Imperial Palace ★★★★

Straight off a postcard - the Imperial Palace sits at the foot of the mountains, its elegant façade overlooking the calm lake, surrounded by fragrantly floral gardens and lush green woodland in summer, or white snow and crisp air in winter. On the inside, huge elegant windows combine with white walls and furnishings to make everything luminous and refreshingly airy. With simple and unpretentious décor, the emphasis is on comfort. Rooms are stylishly contemporary with all the mod-cons. Sleek wood panelling in the lobby, bedrooms and state-of-the-art fitness centre, make the hotel feel like something between an enormous lakeside cabin and a grand château.

After tucking into an outstanding array of typical French breakfast treats, you have a choice of how to fill your days. For the more energetic, the alpine scenery lends itself to a wide range of summer and winter activities, while Annecy itself is also a treat. The vieille ville (old town) is a jumble of pastel-coloured houses adorned with fragrant geraniums, and its ancient monuments, including a castle perched on an island, ooze medieval intrigue.

The hotel offers two fairly contrasting spaces – the spa and the casino. The spa, for when you want to unwind, de-stress, and warm up or cool down depending on whether it is snowy or sunny outside; and the casino for a bit of excitement and glamour, bringing Las Vegas to rural France. Taking inspiration from the mighty neighbouring lake, the spa offers relaxation through water, with an array of top-of-the-range facilities and revitalising treatments. Meanwhile, the casino offers all the traditional games you could want, in a chic atmosphere.

At the casino restaurant, La Rotonde, you might feel like James Bond, sipping on a refreshing cocktail and enjoying some sophisticated cuisine, whilst surveying your fellow casino-goers. The hotel is not however one to present its guests with any kind of Hobson’s choice, and offers several dining options. La Voile is the gastronomic highlight, awarded ‘three forks’ it boasts a menu of refined French fare, a spectacularly beautiful terrace, an impressive wine selection and a formidable reputation. Then, the Brasserie dishes up sumptuous set menus made from local produce, and another stunning terrace.

Over the years this grand palace has attracted guests of the calibre of Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, George VI, the Sultan of Morocco and Edith Piaf. In case you think the last of those names sounds familiar but are struggling to place it, allow me to finish by simply saying that after my stay at the Impérial Palace, “je ne regrette rien”!