The Fairmont Le Montreux Palace Hotel is one of the leading hotels along the Swiss Riviera on Lake Geneva. Here visitors can enjoy a relaxed and jazzy atmosphere outside of the legendary Jazz Festival – namely in the restaurant Montreux Jazz Café. We let ourselves get inspired…
For anyone who loves jazz and Montreux, the Montreux Jazz Café is a MUST. We took a look around one evening and were amazed!
Le Montreux Jazz Café
The atmosphere in the Montreux Jazz Café is mystically inspiring, especially in the evening. The walls are decorated with a wealth of souvenirs and artefacts from Claude Nobs’ estate. Freddie Mercury’s kimono is also hanging up at the bar. Renowned jazz musicians, their faces furrowed from the long nights, smile at us from the walls. Is there a single jazz legend who never came to the Montreux Jazz Café?
The tables in the Jazz Café also cut a fine figure; colourful glasses, exquisite setting and decent decor are very inviting. During the dinner visitors can get inspired by the sounds of jazz played live next door at Funky Claude’s Bar.
To start we ordered a prawn avocado cocktail. Served like a musical bouquet, the little work of art tasted absolutely delicious!
For my main course I went with cod with grey shrimp. The kumbawa mashed potatoes were heavenly with their Asian flavour and only brought my attention to the little pan it had been served in. Fantastic!
The crowning finale of our meal was the crème brulée accompanied with decadent (homemade, of course) pastries.
Funky Claude’s Bar
During the evening we “sounded out” Funky Claude’s Bar. Captivated by the live music of Luciano Del Gaudio (guitar) and Juan Carlos Gonzalez (on the piano) we enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of the bar. And the drinks. Fascinated, we took a look around and were amazed at the diversity of the clientele here!
Hotel Fairmont Le Montreux Palace
Of course, after this atmospheric evening it was very convenient that we were quickly able to stay the night at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace. This five-star luxury hotel with Belle Époque architecture was constructed in 1906 and is a member of Leading Hotels of the World, as well as Suisse Deluxe Hotels. There’s nothing like going out in style ;-)
With its suites, restaurants and bars, its own conference centre and the Willow Stream Spa, the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace is not only one of the most prestigious hotels in Switzerland but also one of the largest in the Swiss Riviera. We were certainly blown over by the hotel’s management who open up (nearly) endless possibilities to the guest. No wonder the hotel has already been granted numerous awards. Bien joué, guys!
The rooms and suites
The Fairmont Le Montreux Palace is equipped with 236 bright rooms and suites, most of which have a magnificent panoramic view over Lake Geneva and the Alps on the other side. The rooms are decorated with class and style.
We were also able to snag a glance at the Freddie Mercury Suite, where the musical legend often stayed the night throughout his life (in the suite now named after him). Not bad!
Here is our report of our experiences at the hotel.
Our thanks goes out to…
… Montreux-Vevey Tourisme for the wonderful invitation and Gretz Communications for organising this visit.
A merci beaucoup to Michel Fouque, F&B Manager, for the highly informative tour, as well as to the attentive and friendly service personnel who always addressed us by name after checking in. Service at its best!
