Hostellerie du Vignier
We spent the last two nights of the vacation in one of the most beautiful places we have ever been in on the surface of Earth. we turned out of the road descending from (the Swiss) Fribourg to the shore of the lake of Geneve (Lehman) to the area of Gruyere near the lake of the same name (also giving its name to the famous cheeses). Six kilometers before the small town of Gruyeres with its castle which we were to visit the next day we found on a curve of the road the small hotel and restaurant Hostellerie du Vignier.
lac de la Gruyere
Although we were prepared for a picturesque place the landscape that can be seen from the hotels windows or from the terrace of the two restaurants in the hotel is unique. The lake can be seen in all its splendor towards South, with an island and an elegant bridge with a classical shape reminding the paintings of the Renaissance masters.
a closer view
A funny episode happened on the road to the hotel. We were stopped by traffic police on an almost empty road. Routine check I guess, and they were so intrigued and interested to check my Israeli driving license – probably the first of its kind they had ever seen.
sunset over the lake
The hotel kept by an energetic couple named Claude and Christine Jaccottet has seven rooms and two restaurants. If you book a room I strongly recommend that you ask (and pay for) a room with view to the lake, very much worth the extra 20 CHF. The only thing that did not work as advertised was the Internet in the rooms, but this was a good reason to go down and have a glass of wine on the terrace. Breakfast is also quite basic especially when compared with the food in the restaurants.
restaurant gastronomique
There are two restaurants at the Hostellerie du Vignier. Customers come not only from the hotel clients but from the village and cities around, as the place is famous for is cuisine. Booking for dinner is recommended especially at the restaurant gastronomique which has only a few tables, even if you stay at the hotel.
pour faire le palais
We dined the first evening in the more expensive restaurant gastronomique. The haut-cuisine menu changes a few time a year, I see that by December it was different than the one we were served with in September and by February it will change again after a break for a period of a month and a half during which the hotel is closed.
le filet de bison
We had a beautiful three course menu with a sophisticated salad as a starter, a filet de bison et sa compote d’endives au miel et au thym as main course for me …
les meringues
and the meringues et la crème double de la Gruyère as desert for Liliana with a plate of French and Swiss cheeses for me.
Hurlevent
This was the wine – we tried one of the Swiss brands which they call their best kept secret and is actually consumed almost in totality in Switzerland. The slopes descending to the lake of Geneve are actually one of the best vineyards areas in the country.
entree a la brasserie
The next day we dined at the brasserie which has a less expensive menu – yet quite attractive and nicely presented as well. Here is the starter.
Chardonnay Domaine Jean-René Germanier
The wine that evening was a delicious Chardonnay.
night over lake Gruyere
We took a few more photos when night fell down over the lake. It’s a great location for visiting the Gruyeres area and a great place to stay and eat. Highly recommended!