Hôtel Angleterre & Résidence

An offshoot of the adjacent Beau-Rivage Palace, a hotel we’ve described in these pages as “one of the few remaining for the modern aristocrat,” the Angleterre isn’t exactly slumming it either. From the outside, it looks like a classic Swiss resort, all manicured gardens and stone façades, set at the edge of Lake Geneva with the snowcapped Alps above, but inside it’s something else entirely, as thoroughly contemporary as the palace next door is classic.

Not that it lacks for history, nor for atmosphere. Hotel Angleterre counts one Lord Byron as a one-time resident. (Fleeing scandal in England, he arrived in 1816 in a replica of Napoleon’s coach, with a peacock and a monkey among his entourage.) Strolling the gardens or taking a meal on the breezy terrace of the restaurant, watching antique ferries cruise across the lake, it’s easy enough to appreciate the place’s original appeal. It’s just that now, after a day exploring the towns around the edges of the water or plodding through the nearby vineyards, you can retire to a room with a pristine bathroom, a fine glowing screen, wi-fi and all the rest.

Hotel Angleterre is sufficiently high-functioning, in fact, that it’s a top local choice for business travelers and conference attendees. (One of the converted mansions is dedicated exclusively to private functions.) If you’re in Lausanne on business, it’s a fine option, while guests here for leisure are in good historic company, and perfectly well taken care of — though if you and your animal entourage plan to make an entrance like Byron in a horse-drawn coach, these days they may be more understanding at the old-school place next door.