DESTINATIONS — SWITZERLAND & AUSTRIA
TRIED & TESTED: Fairmont Le Montreux Palace Rochers de Naye
wine train running round-trips through the area from either Lutry or Cully between April and October. A ‘train de caveaux’ service runs on weekend evenings, which stops for a tasting. Departures are at 18.30 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with tickets starting at about £17. If clients would rather be independent, recommend wine bar Lavaux Vinorama, which stocks more than 260 Lavaux wines and offers tastings from about £9.
l MOUNTAIN TRACKS Switzerland is famous for its railways and the little wine train is by no means the most spectacular. The GoldenPass line that snakes its way up from Montreux to Rochers de Naye ascends more than 1,600m in an hour, cutting its way through the mountains to a spectacular viewpoint at 2,042m. Departing each hour from
Montreux’s central station, the cog railway performs such disorientating twists and turns – often inside
tunnels – that we frequently emerged blinking into the light with no idea which side of us Lake Geneva would be on. At the top there’s a cafe, viewpoint and a few yurts that can be hired by those who want to wake up to the breathtaking panorama over the Alps. Rochers de Naye isn’t accessible by road, so some visitors take the train both ways – an adult return costs about £46 – but others choose to walk the 13km down. It takes about five hours, along well- marked paths, past cute chalets and through meadows filled with wild flowers. If they need any more incentive, there’s sure to be a chilled glass of chasselas waiting at the bottom. TW
When we talk about history in hotels, it’s usually all about crystal chandeliers and wood panelling. Fairmont Le Montreux Palace has this in spades. It’s a Belle Époque beauty with original features particularly in evidence in the public spaces – ballrooms with soaring ceilings, original stained glass and frescoes above the grand staircase. Richard Strauss and Vladimir Nabokov stayed here. But this is a hotel with more recent history, too. Its links to the Montreux Jazz Festival mean celebrity guests also include James Brown and Eric Clapton. Deep Purple recorded Smoke on the Water here after the nearby casino burnt down. Alongside the Montreux
Jazz Café and Funky Claude’s Bar, its star dining attraction is the Terrasse du Petit Palais, an outdoor restaurant in an adjoining building to the main hotel, directly overlooking the lake – sunsets are spectacular. The hotel’s signature Sunday brunches – think Vegas or Dubai-scale banquets – draw people from miles around. The Swiss know their spas and the one here is exceptional – indoor and outdoor pool areas, plenty of saunas and Jacuzzis, and high-quality treatments. Unlike the rest of the hotel, the
spa area is modern, and the sleek look suits its smooth operation. All 236 rooms have been
recently renovated, and most overlook the lake. It’s definitely worth making sure your client gets a lake view and the chance to have an al fresco morning coffee on their wrought-iron balcony. Book it: From £251 a night, room-only.
fairmont.com
2 July 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 67
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