I’m back from Switzerland, already arrived
in the next city and now ready to share my impressions of my short but adorable
stay at the Mandarin Oriental Geneva with you..
My stay has been an incredible experience.
I’ve only spent one night in Geneva at the Mandarin Oriental hotel but it was
truly like a holiday after the long train travel from Zurich. First of I was warmly welcomed at
the front desk. I was extremely early but the team prepared everything in time
and guided me to my suite in the seventh floor. The hotel has a total amount of
seven floors, so I was located on the top.
The Mandarin Oriental Geneva combines
luxury and Swiss tradition and culture. Within a superb location, the hotel is
nearby all essential sightseeing sports and meeting for business. With its
location on the River Rhône, located within
the heart of Geneva’s shopping, historic and business districts. Following an
extensive refurbishment completed in March 2013, the hotel features 189
spacious rooms and suites, with many suites enjoying private terraces and views
of the River Rhône, Old Town and surrounding snow-capped mountains. The
guestrooms feature warm earth tones of beige, brown and plum, with modern art
accents and state-of-the-art technology. Fine dining and unparalleled service
make it the ideal choice for discerning travelers.
With its opening
in 1950 it was the first luxury hotel being built in Europe after World War II.
Since then the hotel is a glory example for hospitality.
The hotel’s signature fan dates back to 1889 and
has a storied history. It was found in an antique shop in Geneva and then
lovingly restored by a local artist. It is believed the fan originally belonged
to a high society gentleman, Edmond Taillard, who gave it to his fiancé during
a romantic Swiss holiday.
My suite was featured with a huge private
balcony, a bathroom all covered in marble with shower and bathtub, so as an
open wardrobe. The center of the suite was the living room with a huge
entertainment system, a king-size bed and an own fireplace, a working
desk and a huge selection of tea and coffee.
These suites have been designed by Buz Design of
Hong Kong who has created a contemporary urban retreat concept. All of the
suites have private terraces which allow guests to enjoy panoramic views of the
Rhône River, Geneva’s historic Old Town and the surrounding snow-capped
mountains. Perfect for families, most are inter-connecting and can be converted
into one oversized luxury apartment. Each suite features Mandarin Oriental’s
sophisticated guest technology which includes wireless broadband and B&O
televisions with a highly-sophisticated entertainment system.
The Junior Terrace Suites offer beautifully
spacious rooms with high ceilings and are decorated in warm earth-coloured
tones creating a calming effect. The furnishings are contemporary with a touch
of modern art which links back to the original design of the hotel. All suites have luxurious, spacious bathrooms
and a glass wall that allows natural light from the living room to filter in.
Every room features a desk, two telephone lines;
four telephone handsets, including one in the bathroom; a LCD flat-screen
television, a laser printer and an electronic safe. Each of the spacious
bathrooms is decorated in fine Greek St. Helena marble and features separate
baths and rain-showers, bidets and towel heaters.
I’ve been surprised with a lovey Swiss dessert
which was already prepared and set at my room. It was a red chocolate ball
with pralines inside, all made with Swiss chocolate, which is known as an index of quality.
After spending some time at the balcony and on
the couch, enjoying my lovely welcome letter, enjoying the smell of the flower bouquet
in my room and watching some television, I was happy to have dinner in the
restaurant which is named Café Calla. I
spend the evening with a friend of mine for a lovely farewell dinner. As I’m
vegan I was excited about the chef being so well prepared for my special diet
restrictions. He even prepared some special courses for me. However, the menu
also included vegan and vegetarian options, beside the probably best meat and
fish which is possibly available within Switzerland.
Beside the Café Calla, I also spotted the Le Chalet by Mandarin Oriental, which opened for a
second season. Located within the hotel’s Café Calla restaurant, the specially
designed, wooden chalet-style pop-up serves authentic Swiss cuisine in a warm
and friendly atmosphere from 14 November 2016 to 10 March 2017. Café Calla’s
first chalet pop-up opened in winter 2015/16. With richly decorated wooden
interiors and waiters dressed in traditional Swiss outfits, the chalet will be
the perfect venue for unforgettable Christmas parties and other year-end
events.
After my dinner, I went back to the room.
Something special was the fireplace, that I was thrilled about to see on fire.
I asked the housekeeping to come up and set the fire. It was truly an
experience for me as I mostly know fireplaces with too much smoke and burning woods. The experience at the Mandarin Oriental was so different. A stay
with the Mandarin Oriental hotels is always a "one in a lifetime experience" and each
house has its personal signature. It’s more than a night in a hotel.
It might appear like I won’t be able to tell you
guys that much about my sleeping experience, but I do. Within the last weeks, I
had a very bad sleep. I was very nervous and stressed and for some reason I
slept like a baby in my extremely huge bed. A true signature of the hotel is
also the pillow menu which offers a wide overview of pillows to select of,
which is interesting for people with allergies.
After this superb sleep, I’ve been ready for a
great start into the day with a huge breakfast. The selection of the breakfast
buffet was just enormously and was only topped by the a la cart menu for the
breakfast.
One can be ensured that nothing is impossible within the Mandarin
Oriental Geneva. With a wide selection of fresh fruits, breads and warm dishes
I’ve been properly spoiled and prepared for a walk through the area
before heading back to the airport for my next flight.
The Mandarin Oriental Geneva is great for people
who want to explore the city. The concierge will let one know about the best
places and the hotel even provides a power bank to make sure one will be able to stay
online and share one’s beautiful memories with friends and family. Also, the
hotel itself has an Instagram account and the general hashtag for experiences
at the Mandarin Oriental hotel is "FanOfMO”.
For guests who want to work out the
Mandarin Oriental Geneva provides a huge fitness room with the latest devices
for cardio and weight lifting. Working out at the hotel was a great idea of
mine to calm down after a stressful week of appointments. Also, a separated spa
area is given at the fitness room, offering free access to a sauna and hammam.
Again, thanks for the lovely invitation and for hosting
me. It was a true pleasure to explore Geneva with the best hotel of the city.
It was an unforgettable trip.
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