We simply had the most amazing time at the Hotel d’Angleterre.
For some time now Jude has been talking of his dear wish that he and I could spend some time together on our own. With two younger siblings, including Elio who needs a lot of extra care, and since he started at school last year, it has been almost impossible for us to find time to spend together so recently Jude has been drawing pictures of a «mummy and Jude date night » where we go to a restaurant and sleep in a hotel together.
We decided that the time around his birthday would be the perfect opportunity to make this dream a reality so we contacted the Hotel Angleterre to see if they might be able to help us to make our visit really special. The idea was for Jude to feel that he was treating his mummy, he wanted to wear his three piece suit for dinner and feel like a gentleman. The hotel were amazing and replied that they would love to host us. They even sent us a form to complete so that they could get to learn a bit more about Mr Jude and the things he likes.
We set off on the train to Geneva on Saturday morning and after stopping for a spot of lunch, we headed down to the hotel. We knew we were too early for check in and had intended to drop off our suitcase but in fact we were warmly received and told that our room was ready. Marie on the front desk was so charming and helpful, we felt really welcome and Jude was really pleased to be included in the greetings.
We were taken up to our room and were completely delighted to have been upgraded which meant we had a beautiful spacious room with a lake view. I think our jaws fell open when we walked in as the hotel had organized a happy birthday plate for Jude including strawberries, lollipops, little cakes and fruit as well as his favorite syrup to drink. In addition to that, they had left him a card and lots of wonderful little presents which he tore into with great enthusiasm. He kept saying « we are so spoiled mummy! aren’t we lucky »! We decided to take a walk in town during the afternoon and when we got home we settled down to play some of the games we had brought with us. The hotel had given us a pack of Uno cards so we had a few games of that and made the most of the beautiful room.
Next on the agenda was getting ready for dinner and Jude enjoyed a wonderful bubble bath before getting dressed in his suit. When we headed down to the restaurant we were amazed to see that we had been given an incredible table by the window where Jude asked if he might have a cocktail! I decided to join him and we took our time looking at our menus and making the all-important decision about what to eat. The staff, without exception, were incredible. Everyone came to wish Jude a belated happy birthday and make sure he had everything he needed and I could see him bursting with pride in his little suit. We had so much fun over dinner as Jude told me stories about school and he made me laugh with his impressions and silly voices. At the end of the meal they kindly brought out a plate with a candle in his ice cream and two large jars of sweets from which he could help himself. You can see from the picture below that this was a big hit!!
At the end of dinner, Jude signed his name on the bill and everyone shook his hand as he left. I was so proud of him! By this time, he was rather tired after our busy day and he was definitely ready to crawl into our big soft bed. He was asleep within minutes and woke me up near 7am which was a vast improvement on his usual wake up time.
Breakfast was another exciting experience and it took us a while to decide where to start. Jude filled his plate with pastries and fruit then asked if he might have some porridge which he surprised me by demolishing entirely.
I should point out that we don't have a 5* budget but with the help of the hotel, this was an affordable experience and one that I can definitely say would be very hard to beat. Every tiny detail was aimed at making our stay memorable and Jude was really the centre of it all which was exactly as we hoped. We know that he often feels slightly left out as we must devote a lot of time to Elio’s care so we were really delighted to be able to offer him this 1:1 time with his Mummy where we could really enjoy each others company without interruption.
When it was time to check-out, Jude asked if we could go for a walk to prolong our time together so we enjoyed a walk along the lake before we headed back to the train. On the journey home, Jude talked endlessly about the wonderful things we had done over the weekend, all the incredible treats he had had and how jealous Alba would be.
We’ve resolved that even if we can just grab an hour for a walk together here and there, that we need to ensure we have more time together. We came back home feeling closer than ever and really grateful for this beautiful little trip.
Hotel d'Angleterre Genève
Quai du Mont-Blanc 17, 1201 Genève
What an amazing thing to do and how proud must my little grandson have been. Well done Jude, you are a young man now for sure.
How lovely to hear that the hôtel Angleterre recognised the importance of this special night and made such a huge effort. Fabulous 💕💕💕