I’m immediately immersed in the magic of the movies from the moment I step behind a cinema screen and onto the replica sets from Chaplin’s most famous films. The interactive museum is an ode to silent cinema icon Charlie Chaplin and is housed within the ten-acre estate on which he lived. Rolling my way out of the door and onto a northbound bus, a twenty-minute journey up meandering mountain roads brings me to Chaplin’s World. Locally caught Swiss Pike-perch fillets make for a lighter alternative, or for those preferring to embrace the heartiness of Swiss cuisine, the veal cordon bleu with ham and pungent Vacherin cheese comes highly recommended. The dish of grated pan-fried potato is not dissimilar to a decadent hash brown, topped with cheese and cured meat. It is here that I try Rösti for the first time. A meal at La Coupole revolves around typical Swiss dishes paired with regional wines. This historic Brasserie has stood proudly in the centre of town since 1912, offering street-side scenes through stained glass windows or al fresco dining in the lovely winter garden. The unassuming La Coupole is tucked away on a busy corner close to Vevey’s train station. Easy to navigate on foot, the endearing locale affords plenty of excitement for visitors, from museums to the dining destinations – which is where I’ll start, Vevey is easily one of Switzerland’s most charming towns, a picturesque place to while away a day or two amidst majestic hotels, robust restaurants and a flower-bedecked lakeside promenade backed by the terroir of the mountainous Alps. However, with this five-star sanctuary proving the perfect base for exploration, a world of adventure awaits on the Montreux Riviera. Whether you want to lounge in the plush king beds or take a dip in the 24-metre-long swimming pool flanked by a jacuzzi, sauna and hammam (as I did), there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Here, lavish accommodations give way to wrought iron balconies overlooking cobble streets and (of course) the lake. Hôtel des Trois Couronnes is a welcoming place to hole up for a few days of complete seclusion. These peculiarities add to the charm of Hôtel des Trois Couronnes, a property that has hosted royalty, famous musicians and movie stars such as Tchaikovsky, Charlie Chaplin, Henry Miller and King Ibn of Saudia Arabia, during its century and a half history. I’m enveloped by a sense of old-world grandeur at this waterfront retreat bursting with quaint surprises, including a chain-pulled paternoster lift where an elevator would be expected. A red carpet uncoils ceremoniously down the front steps while golden bell carts groan under the weight of Louis Vuitton luggage and Hermès bags. This feeling does not stem from a rag-tag group of characters but from the feeling this magnificent property instils in its guests from the moment they ascend the grand entranceway. Wandering the corridors of Hotel des Trois Couronnes on the shores of Lac Léman, I feel as though I have accidentally stepped into Wes Anderson’s 2014 movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel. A place where waterfront bars, paddleboats and a feeling of never-ending summer embrace travellers to the chic enclave. A chi-chi along the lakeside promenade is the best way to immerse oneself into the relaxed pace of life upon the Montreux Rivera.
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