Lugano
Switzerland


The Experience

Even on a miserable, murky day, the views from this place intrigue, but on a good day (and the region's climate brings many more good days than bad), it amazes. From your aerie-like position you look down onto stunning Lake Lugano and the stylish steamers that ply their way across it as well as the vertiginous, verdant mountainsides beyond. Originally the summer home of Prince Frederic Leopold of Prussia, who lived in it until his death in 1931, this huge villa, built in 1868, became a hotel in 1986.

The Rooms

Perversely, the guest rooms are below the main building (the upper floors having been transformed into conference and banqueting areas; watch out for sharp-suited Italians and other Euro sharks). More modern rooms in the Residence annex are stylish but only 450 square feet, which seem small compared with the 650-square-feet Junior Suites in the villa, adorned with rich, gold fabrics on the bed, walls and windows. The golden theme even extends to the sleek bathrooms with their Molton Brown products. A lake view is definitely worth the extra few francs.

The Service

This is Italy made in Switzerland: Italian charm and Swiss efficiency make for a dream combination. There are cream-jacketed waiters and waitresses wherever you look, and in the dining room you can be assured that your glass will always be refilled just before you have taken the last sip. The bar staff are consummate professionals presiding over a tiny but phenomenally well-stocked bar.

The Highlights

Dinner in the lush dining room is a wonderful experience, and the food is excellent -- notably the wood-smoked scampi with an apple-balsamic vinaigrette. The merlot from the hotel's own vineyards makes an excellent accompaniment to many dishes. After dinner, walk past lemon trees to the gorgeous gardens and take a dip in the two pools, adorned by gushing gargoyles, with a view of the lake -- you'll feel as though you're in the Mediterranean.

-- Alistair Scott

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