Château de Bossey

It’s wonderfully quiet out here, in a stunning location in the middle of nowhere. You’ll probably want to arrive by car, though, and there’s a huge amount of parking. The rooms are cozy, with a nice view, and breakfast and coffee were good. The only thing I’d change is the toilet brush, lol.

The room felt small, and on warm days it was stuffy because there wasn’t much ventilation. There’s no tea or coffee setup or drinking water in the room, and once reception closes around 7 or 8 in the evening, you can’t get a drink. The coffee machine in the restaurant needs a tag, and there’s no way to ask for anything after reception shuts. For what we paid, the room didn’t feel worth it. The grounds and building are picturesque, and the location is beautiful, away from the city. The staff were very nice and friendly. You really need a car to get there. There’s a shortcut from Celingy Village, but it’s confusing and hard to find. I ended up by the nearby cemetery twice before finding the footpaths and bridge, which felt pretty scary. I actually considered going back to Geneva and booking another hotel 😂 Some signs along that road would help. I’ve attached a picture, follow the arrow to find the footpath.

A lovely escape from crowded, expensive city life, with quiet country roads winding through local towns and farmland. The views of the lake are beautiful, and there’s plenty of parking. Three meals are served each day, though only breakfast is included. The property used to be a private castle and still has a regal, palace-like feel. It now serves as a center for interfaith dialogue and offers reasonably good accommodation in the greater Geneva area. The historical architecture is fascinating, and it has been modernized respectfully. Peaceful and absolutely wonderful.

Before our meal, we walked around the chateau grounds, which were beautiful and peaceful. The food hall belongs to this World Council of Churches study center, and the food was okay, but not especially impressive. The dessert was the best part: a kind of bavarois with what seemed to be a raspberry, blackberry, and possibly red currant coulis, on a buttery crumb base. The salads tasted rather bland, and their dressings were so subtle they seemed tasteless. There was also an uncomfortable moment with one of the young servers at the cafeteria-style steamtable. You choose your food there, and staff behind it put your selections on a plate. I was behind my friend as she ordered the vegetarian option, and I wanted the same thing. I assumed the person serving her was the one handling that dish, so I didn’t notice another young man standing there to serve food. When I finally saw him, he was glaring at me. I apologized for not noticing him, but he accepted it very ungraciously. His coworker, who had been serving the vegetarian dishes, stepped in to smooth things over and spoke kindly to me with a smile. The other server’s hostility made me feel unwelcome and really put me off. It was completely unnecessary. I’d gone to Chateau de Bossey recently for lunch with friends who had stayed overnight there before and stop there for a midday meal on their trips from Germany to the south of France.