As a traveller, I’ve long thought that you can’t have it all. If you like wine tasting, for example, you may have to put up with a bit of snobbery. Looking for mountain walks? Forget fine cuisine. And if you want to visit a farm, then don’t expect to remain spotless.
This summer, Switzerland’s Lake Geneva region proved me wrong on all counts. Combining bon vivant pleasures with understated efficiency, this is a place free from touristic strife — an idyllic land where cowbells ring, vineyards stretch for miles and everything is delightfully tidy and clean.
A flight from London Heathrow to Geneva is a short hour and a half on Swiss Airlines, whose comfortable chairs and calm atmosphere provide a welcome contrast to the drudge of the British budget carriers. A croissant and a coffee later, it’s time to disembark and hop on a train that whisks passengers in less than an hour to the lakeside town of Cully, at the heart of the Lavaux wine region. A spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, the area consists of 830 ha of vineyards carpeting the slopes of Lake Geneva’s shore, with 14 historic villages dotted throughout. In between lie 10,000 terraces built by 11th century monks, who presumably had quite a lot of time on their hands.
Cully, a picturesque medieval village with a sleepy, relaxed feel, is liable to set off some genuine real estate envy with its grand, pastel-coloured winegrowers’ family houses, some of which are over 500 years old. Our group stopped for lunch at the Auberge du Raisin, a charming 15th century family inn that offered simple yet beautifully-prepared dishes such as Gambas (prawns) à la Provençal on a flower-filled terrace.
Sitting in this medieval village in the sun, it’s easy to get excited about the possibilities for imbibement ahead. Lavaux is eminently accessible – it can be walked, biked, or explored via quaint little tractor-pulled trams which ferry tourists between vineyards for tastings. If you come in June, you can buy a wine glass for a bargain 15 Swiss francs, and wander from cellar to cellar, sampling wines (including those made from Switzerland’s iconic grape, the Chasselas), at no extra cost. At other times, you can simply ring up a winemaker and arrange a private tasting. We visited local fifth generation vintner Melanie Weber, who showed us the giant basket press in her village house where she crushes her grapes by foot.
After a stroll around Melanie’s nearby vineyards, accompanied by her friendly, lanky dog, it was time to head to our hotel — the five-star Mirador Kempinski, perched on Mont-Pèlerin far above the lakeside vineyards. It’s a five star experience worthy of a Russian oligarch, with rooms offering spectacular views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The pool and vast sundeck are the perfect vantage point to drink in the gob-smacking scenery.
A short stroll away sits Au Chalet, the Kempinski’s traditional Swiss restaurant that specialises in fondue. It’s a dish, I soon realise, that can get as complicated as a fine wine, with varieties of AOC cheese from specific family dairies aged and blended to exacting proportions. Sitting on the outdoor balcony, we let the evening slip into dusk, dipping bread and cornichons into bubbling pots of fragrant Gruyère and Vacherin.
In the morning, we ride a funicular down to the city of Vevey and take a 23-minute train journey to the town of Bex, the starting point for an ascent into the Alps. A railcar departs hourly, climbing through the forest like a steady mountain goat. The 40-minute trip to the resort of Villars-sur-Ollon offers spectacular views, and in no time at all, pine trees and wildflowers appear on all sides.
Once at Villars, one of the two main resorts in the area, we make our way to the five-star Chalet RoyAlp, where the welcome is warm and the decor comfortingly lodge-like. My large yet cozy room features high wood-beamed ceilings and a bath fit for a hippo. I am delighted.
The efficient Swiss make it astoundingly easy to get around. Visitors staying in the local towns of Villars, Gryon or Diablerets, automatically receive a ‘Free Access Card’ that they can use on buses and trains, and for activities such as swimming and historical tours.
For our first outing, we are whisked off to the stunning Golf Club Villars. As someone with no interest in the sport, I’m a bit annoyed that the golfing clan always seems to bag the best locations. It’s well worth going anyway, however, to enjoy the 360 degree mountain scenery from the deck of the clubhouse, including a view of Mont Blanc in the distance. And if you are interesting in trying out your swing, a Free Access Card entitles the holder to a free introductory lesson.
For those more interested in eating, the area offers dining with an almost ridiculous amount of atmosphere. The Restaurant du Miroir de l’Argentine, a rustic building tucked away in a beautiful valley, sits under a geological feature called ‘the mirror’ – a smooth limestone face that reflects the sun brilliantly as it sets. Arriving there in the early evening, we are greeted by a chorus of cows’ bells ringing magically from the hillsides. Inside, over a glass of crisp beer, the charismatic proprietor, dressed in traditional Swiss shepherd’s garb, introduced the dishes of the day in theatrical fashion, sketching illustrations on the backs of our menus while offering descriptions in perfect English. From the bounty of local delights, I select the feuilleté au fromage, a delicate cheese pastry, and the cassolette de champignons. After enjoying these delicious treats, we are tempted with dessert. Our host brings over a cannister of special raspberry mousse from the kitchen for us to try. After tasting a bit, I resist the urge to tip the nozzle straight into my mouth.
For our final hoorah, we pay a morning visit to a high-altitude mountain farm for a taste of the local cheese. The farm, a collection of rustic buildings perched on top of the 1800m Alpine pass Col de la Crois, is run by the Mottiers, one of about a dozen families who produce an origin-controlled cheese called Etivaz. We head past the chicken coup and Edelweiss plantings to the cheesemaking room. The cheesemakers dutifully ignore our incessant picture snapping while maneuvering a giant iron cauldron of milk to and from a wood fire, a procedure that has remained much the same since the Middle Ages. The Etivaz, we are informed, changes colour throughout the season, with the yellow mountain flowers the cows eat giving it a sunnier hue in the spring.
Energetic travellers can work off their cheese breakfast by hiking back down to Villars. For us, however, it’s back to the minivan. After an emotional parting with the farm dog, who comes over for head rubs, sits on our feet, and refuses to budge, we drive down to Villars. Like a squirrel preparing for winter, I buy as much Etivaz as possible in the town shop and stuff it into my bag. If I’m lucky, it will last until the next visit. It won’t be too long, I hope.
View Hotels in Ollon, Switzerland
For more information on destinations in the Lake Geneva region, including the holiday resort of Villars-sur-Ollon, visit the MySwitzerland website.
For further information of the Lake Geneva Region, please visit the official tourist board website.
Sonia flew Swiss Air from London to Geneva. For more information on flights from the UK to Switzerland, visit: www.swiss.com.
Finally, for travelling round Switzerland contact call Switzerland Travel Centre on 00800 100 200 30 or visit www.swisstravelsystem.co.uk.
