Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva

Difficult to fault the Grand Kempinski: about the best location in town, on the quayside opposite the Jet d'eau, and just a few minutes walk from the old quarter, with fabulous restaurants nearby in Le Paquis.

The rooms are huge as are the bathrooms, and very elegant. Even the unrefurbished rooms are fresh and classy.

The only complaint is that there is no tea and coffee in the room, and it needs to be ordered from room service. Trust me, at Kempinski prices, that makes you wince.

Some bathrooms have 'his and hers' sinks with two sets of everything. There is also a useful (if expensive) internet-on-TV system with a wireless keyboard.

Unique Quality: Currently (summer 2007) a number of floors are being refurbished and so the restaurants are not all in operation and breakfast is served in the room, which may not be to everyone's liking. It is worth noting that if you arrive late in the evening and the Chinese restaurant is closed, the hotel's night club - the Java Club - has a superb restaurant open until very late. It can be a difficult to find (one of the receptionists had no idea where it was!): you need to cross the street outside and then go down into the subway back across the road (!) and the entrance to the Java Club is in the underground passageway. Slightly odd arrangement, but worth it.

Expect to pay upwards of US$300+ per night.

Directions: On the waterfront. 5 minutes walk from the station.