Auberge du Père Bise

At Auberge du Père Bise, there are treasures for all senses: the Restaurant Jean Sulpice, the Hotel, the Bistrot 1903, the Boutique du Père Bise, and most recently, the Spa. It is the boundary of water and rock, between the flat aquatic kingdom and the mountain’s raw verticality. At this very location, the Auberge offers since 1903 the very quintessence of a precious terroir, the simple, yet rarest nectar of ultimate well-being. Our Maison tirelessly plays an endless and deliberately unfinished symphony for which only the traveller can set the rhythm.

When Magali and Jean took over Auberge du Père Bise, they had one dream in mind: turn it into a genuine tribute to Lake Annecy. The rooms, renovated faithfully to the Bise family’s legacy, are the house’s central piece. The boundary between crystalline liquid and rocky mineral; no matter the room in which the traveller resides, they are transported in a single symbiosis. The Sulpices cherish this resort as the ideal place to recharge one’s batteries, unique in the experience it offers. In the most natural and straightforward manner, they simply want their home to be yours.

“A home is a place to live, with space and smiles. Here, at the Bay of Talloires, we are indeed open to the lake, but above all we want our home to be open to everyone. The hotel is deeply rooted in a fascinating terroir. Everyday of the year, we witness how meaningful the surrounding ecosystem is, and we strive to share this sensitivity with our guests.“

– Magali & Jean Sulpice

The hotel, with its noble and elegant materials, is anything but flashy. During the renovation process, Magali – supported by the immensely talented Émilie Bonaventure – wanted to echo the lake’s lyricism. The natural exterior extends into the 23 rooms’ cosy atmosphere. From night to morning, weightlessness awaits, finding you at just the right moment and tenderly taking hold of you. A retreat and an invitation to disconnection and contemplation.

The plate is my speech, it refers to a background, an experience that is closely related to the terroir. My greatest passion is to transmit an honest and direct emotion to my guests; to empty their mind so that they retain only the essential. I invite them to sit facing the lake and listen to the sound of water in summer, or in winter, enjoy a warm cocoon and the view of snow-covered peaks reflected on the surface of the lake. I consider my cooking as a testimony, without any diversion, of nature surrounding the Auberge

– Jean Sulpice

Taking a seat at the gastronomic table means connecting to Jean Sulpice. The chef will take you on an intimate and personal journey, one he wishes you to embark on. An ascent towards aromas and flavours, during which you will discover the passionate producers, fishermen and breeders of the area. Like athletes, Jean Sulpice and his team seek to bring honest cuisine to a point of culmination. Each course is sampled, signature recipes are relished; as the journey comes to an end, a humble yet pure feeling of well-being lingers in the guest’s heart.

Driven by a relentless inner fire, Jean Sulpice knows every secret of his terroir. With the 1903 – harkening back to the Auberge’s founding year – he pays tribute to the Bises’ legacy, while contributing a previously missing layer of accessibility. As he explains:

Not a single day goes by without me sparing a thought for the Bise family. What they helped create, each in their own time, is colossal. I hope one day to be able to invent recipes that can last for decades. This is the worthy history that I wish to perpetuate at the Bistrot 1903, and cultivate a carefree atmosphere around indulgence and sharing with family and friends. When I received my first Michelin star in Val Thorens, some customers came back to the restaurant saying: “It’s over, now you have a star. You are a real chef”. These words haunted me for a while, and I was looking forward to expressing myself once again through a traditional, family-oriented, accessible cuisine. Today Bistrot 1903 fulfils this purpose and allows me to express myself fully while remaining true to the Bise family.

Floating between water and greenery, the spa adjacent to the Auberge is shaped – for the most observant – like an upturned boat hull. In an atmosphere designed to open up your senses, the inn’s experience translates into absolute relaxation, with hammam, sauna, sensory shower, cold bath, and outdoor Jacuzzi. Floating across two distinct levels, the Spa provides a breath-taking view, leaving you with the almost unreal feeling of being just one with the lake and its elements.

Auberge du Père Bise is a singular entity, so it was key for the Spa to blend in seamlessly. It had to appear naturally and match our guests’ emotional experience. Once again, it had to harmoniously coexist with the rest of the house to offer a truly singular experience. Magali decided to draw from the Alpine terroir, favouring its many riches in total agreement with the Auberge’s art-de-vivre.

– Jean Sulpice

Serving as an extension of the senses awakened during your stay, the Boutique du Père Bise is the embodiment of our philosophy. This genuine treasure chest filled with local flavours is a true gourmet dream where the Sulpices have carefully condensed the essence of what has contributed to the establishment’s reputation for many years.

The Boutique is located slightly outside the Auberge. It is, of course, a call to indulgence for all outsiders. A passageway that leads to a much bigger universe than imagined. It is also the last goodbye to our guests, a warm hug and an invitation for them to keep one last memento of their stay. During the crisis, when the entire world came to a standstill, the boutique became my restaurant, a tribune through which we continued to bring happiness through flavours. Even now, when you come to the Boutique, you can enjoy takeaway food, chocolate and picnic baskets!

– Jean Sulpice