Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXI

2 7 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I When it’s time to rest, Le Richemond Hotel is a fine choice for accommodation. Located in the city centre with a bird’s eye view of the famous Jet d’Eau fountain, it’s a stylish property that oozes easy sophistication. The hotel is part of the esteemed Dorchester Collection and boasts an illustrious history. Originally a family hotel established in 1875, the hotel has since offered refined board and services to an array of distinguished guests, fromHollywood icons and artists to international dignitaries and authors. A stay at Le Richemond means you will be walking the same corridors and enjoying the same impeccable hospitality as did 20th century icons such as Charlie Chaplin, Louis Armstrong, Sophia Loren, Marc Chagall and Rita Hayworth. The hotel has obviously expanded over the last 140 years and now there are 109 rooms, with 22 suites offering a lake or courtyard view. Signature suites have luxurious marble bathrooms and stunning vistas of the snow-cappedMont Blanc or the manicured Brunswick Gardens. Le Jardin restaurant is much vaunted for its Swiss wine and cuisine and the Le Spa by Sisley is a badly kept secret for being an almost peerless haven in the city. Hotel President Wilson is also an assurance of the best hospitality in the city. Named after the former US President, Woodrow Wilson, located next to the headquarters of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights and just a short stroll from the shores of Lake Geneva, the hotel has one of the most expensive suites in the world. The Royal Penthouse suite costs 75,000 Swiss Francs ($75,850) per night and has had numerous heads of state and celebrities enjoy its luxury. There are a further 179 rooms and 48 suites in the hotel that are muchmore modestly priced, but the President Wilson reassuringly expensive. The dining is also exceptional, with Arabesque serving Lebanese cuisine by Chef Elias Aza. The SO caviar bar is a smooth and sophisticated haunt for the evenings, decadently designed with fine mosaics and indulging guests with Beluga Naccarii and Oscietra caviar. Geneva may be one of the world’s most expensive cities to live, but then it always scores in the top ten for cities with the best quality of life.