Why book?<\/p>\n
For its one-of-a-kind charm \u2013 this place fizzes with quirks and idiosyncrasies.<\/p>\n
Set the scene<\/p>\n
The Angleterre occupies a position near the middle of that constellation of grand hotels that lights up the right bank of Lake Geneva<\/a>, extending from the President Wilson at one end to the H\u00f4tel des Bergues at the other. Two of the Angleterre\u2019s neighbours, the Beau-Rivage<\/a> and the H\u00f4tel de la Paix<\/a>, were built at about the same time, with input from the same architect, Anthony Krafft, who must have felt all his Christmases had come at once, professionally speaking. They share the same views (the lake, Mont Blanc, the Jet d\u2019Eau) and convenience-factor (high) but each has an entirely distinct personality. Of the trio, the Angleterre is the hardest to pigeon-hole, neither as slick as the Paix nor as haughty as the Beau-Rivage. It possesses its own curious magic.<\/p>\n The backstory<\/p>\n The hotel has changed hands four times since it opened in 1872, most recently in 2001, when it became part of the Tollman family\u2019s Red Carnation portfolio, which also includes Ashford Castle<\/a> in County Mayo and The Milestone<\/a> in London<\/a>. At the Angleterre the Tollmans have pulled off a nifty trick. Their South African<\/a> pawprints are all over the place \u2013 yet it turns out that leopardskin works as well on the shores of Lake Geneva as it does on the veldt.<\/p>\n The rooms<\/p>\n The Angleterre was for many years the smallest five-star hotel in Geneva<\/a>, with just 45 rooms\u00a0 \u2013 until the 2021 opening of the nearby Woodward, which has a mere 26. Nevertheless, the Angleterre still feels very intimate and clubby. Guests who have spent time at other Red Carnation properties will recognise certain of the familiar Tollman design tics: the theatrically draped curtains and shimmering silk wall coverings; the quarry-depleting quantities of marble and onyx in the bathrooms; the colourful chandeliers (the family also owns a glassworks in Murano); the eclectic mixture of old magazine advertisements and other printed ephemera that hang alongside original works of art and signed prints (Walt Disney, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder). The Angleterre\u2019s Presidential Suite is among the best in town for lake-gazing. It was a favourite of both Michael Jackson and Mikhail Gorbachev. Apparently on one occasion Jacko turned up at the Angleterre hoping to stay, as usual, in the Presidential Suite, only to find that Gorby had beaten him to it. When the Russian statesman got wind of the situation, he sought to placate the American pop star with an invitation to join him for tea. Another of the many feats of international diplomacy to have been achieved in Geneva.<\/p>\n Food and drink<\/p>\n The Angleterre\u2019s Windows restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The afternoon tea<\/a> is a particular highlight \u2013 it lives up to the Englishness implied by the hotel\u2019s name, with its finger sandwiches, scones and exceptional selection of exotic teas. The cr\u00e8me de Gruy\u00e8re, though strictly speaking a departure from tradition, takes the scones to Alpine heights that are simply unreachable in Devon<\/a> or Cornwall<\/a>. The Tollman family\u2019s influence is felt in the lunch and dinner menus too \u2013 Beatrice Tollman is the author of a popular cookery book, and the Bouchard Finlayson wine estate is another of their business interests. Downstairs, in the hotel\u2019s basement, is one of Geneva\u2019s most entertaining drinking dens, the Leopard Bar, in which you will find leopardskin not only on the floor and upholstery but also on the ceiling. There are squishy sofas, wingback armchairs and old Louis Vuitton trunks for tables. True to its feline namesake, the Leopard Bar only gets going after dark. By the small hours it is a jungle. There could be no better place for Champagne cocktails, cognac and cigars, and no more genial game warden than bar manager Fabio Dotolo.<\/p>\n The spa<\/p>\n There is no spa and the little basement room that used to be a gym has been turned into a fumoir adjacent to the Leopard Bar. However, if you are determined to work up a healthy sweat, the concierge will make arrangements for you at a nearby fitness centre.<\/p>\n The area<\/p>\n