Welcome to the ideal luxury and family getaway in Switzerland. Surrounded by the Alps and nestled along the shores of sparkling Lake Leman, this is the experience of a lifetime to stay for a weekend in this beautiful palace with your family.
Before the children were born, Jean and I used to save up and treat ourselves now and then to luxury weekends somewhere wonderful. With our rowdy bunch in tow, we had assumed that this kind of trip was off-limits to us for the moment, so we were beside ourselves with excitement when the Fairmont Montreux Palace invited us to stay, as we have often driven past and imagined what lay beyond the famous façade.
We arrived on Saturday afternoon and on walking through the door, we were completely enthralled by the beauty of the place. The main lobby is magnificent and we took a while to absorb our surroundings, the elegance of the building and the wonderful hospitality of the staff.
We were shown up to our rooms and we were about to be blown away. We had been given two gorgeous connecting rooms with views out over the lake and a huge amount of space for everyone. The hotel had thought of everything with little robes and slippers for all the children, changing facilities for Elio and little presents for everyone. While we were settling in, someone very kindly brought us some chocolates, fruit and water which the children immediately pounced on. What a treat!!
After munching their snacks, the children began to draw in the special colouring books offered by the hotel, as well as exploring the little games and puzzles.
A little later, we took a walk along the lake before Jean took Jude to the swimming pool at the hotel. Children staying at the hotel are welcome in the indoor pool, Mondays to Saturdays from 2pm to 6pm, on Sundays from 9am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5pm. During summer, they can enjoy the outdoor pool every day from 6:30am to 10pm. Jude was so excited he couldn’t decide which pool to try first so in the end they took a swim in both! Jean didn't take any pictures at the swimming pool to respect the privacy of the residents and children present but you can see more here.
Meanwhile back in the room, Alba and Elio took a splash in the jacuzzi bath using their specially provided toiletries which provoked lots of giggling and hilarity, especially for Elio who loved the feeling of the bubbles on his sensitive feet.
As evening approached, we smartened ourselves up and headed down for dinner at the Montreux Jazz Café restaurant which is part of the hotel. We were made to feel so welcome and the children were given colouring equipment and were soon happily involved in the creation of their masterpieces.
We were wonderfully looked after by Filipa who was absolutely lovely and was so considerate of Elio’s needs. She arranged for a special meal to be prepared for him and was very relaxed when he got a bit loud towards the end (we always get a bit stressed about that). The children had the very special 3 mini-burgers (that Jean couldn't resist trying ;-)) and they loved it! Jean tried the marinated spring chicken à la Quincy Jones! You really feel the atmosphere of the legendary music festival, and the restaurant is decorated with a plethora of Claude Nobs memorabilia.
We had a lovely meal and once the children were safely tucked up in bed, Jean and I sat on the balcony in the warm night air and watched the live jazz which the hotel organise in their garden by the lake every weekend - what decadence! It was such a wonderful end to a lovely day and we sank into our enormous soft bed feeling on top of the world.
The children slept well and we woke up feeling rested and ready for breakfast. There was a fabulous selection of food on offer and we decided to eat on the terrace where we could enjoy the view and discuss our plans for the day ahead.
We were so lucky after breakfast to have a tour of the hotel with Stéphane Bigière, who is Director Front Office at the hotel and had generously agreed to share his time and knowledge with us. It was so fantastic to see some of the extraordinary splendour of the event spaces and learn more about the history of this incredible place. The hotel has delighted visitors for over a century with its Belle-Époque architecture boasting 236 rooms and suites since 1906. It's a work of art.
Jude and Alba wanted to try the piano in the middle of one of the large reception room so we let them "play" for a few seconds before they bothered anyone :-)
We met Jean’s parents who were in the area for lunch and following that, they took the children home with them so that Jean and I could have a bit of time alone. Our first stop was the spa! It was quite busy on Sunday afternoon so we had a swim and spent some time in the jacuzzi after which we headed back to the room for a snooze before dinner.
The next morning after breakfast, we headed down to the spa again with our books and installed ourselves by the swimming pool to enjoy our final couple of hours of peace before we headed back home. It really felt like a little holiday!
It's hard to express how much we appreciated this little break in the lap of luxury. Everyone we met was so friendly and helpful, the location was so stunning and the thoughtfulness and attention to detail really meant we could relax. It gave us such a different perspective on staying in luxury hotels with children and we came away with the understanding that, far from being unwelcome, the children were given the same consideration as we were, and we felt as though the hotel had really gone the extra mile to take some of the weight off the tired shoulders of parents like us.
If you can do it, go!
Information
Avenue Claude Nobs 2,
1820 Montreux,
Switzerland
Tel +41 21 962 1212
Special offers
The Fairmont Palace in Montreux have an offer for families (not valid in July and August) whereby if you book one room, you get a second room for 50% less and includes breakfast and spa access as well as a discount on children’s meals. You can see more about this offer here.
You also receive a Montreux Riviera card on your arrival which offers free public transport, museums and experiences in the region like Chillon Castle, Peak Walk Glacier 3000, Chaplin's Museum. What a treat!
The live jazz in the gardens of the palace is free, you just need to register here to help tracking for Covid . The performances are from Thursday to Saturday until 29th August and are open to everyone. Well worth going down one evening to soak up a bit of the jazz festival spirit in this amazing location.