The Place
Although this hotel is only 25 years old, it’s in a much older building, parts dating to the 15th century. During conversion, upstairs rooms revealed 17thC painted wooden ceilings and very old walls.
The restaurant, on two levels, is rather grand. On the ground floor level, a dull suit of armour stands guard over businessmen, and singers from the nearby opera, who order up Swiss specialties. Below it, in the celler, is the second eating area, Carnozet.
The hotel has been recently renovated and redesigned to encompass a mix of historical and contemporary features. Tapestries, 17thC paintings and 20thC pieces decorate exposed walls; marble bathrooms have modern lighted mirrors. Our reporter noticed minibars hidden in antique bureaux.
Open the windows looking on to the traffic-free old town, smell the fresh flowers in every room and breathe in Geneva. A word of warning: it is easy to get lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets in this part of the city, so take a taxi or follow the map which is faxed out with all reservations.