Lakes and luxury: A match made in Evian

There’s a photograph of my mother sitting next to the Rhone Glacier wearing a bright smile and a pretty 1950s summer dress.

It’s a record of her visit to Lake Geneva on the French-swiss border with the Young Women’s Christian Association, taken at a time when working-class girls from South Wales weren’t expected to holiday abroad.

Inspired by my mother’s stories, I knew I would one day visit the region myself. But, while mum stayed in a spartan Swiss ski chalet and endured a visit to the newly established United Nations in Geneva, I travelled with an old school friend to the luxurious Evian Resort on the French side of the lake.

It was a time before coronavirus, though only earlier this year. But, as the world wakes up, I can’t think of a more soothing place to be.

One of Europe’s great spas, the lakeside town of Evian-les-bains has been catering to the needs of the frazzled rich for at least two centuries.

The modern Evian Resort is more than just a hotel; it is two hotels, a concert hall, a children’s club, a funicular railway and a golf course, all set in 245 acres overlooking Lake Leman, which is what the French call Lake Geneva.

We arrive in style. An S-series Mercedes-benz, kitted out with Evian water and Swiss chocolates, is waiting at Geneva Airport. From there, Evian One, a state-of-the-art catamaran built with low-carbon technology, whisks us along the misty 45-mile lake to our destination.

Hotel Ermitage, our home for the first night, has been refurbished by interior designer Patrick Ribes in an “Anglo-normand” style. It has an informal vibe geared to families with young children. Le Spa Quatre Terres even offers a range of fruity mini-treatments for your little prince or princess.

Evian has always prided itself on the purity and minerality of their water, which filters naturally through Alpine rock, and this has led to the development of a bespoke treatment. As I lie on the bed, I try the Le Spa Quatre Terres’ signature body scrub – an abrasive salt rub, followed by a hot clay wrap and then a