The Montreux Fairmont Palace is a luxury hotel, with
extraordinary views over Lake Geneva, beautiful public areas
within the hotel, conveniently located just across the
street from the lake. It has several restaurants within the
hotel, several pools, spas, and a beautiful lawn area
overlooking the water.
We decided to splurge, and spend three nights here in mid
July. With the high price comes high expectations, which,
unfortunately, were not met.
First the good: We stayed in a deluxe room with a balcony
view of the lake. The room was big, clean, with fridge and
coffee maker, and a large luxury bathroom with two sinks, separate tub
and shower.
The hotel itself was beautiful, both inside and out. We
enjoyed a late afternoon drink on the terrace overlooking
the lake, and had a tasty (but expensive) meal at a table
with a beautiful lake view. The service was great.
The reception staff was attentive. When I came in from my
early morning exercise walk, sweating, they ran up and gave
me a cold bottle of water.
The hotel is centrally located. It is a short bus ride to
the Chateau de Chillon, an extraordinarily well preserved
castle nearby. If you like history and castles, this castle is a
must visit. There are multiple restaurants near the
hotel. And there is a scenic promenade walkway along
the lake, just a short 1 minute walk away. The boat
dock is an easy 5 minute walk. From here, you can visit
every other town on the lake, including nearby Lausanne.
The train station is an easy 10 minute walk.
On the downside: Our room on the 5th floor was way too hot,
even with the air conditioning at full blast. The A/C is run
on lake water, which limits it's effectiveness. It was warm
outside, 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Centigrade), and
we could not sleep comfortably. The bathroom floor is
heated; the heat could not be turned off which compounded the problem.
The balcony on our room was tiny. My wife and I could both
fit on it, but barely.
Finally, we were there just after the Montreux Jazz
Festival. Our beautiful view of the lake was obstructed by
a crane, and the constant noise of workmen taking down the
buildings, stage, etc. Avoid the days after the Montreux Jazz Festival.
We enjoyed our stay in Montreux, but we'd probably choose
another hotel next time.