Great hotel overlooking the beautiful Geneva lake. We had a room facing the lake and it's amazing to open the curtains to this view every morning. Comfortable bed. The room was extremely clean and serviced every day. Very impressed by the housekeeping staff. They were efficient and polite. The only thing missing is a kettle. Coming from the UK where kettles/tea bags are provided in absolutely every hotel, it felt weird that there wasn't one available for guests.
My wife and I were visiting Lausanne for two nights and decided to stay at Hotel Du Port based primarily on its superb location by the lake. We booked the junior suite. We had been in touch with Laurent prior to arrival to make sure about the availability of breakfast and food, and he was very transparent about the fact that because of the Covid situation he had shut the restaurant. Real pity as having a meal with those gorgeous views would have been great.
The check-in was easy and we had a detailed conversation with Laurent about the situation with the current restrictions and how it was affecting his operations as well as other family run establishments like his. The suite was very spacious and clean and had everything we needed. The hotel was pretty quite and desolate though during our stay as there were only two other rooms occupied at that point.
It is an old building and it shows. But that also gives it character. The winner hands down has to be the gorgeous views right out of your window. Being on the lake front it is also close to everything in town, including easy access to the metro line. We had a lovely stay and hopefully things will be cheery again at the hotel.
The lake view here is just stunning - straight out onto the lake and mountains beyond. Laurent was a great host, very accommodating despite the covid restrictions, and I look forward to coming back to the hotel!
One of the smaller hotels on the lake front in Ouchy on Lake Léman. The hotel is a typical Swiss family run hotel - do not expect luxury. However, for the price it is good value for money. Room was of a good size, even if the fixture and fittings were a bit dated. The Lausanne Métro station is only a few minutes’ walk from the hotel.
We stayed at this hotel for one night at the end of June. The hotel is located on the main street in the ‘Ouchy’ area, across the street from a beautiful lake. This is an older, family-run hotel and restaurant that's in good condition.
You can add the breakfast buffet at their restaurant for $15/person with the typical European breakfast options.
Pros – Location. I preferred this area to the Lausanne old town area. For touring, it’s easy to get up to the Old Town area via the metro that’s very close (with a free pass you can get from the hotel) and the hotel is within walking distance of the Olympic Museum.
Size - this was the one hotel we stayed at in Europe that was a traditional US sized hotel room.
Cons – The biggest con is that there is no air conditioning in the rooms. There was a room fan that helped and with the windows open, it was manageable – even at the end of June.
They have no parking so you have to park a few blocks away in a public parking garage. You can get a discounted rate of $15 per night if you get a voucher from the hotel. I knew we’d need to pay for parking but it was disappointing that there was no way to pull up and drop off the luggage before parking the car.
I enjoy the smaller towns over bigger cities and really enjoyed the Lausanne area. It has an historic area, a beautiful waterfront, and is close to some great tourist sites (Olympic Museum, Chillon Castle). There is supposed to be wonderful hiking between vineyards and villages near the lake (TERRACES OF UNESCO LAVAUX). Unfortunately, the weather was too hot and we were short on time so didn’t have an opportunity to try those hikes.
