My holiday in Annecy France

Last year my husband and I visited the town of Annecy an alpine town where River Thiou meets Lac d’Annecy. We went on a romantic getaway weekend a few months after I had given birth to my baby girl, so it was lovely for us both to enjoy each other’s company in this French town. I d like to share my experience with you and then I invite you to watch the VIDEO CLIP I put together, showing filmings of everything I speak about and more !

L’Imperial Palace Hotel

This 4 star hotel overlooks Lac d’Annecy. Built in 1913, this casino and conference hotel is located only 40 km from the Geneva airport, so apart from enjoying this area, you could perhaps combine a holiday with both Annecy and Geneva in the same week. Here we enjoyed many pleasant morning walks along the lake, with views of little French boats and swans quacking peacefully. The views here are splendid.

The Imperial Palace Hotel offers naturally well-lit rooms, feature minibars, flat-screen TVs and free WiFi. We got upgraded rooms with a balcony and lake views from where we could just relax, sipping tea reading magazines in peace. The hotel also offers sleek suites with whirlpool tubs and/or terraces.

This hotel has two restaurants, a brasserie and a stylish bar, both serving seasonally inspired cuisine. It also includes a casino with game tables and slots plus very large meeting rooms that can host up to 500 people. In fact we were there as guests for an event called the Cannonball Run Europe that was going to host the Gala Dinner.

I most of all I loved their generous and exciting breakfast including some French marmalades made in-house and loads of croissants in different flavours and sizes plus a few healthy options. All this breakfast heaven is served on the ground floor in the terrace overlooking a splendid garden overlooking the lake. What a splendid way to kick-start the day! I had to jump in the middle of the flowers to show you a glimpse of it!

I’m in no way surprised that this hotel is currently rated in the Top 10 List of Hotels in Annecy by TripAdvisor travellers and I will definitely stay here again next time we visit Annecy.

Address: Allée de l’Impérial, 74000 Annecy, France
Phone: +33 4 50 09 30 00
Website: www.hotel-imperial-palace.com

Vieille Ville and the Annecy Market

Annecy is one of loveliest French towns and since it has this Vielle Ville (old town) built on water canals, it has earned itself the nickname of “The Little Venice of France”. You will find here quite a few cafes and restaurants to check out some local cheeses and wines. We enjoyed some platters to share in the basking sun, people-watching and just living in the moment. Here you feel that time goes by very slowly. It’s that Medieval setting.

Here on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings you cannot miss the fantastic market in the old city along the winding cobbled streets with little stalls set up selling a variety of things including fresh vegetables, jewellery, antiques and local meats. We really enjoyed this market as you can see in the video.

There is the ancient prison in the middle of this beautiful setting which has been photographed by millions of travellers including myself. Strike a pose! This historical is very dominant in contrast to the pretty setting. This building has been restored and open to the general public as a museum.

Imperial Beach

Imperial Beach is located between the beach and Albigny Pâquier in Annecy. This beach is not free. For an entrance fee of about 5 euros, travellers are offered many facilities including diving, water slide, wading pool, bars and discotheque. This beach with green lawns all along the promenade is open daily from 10am to 7pm from June to August and is ideal for both couples and families with children because there are both trendy beach clubs and child-friendly sections that are suited for different tastes and budgets.

We enjoyed sunbathing and swimming here and also had a few cocktails at La Plage de L’Imperial at a trendy beach club with Asian decor and chill music tracks in the background. Ah ! Magnifique !

Supercars and the Cannonball Run Europe 2015 Final Stop

As I said earlier, we came to Annecy in the first place because as a car enthusiast I was keen to see first-hand some supercars including Porsches, Ferraris and Aston Martins arrive in one destination and enjoy a Gala Night with some of the participants of the car driving experience event called Cannonball Run Europe. It saw the participation of a dozen of petrol heads driving through a number of countries in one week, a breathtaking feat for any car lover. Needless to say, I got what I wanted when all these beautiful beasts came to the final stop – the car park of the Hotel where we were staying!