Hotel Review: Jiva Hill Resort, Crozet
The weather was not pleasant for the last few weeks in Lausanne, and I needed another relaxing weekend getaway. So it was mid of May, far from summer holidays still and therefore perfect for recovering a bit and catching up on sleep that was much needed since weeks. Having seen all of the most remarkable hotels in the proximate area of Lake Geneva, I wanted a swimming pool and the chance to play a round of golf to get a clear mind. Jiva Hill popped up in my head as I heard they were closing due to renovation but then recently reopened with stunning architecture and not an official picture yet to be posted. I was in for a total surprise and decided to go there for Friday night. Although the traffic is always a nightmare between Geneva and Lausanne, I made it under two hours to Crozet, which is a small town across the Swiss-French border close to the international airport of Geneva. The rain did not stop, but neither did my passion for luxury hotels even that weekend where I already began to count the hours until I leave Lausanne.
Even though the environment across the border is total French in all ways - which I as it is so different from Switzerland and still just across the river, I was impressed when all of a sudden there popped up a vast resort. I drove through the gate and felt like in another world. Generally, Crozet is not the most picturesque town of France (compared to Saint Tropez), however, when you enter the actual property, everything looks posh and well maintained. While I was driving up the street towards the hotel, I was passing the golf course, the first tee and the restaurant. They have free outdoor parking where I parked the car for this one-night stay, and I am not sure if there would have been a garage. Since I didn’t stop in front of the hotel, I took my Rimowa suitcase by myself, which was fine since I generally tend to request porter service only when travelling with a few suitcases and bags.
Jiva Hill was recently renovated with new lobby spaces and a brand new restaurant, and once entering, I was blown away by the beautiful design of the lobby. Check-in took a bit of time but was handled in a very friendly way, and I was then accompanied to my room, which is always a great plus. We walked by the newly designed bar, the soon to be refurbished bistro restaurant and the spa reception and relaxation room whose location is a bit split up considering everyone walking by can spot you in your bathrobe. Once we arrived at my room on the first floor, I was a bit impressed by the neat layout. I hate the classic hotel room layout (entrée, bathroom on your right with shower/tub combo, and then the bedroom) so it is always cool to see new ideas of how to make a room look bigger.
This time I was booked in a Deluxe room (their entry-level room category) just with an upgrade to a beautiful view of the Jura mountain ridge. The room had an entrée with a separate toilet on the right, a walk-in wardrobe to the left. When you walk further, you reach the bedroom with a king bed, two armchairs facing the view, a television with quite a good selection of international channels. Jiva Hill even has Video on Demand in the room and a cinema downstairs where you can choose to watch any of the movies provided. One highlight of the room was the spacious balcony that was accessible from the bedroom with two chairs and a very peaceful view of the green golf course and the mountains in the back which even had a bit of snow. The next highlight from my point of view was the stunning bathroom – honestly the best hotel bathroom in any standard hotel room. Filled with daylight, this little piece of heaven had double vanities, a large free-standing bathtub from where you could either watch television or the Jura mountains as well as a vast shower with two shower heads.
I have to say that even though two shower heads might sound like a waste, it is not at all. Generation Y loves to make the best use of their time, and when we look into the new hotel openings (such as the Rosewood Hong Kong), double showers are the thing to have at hotel bathrooms in 2019. All bathroom amenities are by Carita Paris and have a decent smell, the last time I had them was at The Thief in Oslo, so I was delighted to have them again. Towels were of good quality and sufficiently provided. Before dinner I quickly hopped into the bathrobe and checked out the spa and pool, however, the spa was on the small side with a tiny sauna, a steam bath and a cool pod in the basement, so I decided to spend the time at the vast indoor pool with warm Jacuzzi next to it. As part of the renovation they also built a new outdoor pool with a bar which looks impressive, however, was still closed due to the weather. Furthermore, there is a private Nordic spa to rent upon a notice (but free of charge) next to the outdoor pool – a lovely touch for couples and a round of friends.
Soon after I went back to the room to change and get ready for dinner at the dazzling restaurant that was just reopened days ago. A few French wines later, I fell asleep and had a good rest even though the walls are a bit thin for my taste and I could hear a conversation from the adjacent room once. I continued my sleep without problems and could even leave the balcony doors open a bit to get fresh air – there was no noise from the street nor anything else than birds. Ready for breakfast, I was excited about what they had prepared for the first meal of the day. Being served in the same outlet where I had dinner, there was an excellent medium-sized buffet along with a few a la carte dishes, however, there was no menu for it. Upon asking if I could have eggs benedict, they suggested taking the fried egg as they didn’t get my request or don’t serve this kind of dish. Even though I always had the best eggs benedict of my life at Relais & Chateaux properties, there are selected member hotels that don’t serve them.
Before check-out, I had a tee time at the lovely 9-hole golf course which can also be played in 18 holes. The golf course is in perfect condition, and quite a few people were playing, which surprised me – especially that there is a high number of children playing golf at Jiva Hill. It’s great to see a course supporting the youth! Overall, I had an enjoyable stay at a modern Relais & Chateaux property, fulfilling my expectations. Being listed as a five-star-hotel, Jiva Hill has all the amenities you would expect of such a hotel including a gourmet restaurant, spa and spacious rooms. It will be interesting to see the hotel again once the renovation is fully finished, the pictures and the new spaces already look splendid, so keep up the excellent work.
We were guests of Jiva Hill Resort for editorial purposes, however all above written expresses our own opinion and hasn’t been influenced. This trip was arranged by agence 14 septembre for organising the stay.
