I had a unique experience today. I needed some air at lunch time, and so went for a brisk walk to find some Easter chocolate. When in Switzerland and in the Eaux-Vives area, the best place to go for chocolate is Stettler. My favorite Geneva chocolatiers are Stettler and Rhor. The four stars is for the chocolate and store itself. The store is hard to find, as it is small and always hidden behind the massive crowd of people waiting at the bus stop right in front. There is a walk way that appears to go through the building itself. You want to go through this walk way to access the entrance to this small establishment. Upon entering, you are faced with a small display of the best tasting chocolates, that is what Stettler does best. The staff are always very friendly. It is like entering a boutique jewelry or clothes shop were only five pieces are on display for you to try. The mystery is the stairs up to the premiere etage (first floor). I don't know how many times I have come in and wondered what was upstairs. I knew it was something for enjoying degustation (eating). I finally surfed the web and read the website for Settler and noticed this location had a tearoom. I decided to climb those stairs today and find what was at the top. Thanks to my broken French the lady at the service desk let me know the area upstairs was open, and that I could enjoy a choice of a couple of pastries with hot chocolate or coffee. As I climbed (monte) the stairs I came to an open loft area with warm wooden ambiance, but no breathing soul. I was the only one! Plus, there was no la carte (menu), only the options the lady told me. So I chose an espresso and the apple (pomme) pastry. The lady quickly ran downstairs and came back up with the pastry and made me an espresso from the machine and provided me with a newspaper, and then ran back downstairs as the door rang and she needed to sell chocolates. She was the only one working the upstairs and downstairs! I definitely enjoyed my privacy and escape from the busy world. The espresso was better than Nespresso, and the Pomme Pastry unfortunately had applesauce in the inside instead of real apple slices, but overall it was a nice quiet escape, which is exactly what I needed to re-energize the brain batteries. The bonus was that when I went downstairs to pay after my retreat, I was provided a sample of any Stettler Truffle! Fantastic! I am amazed that the one person was able to provide such great service during the crazy non stop Easter Bunny buying clientele and see to my needs upstairs. If you want to escape, have a mediocre pastry, enjoy some great chocolate, then this is the place to be. read more