Hi Everyone,
You know that feeling when you have only been away for a short 2 nights but come back home feeling totally refreshed. Almost as if you had been away all week. Well, this was exactly how we felt after spending 2 nights last weekend in Casa 26, one of the Otoctone properties on Lake Geneva in a small village Thonon-les-Bains.
The weekend adventure started with a just over 3 hour picturesque drive from Zurich. It’s one of my favourite routes passing by Gruyere, Canton Vaud vineyards and the pretty city of Montreux. Once through the French border it is a short drive until the avant-garde stylish Casa 26 gate comes up on your right. Venture down the windy driveway and only then will the architectural jewel Casa 26 show its face.
The front of the house is a mere 6 meters away from the shore. This combined with the 2 story window in the lounge makes you feel as if you are right on the water when inside the property.
Keep on reading for the full story of “A Hidden Architectural Jewel on Lake Geneva”.
A Hidden Architectural Jewel on Lake Geneva
Fun facts:
Casa 26 was built in 2010 by architects Michael Widrig and Daniel Kaufmann. The interior design is by Marc Dentand.
The whole building is made solely using three materials larch, black steel, and concrete.
There is 320 square metres internal living space with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, sleeping 10 people. It can be rented either on a weekly or long weekend basis.
The property comes with its own pier. In addition a public pier for boats to Evian or Lausanne is a mere 2 minutes walk away.
Welcome:
Arriving late afternoon, fabulous champagne and snacks waiting for us on the dining table made for the most perfect welcome ever. We spent the weekend with our friends to celebrate Nicola’s Birthday so champagne was a great start to the weekend.
I’m either waiting for a refill or someone to bring me grapes . I’ll let you decide – smile.
The lounge:
This room is simply stunning with (as mentioned previously) the huge 2 story window. Our friend Steve is a huge football fan and sitting there watching England play France on the great screen in front of him with the lake on his right side made him feel fabulous…
Lots of interesting art pieces dotted around, plenty of books to read. I even discovered a whole drawer filled with games (including water pistol -smile).
The fireplace being another piece de la resistance…
The Kitchen:
You also have a great view onto the lake from the kitchen. It was the best stocked rental kitchen I have ever seen. Filled with absolutely every herb imaginable, tons of tea and of course plenty of local cheeses, meats and bread etc. for breakfast.
The bedrooms:
There are 5 double rooms – including one self contained studio. I found the bed to be super comfy. This added to the tranquility of the surroundings meant both hubby and I slept like logs.
Walls and ceilings of each room are larch wood.
The bathrooms:
There are 4 bathrooms with one of them being in-between two of the bedrooms.
The walls are painted with a greenish blue Le Corbusier colour and showers covered with mixed mosaics in the same tones. Bringing the lake vibes into the house.
Dinner cooked by our personal chef:
There’s something about getting dressed up when you’re being cooked for. Besides which we were celebrating Nicola’s birthday.
Our dear chef was brilliant, he knew his way round and left us to simply enjoy the experience. Starting with apero in the lounge and then moving upstairs to the dining table for a delicious 3 course meal…I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Places to visit nearby:
This spa village famous for it’s waters is a perfect piece of French Belle Epoque. Enjoy the lakeside promenade, beaches, narrow pedestrian streets, terraces, golf course, casino, marina, and remarkable monuments that include the Villa Lumière.
A 14th century medieval village, Yvoire is a member of the Association of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”. Do check out the exceptional private garden classified “Remarkable Garden”. Enjoy a unique sensory walk where plants reveal their secrets.
A lovely 10 minute walk uphill from Casa 26. Filled with quaint shops and cosy restaurants. Currently having one of the cutest Christmas markets full of real locally produced products and not nearly as crowded as most Christmas markets this time of year.
For bookings/more information of other Otoctone properties:
www.otoctone.com
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Hi dear Yvonne thank you for your blog I love the house so nice and right on the lake it is nearly like being right on top of the lake it must be absolutely fabulous in the summer time you can just walk out of the house and go for a swim how nice is that and I love the decor and the fireplace so cosy love every thing
Excellent place to spend some time with friends! Thanks Yvonne – really enjoyed the weekend. Would love to visit again and the food from the chef was excellent!
Spent a luxurious last weekend at the lake shore gem. Splendiferous comfort and pampered high living, as can be seen by the pictures of the culinary delight from the master chef. Super setting, great over the Christmas period, and actually any time. Cold water swimming (people love it)? This is the place. Warm water swimming? This is the place. A hearty recommendation for somewhere rather special.