Auberge de Duillier

A village inn with a catering service

The Auberge de Duillier is a hotel and restaurant at Rue du Château 11, 1266 Duillier, in the La Côte region of the canton of Vaud. Its "About" page describes it as being in the vicinity of Gland and Nyon, with 20 "extremely comfortable" rooms, traditional cooking from fresh, seasonal produce, and "a gourmet catering service for events of all sizes". The site is published in French and English, which helps a couple planning from abroad.

The page describes Duillier as a municipality of around one thousand inhabitants at the crossroads of Prangins, Coinsins, Givrins and Trélex, overlooking the town of Nyon, halfway between Geneva and Lausanne.

The catering service

The English catering page sets out the scope: "Upon request, our catering service can organise your aperitifs, business events, weddings, dinner parties and receptions, either at the Auberge or throughout French-speaking Switzerland." It calls the auberge "your trusted partner" for a cocktail dinner, a wedding party or gourmet catering.

Three short principles follow:

• Home made: "All our dishes are entirely home made and cooked in our kitchens by our team."
• Fresh produce: the kitchen works with producers from the region to prepare meals and appetizers from fresh, local produce.
• Catering advice: the team offers advice "every step of the way to find the best options at the best price".

The wedding section, headed "Wedding meal", reads: "Together we will choose the entire menu for your wedding reception or aperitif. We will do our utmost to provide you with the highest quality service whilst staying strictly within your budget." Under "Tailored catering", the page asks you to entrust the auberge with every food-and-drink aspect of your event, and adds: "Whether you have 20 or 1,000 guests, they will all enjoy a refined and relaxing event thanks to our know-how and experience."

The chef

The French catering page names the chef as Pedro Ferreira, who prepares "the dishes which have made our catering service so successful" and guides clients so the event is a success. The English page repeats the same paragraph twice, once with Pedro Ferreira and once with Claudia Descollaz, so ask which chef would lead your wedding. The French page also mentions the catering being offered at the Restaurant Malian, without explaining the link between the two; if that matters to you, ask about it.

Rooms and the inn itself

For a wedding, the 20 rooms are the practical advantage. Close family or the couple can stay at the inn while the food is prepared in its kitchens, and the site says there is ample free indoor and outdoor parking. The About page explains that the establishment has carried the name Auberge de Duillier since January 2019, that the building "will be completely renovated and expanded in the years to come", and that the owners kept the same kitchen team for continuity. The philosophy is short: "The warmth of our welcome and the quality of our products are our main focus."

The site does not say how many guests the restaurant seats, whether it can be booked exclusively, or how room bookings work for a wedding group.

A long history

The About page tells the inn's story, drawn from a local history book. At the end of the 19th century Duillier had four public houses, frequented largely by laborers from Savoy who came to work in the vineyards. The Auberge Communale, once owned by the municipality, was sold to a private owner in 1954 and is the only one still open. A line of innkeepers followed, including a period when the butcher from Prangins ran an abattoir on site, until Giovanni Rossetti managed the hotel and restaurant up to January 2019.

Getting there, in the auberge's own words

The contact page says the auberge is five minutes' drive from the center of Nyon and the shore of Lake Geneva, and 30 minutes by car from Geneva and Lausanne. Its directions section gives more detail:

• From Nyon station: 7 minutes by car, or 16 minutes by bus 820 to "Duillier, centre communal" and then a 7-minute walk.
• From Geneva airport: 21 minutes by car via the A1, or 27 minutes via the A1 and Route de Crassier; by train and bus, 46 minutes via bus 820 or 1 hour via bus 805.
• From Geneva station: 39 minutes by IR15 and bus 820, then on foot.
• From Lausanne station: 31 minutes by car via the A1; by train and bus, 49 minutes via bus 820 or 64 minutes via bus 805.

For guests flying into Geneva, that is a short transfer.

Things to do nearby

The About page lists suggestions for guests staying in the area, useful for a wedding weekend: the Château de Nyon, the Musée du Léman and the Roman museum in Nyon, the Signal de Bougy, and the thermal baths and casino at Divonne-les-Bains across the French border. It also lists regional events, among them the Paléo Festival in Nyon in mid-July, the Caribana festival in June, and Castellive, a music festival held at the Château de Duillier in odd-numbered years. A couple choosing a summer date should check the festival calendar before booking rooms for guests.

Contact and hours

• Auberge de Duillier, Rue du Château 11, 1266 Duillier
• Phone: +41 22 361 28 12
• Email: info@aubergededuillier.ch
• A "Request a quote" button on the catering page

The restaurant is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 14:30 and 18:00 to 23:00, with Sunday hours of 11:00 to 15:00.

What the site does not say

The site publishes no catering prices, no room rates and no sample wedding menus. It gives no lead time, deposit or cancellation terms, and nothing on drinks packages, staff, equipment, or vegetarian, vegan and allergy menus. Ask for these in the quote request, along with how far the team travels for an event outside La Côte and what that costs.

Who it suits

The Auberge de Duillier suits couples marrying around Nyon and La Côte who want a caterer with its own kitchen and an English-language site, and who value rooms on site for family and a short transfer from Geneva airport. The published range of 20 to 1,000 guests covers both small and large weddings, though the details all come through a quote.