A Weekend at Four Seasons Hotel Des Bergues, Geneva
Geneva ranks among the most expensive cities in the world to live in for years. Being situated in a well-established country like Switzerland is one reason, the unparalleled view of Europe’s highest mountain and strategic location surrounded by France and close to Italy are perhaps the real winning reasons. Driving along Quai du Mont-Blanc on this sunny Friday afternoon with a deep blue sky on a crystal clear lake where one huge water fountain marks the city’s skyline, feels like the entryway to perfection. Four Seasons is known to manage pole position buildings, however, the Hotel des Bergues is one of the company’s masterpiece properties. Quite hesitating do I decide to turn left what is designated as a pedestrian area, however, seconds later I realized my GPS wasn’t wrong. A friendly bellman opened the door before saying “Welcome to the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues”. I was up for a special treat this weekend right in front of the Ile Rousseau where the Rhône leaves Lake Geneva for his way into the Mediterranean Sea. Before I could turn around to enjoy the view of the iconic building, I was accompanied towards the main entrance where the porter discreetly asked for my reservation name.
As soon as I showed up at the front desk, a friendly front desk attendant greeted me in German and of course by my last name (which he was informed by the bellmen). Check-in was smooth and professional just like you would expect it from a hotel of this calibre. Arriving on time is something I rarely manage to succeed in, however, I keep getting better lately and therefore was happy to get a hotel tour before heading towards my room. Well, at this point I have to admit that I had the privilege to stay at one of the property’s Speciality Suites: the Presidential Suite Lake View. It’s safe to say that this is of the most beautiful hotel suites I have ever stayed at. Well, let’s go into more details: Upon opening the door of the suite, I was immediately flashed by the amount of daylight that flooded the living room at 4 pm in February. A super comfy and elegant sofa, next to a coffee table and two swivel armchairs, was the main actor of this contemporary and high-ceilinged suite. Of course, there was a massive flatscreen television that had both, AppleTV and a Chromecast for streaming any movie or song from your phone or Apple device. Four Seasons is doing a great job lately keeping in-room technology state-of-the-art. It also offers the only hotel application I use on my iPhone since I love the chat function and online ordering for turndown service and additional amenities such as an ice bucket or a dental kit.
Booking such a suite comes with an array of welcome amenities such as a bottle of champagne, fresh fruits (replenished daily), welcome pralines and an etagere with pastries and sweets. Bottled water (still and sparkling) is also refilled twice daily by housekeeping and a much-appreciated service rarely seen these days. Besides the spectacular view of Lake Geneva, the old town and the Jet d’Eau, we could also glimpse the Mont Blanc two times during our weekend stay – thanks to the picture-perfect weather that must have been arranged by the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues as well. Honestly, I haven’t seen the sun in Geneva before - I have lived in Lausanne for three years. Another game-changer was the super-cosy bedroom right next to the stellar bathroom that wins the award for the “sexiest bathroom alive”. The classic heavenly bed by Four Seasons has transported our eight hours of sleep to the best hours in 2022 and the soundproofed windows did the rest with no noise at any time from the outside once closed. Needless to say, we kept the French doors open throughout the day to inhale every moment of this perfect view and unusually warm weather.
Apart from being speechless, the facts come as follows. The “minibar” is an actual bar equipped better than some five-star-hotel bars with a bottle of Roederer Cristal, Dom Perignon, Chateau d’Yquem, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (3000 Francs) and full-size spirits. Right across the bar was a dining table for four overlooking the old town of Geneva and river Rhône – serving as a breakfast setting on our first morning. Just next to the entrance was a small guest pantry which is a great add-on when you plan to welcome guests. The master bedroom came with a television and two French balconies as well as a comfy armchair with a footrest. Having introduced the stellar bathroom with a huge glass wall between the bedroom, this was the real game-changer. I can’t tell if it was the free-standing bathtub, the silver sinks, the hidden wardrobes, the electronic washlet or the full marble shower with hammam function – I believe it was the overall performance that astonished us. Unfortunately, I didn’t figure out the bathroom amenities game at Hotel des Bergues yet. While there are current pictures of other hotel guests where bathrooms come with the new Acqua di Parma toiletries, our bathroom was filled with the Bulgari White Tea selection.
During our time at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, the one-Michelin-starred Il Lago was closed for holidays. Hence breakfast was served in the Bar des Bergues on the ground floor right on the corner of the building. They have set up a small buffet with a selection of breakfast classics – in the highest quality while egg dishes and other mains were available to order. Even though I am on a diet, I had to skip twice for their one-of-a-kind French Toast (or how they use to call it “pain perdue”) – mouthwatering and for sure the best French Toast I have ever tried. I would even ditch my beloved eggs benedict for this heavenly dish! As mentioned earlier we tried room service on our first morning which was of course another level considering the private atmosphere and even more amazing view from our suite. Interestingly there is no room charge for guests wanting to have breakfast in-room, which is very convenient especially for lazy weekend mornings.
On the first evening, we were trying the Bar des Bergues for dinner. The dishes are similar to the ones at Il Lago and one could feel the concept of the chef when especially the perfectly marinated seabass carpaccio or the revisited Tiramisu – which indeed was the best version of this Italian dessert I have ever tried. Besides the pasta and risotto, we also tried to beef fillet with vegetables and dauphine potatoes – a very special treat and well worth a Michelin-star. Needless to say, we skipped the wine for their signature drink “Onyx” and a classic Pisco Sour. Overall the atmosphere at Bar des Bergues was very sophisticated and I loved to observe the guest mix meeting at the bar. Geneva is always a very interesting melting pot of cultures and types. After having tried Le Bar des Bergues and the dishes of Il Lago, one F&B outlet was still to be tested: Of course, we didn’t miss lunch at iconic Japanese in-house Restaurant Izumi, which we will report in detail in a separate article.
The main focus of our stay though was the spa. It’s been a while since I haven’t left a city hotel thanks to the fantastic spa and wellness offer (honestly during the 48 hours at Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, we only left three hours for dinner on Saturday night). Occupying the two top floors of the building, the newly built Spa Mont Blanc is a destination itself. Might it be the state-of-the-art gym with solely TechnoGym equipment and personal trainer on-site all-day, the gender-separated areas with a hammam or the outstanding indoor pool, this spa is one of the most beautiful I have seen so far. The pool has a perfect water temperature and is big enough for proper length swimming, while the vitality pool comes a little warmer with a lounge to enjoy the view of the city and the sunset. To make the stay perfect, I enjoyed a 50-minute deep-tissue full body massage which helped me to relax and forget that I am just snoozing away in the middle of one of Switzerland’s busiest cities. Setting standards in Geneva, Spa Mont Blanc comes with products by Swiss beauty brand Dr Burgener which is one of the most exclusive spa brands out there. If that all wasn’t enough, we discovered an elevator across our room door that directly lead to the pool on the seventh floor –the perfect match for us!
All that is left I can say is that I am still speechless, a week after my stay at one of Europe’s finest hotels. From the moment I entered the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues till the moment I left, I felt very welcome and had the feeling all departments were working together seamlessly. Mr Rhomberg does an incredible job managing one of the brand’s flagship properties in Europe just as it should be – legendary with an unforgettable touch. Having seen almost all high-end hotels in Geneva, the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues is next-level and out of competition in the westernmost city of Switzerland.
Disclaimer: We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues for editorial reasons. However, all the above written expresses the opinion of the author and hasn’t been influenced.
