Setting off from home after work on Friday, we had a sound plan. We were heading to the Sofitel at Heathrow, having a nice meal in their restaurant and then expecting a decent sleep before heading to the airport for our 8:10am flight on Saturday morning. We’d already checked in so all was well. However, British Airways had other ideas. Two hours into our journey to London, my phone flashed up with a text message.
“We’re really sorry your flight has been cancelled. To help get your travel plans back on track, we’ve rebooked you onto the next available flight which you can view at ba.com/managemybooking. Further information will be available via email shortly”.
For a moment I was annoyed but this quickly changed to wondering what to do. I clicked on the link and it offered us either a 6:10am flight on Saturday morning, or a business flight on Wednesday 29th. JC was adamant we weren’t getting up at silly o’clock to catch the early flight. He was tired from work meetings in London, but we had no alternative apart from cancel the flight. We would have lost money on the hotel so we stuck with our plan. We opted for the early flight which scuppered our Friday night plans a bit.
A four and a half hour drive later, after a diversion off the M1, and numerous speed restricting roadworks, we arrived at the Sofitel.
It was busy – really busy in fact, with people travelling for the Bank Holiday weekend and school holidays. We didn’t wait too long before checking in though. They messed up the room booking so we ended up with a family room which was very spacious and even had two bathrooms. We quickly dumped our bags and headed to the restaurant, La Belle Epoque. This French restaurant serves great quality fresh food. We’d pre-booked a set menu deal with a bottle of Lanson thrown in for good measure, but the head waiter insisted on a free upgrade to Veuve Cliquot. Of course, yes please, would be rude not to. The staff in this restaurant are also brilliant. We’ve been here before and they are always really friendly and attentive.
https://www.sofitelheathrow.com/restaurants-bars/la-belle-epoque/
We ate our meal, then headed back to our room. It was getting late and with an earlier than expected start we needed some shut-eye. It’s a pity that we couldn’t take full advantage of the complimentary mini bar but we needed our sleep (although I sneaked in a cheeky gin and tonic before my head hit the pillow).
No sooner had I gone to sleep and our 4am alarm woke me up. Well it felt like that. We literally packed up our stuff and checked out.
The beauty of the Sofitel is its easy access to Heathrow terminal 5. You literally walk along a covered walkway between there and the hotel, which takes less than five minutes.
Heathrow was quite busy even at that ungodly hour. We joined a queue for security and it wasn’t long before we were through to airside. We had a hot drink in the lounge, ate some fruit and waited for an announcement. We knew there was a 25 minute delay which was because we had to wait for a standby pilot to get to the plane!!
When we eventually took off our flight was one hour and fifteen minutes (BA stated on our booking that it took one hour forty). It was a good flight with hardly any turbulence. It all felt really relaxing and it was the same when we arrived at Geneva. There were a lot of staff at passport control, so we soon got through. We only had hand luggage so we exited into Geneva pretty quickly.
Here we found the transport hub where there are trains, buses and taxis available for onward travel. Our hotel had provided us with a Geneva transport card, free of charge, that allowed us to use public transport within certain zones. This included transport to the centre of Geneva. It is a large area and tourist information wasn’t very visible so we googled train times and soon we were on our way.
We caught the RE33 train, at 10:12am, that was heading for St-Maurice. It was quiet on the train, which took seven minutes to get to Gare Cornavin. This is Geneva’s one and only train station so very easy to navigate to.
We had the option of taking a bus to the hotel, but it was sunny so we decided to walk. Google Maps said it would take 18 minutes to walk, and it was a very nice walk. I took a few photos along the way; we were in no hurry.
We arrived at the hotel and were glad that we were able to check in even though we arrived before 12. The staff were really polite and helpful too.
The receptionist helped us with our bags to get to the room on the fifth floor. The hotel is described as historical and is tastefully decorated in a French style. It is very central, in the Place Longemalle. This is close to Lake Geneva and The Old Town.
https://www.longemallecollection.com/en/la-cigogne.html
We freshened up and headed out. JC was hungry and needed to eat so we went in the direction of the Old Town. It was beautiful and sunny, with a bit of a nip in the air, which didn’t bother me. We soon found a pasta place that hit the spot. We were seated in a covered outdoor eating area which was perfect.
I was thinking that my O’Level French would have to come into play to order from the menu, but the serving staff spoke good English so my best efforts went by the wayside. I had a nice lasagna washed down with some water and a glass of wine before we went to explore.
We went in the direction of Lake Geneva, which is a stone’s throw from our hotel. I wanted to check out the Jet d’Eau which is not difficult to spot.
This iconic symbol of Geneva is owned by the local utilities supplier, SIG. The company manages its operation and maintenance throughout the year. The original Jet D’Eau was built in 1886 to ease excess pressure at a hydraulic plant at La Coulouvreniere, but relocated to its current location in Geneva harbour in 1891. Water leaves the pump at 200 km/h and can reach a height of 140 metres. 500 litres of water per second are pumped out. Depending on the time of year, weather conditions or temperature may affect opening times.
https://www.geneve.ch/jet-eau-geneve
Once I’d taken some photos we decided to head towards the other side of the harbour, where we’d seen a lighthouse. We just meandered along, crossed the Mont Blanc bridge, taking in the sites. We made a stop at a good vista point where I had a photo taken with the Jet d’Eau in the background.
We then continued before stopping at the Bar Sur Place for a glass of wine. It was lovely watching the world go by, sitting at the edge of Lake Geneva in the early afternoon sun.
Moving along we arrived at the start of the jetty where the lighthouse was. There was a small kiosk there and it looked like a man was taking money for boat trips. We weren’t quite sure whether we could just pass to access the jetty but then a man said it was 2CHF to get on the jetty. This worked out at just a bit less than £4 for both of us.
We walked along the jetty where we saw people sunbathing on a shingle beach. There were lifeguards watching swimmers, and other people just relaxing reading a book. We also spotted the Bains des Paquis – a bathing area with decking and open bar/ restaurant. We decided to head to the Phare des Paquis first.
This lighthouse is approximately 130 years old, and replaced a former lighthouse that had been built in 1857. You can read more here:
https://phare-des-paquis.ch/en-de/
Once we’d seen what we needed to see we headed back to the Bains des Pàquis. There were a lot if people here, either sunbathing on the decking, swimming in the lake, or eating and drinking round the outdoor bar. We decided to just stop for a quick wine. It was a proper sun trap there so we didn’t stop long as the temperature was very hot.
http://www.bains-des-paquis.ch/en
We strolled back towards the hotel and stopped at the Flower Clock. The clock is made up of over 3000 plants which are changed each season. The hands of the clock were donated by Patek Philippe, a world- renowned clock and watch maker.
https://www.geneve.ch/horloge-fleurie
We went back to the hotel to recharge our batteries before getting ready and heading back out. We had no plans of where to eat, we just decided to go with the flow. I spotted a restaurant with outdoor and indoor seating that looked interesting. It was a decent looking pizzeria that’s located at the edge of the Rhône, called Le Lacustre. We weren’t waiting long before being seated outside, as requested. The menu consisted of pasta, pizza, seafood and meat dishes. I went for a pizza which arrived quickly and was fabulous. The only thing that spoiled our time there was some loud young men on the next table, wearing designer gear and Rolex watches and speaking several different languages. They smoked through the whole meal, demanded the staff bring their phones that they’d asked them to charge, and then were talking to people loudly on them. They were horrible people who had no regard for others around them. I said to JC that you can have all the money in the world but you can’t buy good manners. Thankfully they left before we finished our meal.
https://lelacustregeneve.ch/en/
Despite this, the highlight of my evening was seeing Sir Chris Witty being seated at a table close by. He looked like he was on official business as he was carrying a laptop bag. He was having a meal with a younger lady, also carrying a laptop bag, who could have perhaps been his assistant. Anyway, he looked relaxed and was enjoying his meal. I had to sneak a photo by pretending to take one of JC. It made my day.
After paying we headed back towards the hotel. The area was buzzing with people sitting outside cafes and restaurants. It had a great vibe. We were just a bit too jaded after our early start so headed back for a good night’s sleep.
PS. Did you know? British Airways cancelled almost 3% of all flights in 2023, according to data from the CAA (The Telegraph, 17.5.24). Ryanair only cancelled 0.34% and EasyJet 1.5%. For short haul flights, it ranked fifth lowest out of 17 airlines, with a satisfaction score of 57%.
jctraveller 
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