PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Surpassed only by La Cigogne, this is one of the most elegant and prestigious hotels on Geneva's Left Bank. Positioned a few steps from both the cathedral and the medieval Maison Tavel, it utterly lacks the late-19th-century grandeur of its government-rated five-star competitors across the river, on the north bank of the Rhône. Instead, you'll find a labyrinth of narrow corridors, and architectural gemstones that include beamed (and sometimes frescoed) ceilings and carefully preserved remnants of the building's 17th century origins. Each unit is different from its neighbors, usually with exposed brick or stone, and each alternates modern plumbing with richly detailed tile work in its bathrooms. This is not a blockbuster Belle Epoque hotel. The ambience here is cozy and well upholstered, with an ostentation that's subtle and based for the most part on the building's sense of quirky antique charm.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Switzerland, 13th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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