city’s mythical palaces. Built in the late 1960s, it has recovered all of its original elegance thanks to the talents of the celebrated French designer, Jacques Garcia. A blend of the neo-Baroque and an African reserve, this exceptional hotel is trendy, chic, relaxed and a palace all in one.

Each room and each suite has its own particular soul, although they are all somewhat exotic in the image of the animals sculpted in the bushes of the park, like this immense giraffe at the entrance to the property. Oiled parquet floors, taffeta curtains, plaid and velvet fabrics, braided leather bed boards, mahogany consoles, photos of distant journeys, bathrooms with mosaic marble and black granite all contribute to creating the atmosphere of a “get away from it all” vacation. We discover this atmosphere as soon as we walk into the lobby where multi-colored parrots sculpted in resin are hanging on the lamps and in the bar which is covered with gold leaf.

In the Loti, the Reserve’s main restaurant, an elephant head hangs above the fireplace, and at the Tsé Fung, one of Geneva’s finest Asian restaurants, the ceiling has been coated with a deep layer of lacquer. Jacques Garcia was inspired by certain Asian shapes in creating the chairs. The traditional Chinese cuisine is also an invitation to exoticism.

The atmosphere is the same in the spa in spite of the purist décor. Mosaic marble, oiled parquet floors, white leather day beds with strange medusa like lamps and immaculate drapes make the spa an architectural masterpiece where the massages offered all have evocative names like Dreams of the Orient, Siamese Ritual or Sensual Awakening.

The famous “jet d’eau”, one of the hotel’s attractions, is projected 140 meters in the air. At the end of the nozzle, the water speed can attain a speed of 200 kilometers an hour.