La Tour d'Ivoire

The train line runs very close to the hotel, so you may hear an early train or the level crossing. The shutters and windows block most of the sound and light, though. Reignier is about a 10-minute walk away if you need to get there. The owners were really friendly and arranged a very late check-in after my flight was delayed. It’s a comfortable place to stay.

Breakfast is pretty basic, but it was fine. The hotel is good, and it’s run by a lovely family. There’s a restaurant next door serving home-cooked food. I’d like to rate it higher, but basic and good is about right.

The staff made us feel like family, which was a great way to begin our trip. Brian, the owner, is from the U.S. and spoke fluent English. He shared tips on what to do and avoid in Switzerland, which put us at ease since this was our first time in Europe. Breakfast was included, with fresh bread, local cheeses, pancakes, cereal, yogurt, pastries, sliced meat, milk, water, juice, and coffee. Brian was up early getting it ready, and I enjoyed talking with him. We were a family of five, with three kids, visiting Switzerland and stopping first in Geneva. La tour d'Ivoire was very convenient, about a two-minute walk from the SBB train tracks. Check-in was quick, and our clean room had a beautifully painted landscape mural. The bathroom was also very clean and had all the amenities. There’s a supermarket about five minutes away, with a pizza standup food cart in its parking lot. I went there for a phone charger outlet adaptor, but the store was closed. Brian lent us his personal charger until the next day, then brought plates and napkins so we could eat the pizza in our room. He also found us a reusable shopping tote bag from France after I mentioned we collect one from each city we visit, and gave it to us for free.

This works nicely as a stop on a drive to the Alps: arrive late on Friday, ski at Flaine or another nearby resort on Saturday, then continue on to your final destination.