Andy Mossack enjoys the splendour of a golden era at the Hotel Splendide Royal.
For over one hundred and forty years the windows of Hotel Splendide Royal’s baroque style mansion have offered up some of the most sought-after views of Lake Lugano. Her envied lakefront position is a befitting perch for this elegant Belle Époque Grand Dame whose storied list of former guests reads like a who’s who of the World’s great and good. You can’t miss her, just seek out those iconic royal blue window awnings along the lakeside promenade.
Even the simple act of walking into the grand marbled lobby was an experience. Following in the wake of so many notable feet, I could feel a sense of the majesty of Lugano’s golden age, a time when Hotel Splendide Royal was the place to be and be seen in.
There are two distinctly different room types to the Hotel Splendide Royal. The historic palace rooms in the original building, where character and history seeps from every nook and cranny, or over in the new build executive wing, where pastel tones and stylish furnishings offer a much more contemporary space offering a lake or garden view.
And it seems I was in luck. A last-minute cancellation meant I had been upgraded to a front facing palace suite with a lake view. Outside my head, I was of course calm, considerate and professional, but inside I was desperately attempting to concentrate on breathing. This was the stuff dreams were made of.
Armed with my room key, I strode across the chandeliered main hall, past statuesque marble pillars, regency furniture and a grand piano, desperately trying to look suave and sophisticated. And you know, I just might have pulled it off.
My Palace suite did not disappoint either. It was the kind of room you only find in grandiose historic buildings. Thick panelled walls, large framed paintings, high vaulted ceilings and heavily draped windows. The reception foyer doubled as a dressing room with two antique wardrobes patiently standing to attention.
Off to one side a door led to a spacious marble bathroom with rainforest shower and bath. Another door opened to a vast bedroom and lounge area that was the embodiment of a bygone age of stylish luxury. An antique couch and table sat on lush carpeting as if guarding the enormous bed that lay behind it bookended by two antique bedside tables.
Yet another room lay off this one, serving as a study, with a large, varnished desk, a flat screen TV and a bureau topped with a giant Nespresso machine.
Back in the main bedroom, the jewel in the crown for me was the outdoor balcony. I say balcony, but it was more like a patio, running the entire length of the suite. Accessed by a set of floor-to-ceiling French doors, it opened out to a front row seat of Lake Lugano, so close it was almost within touching distance.
Back in the bedroom I took a minute to lay face up on the bed and realised the entire vaulted ceiling was frescoed. What a room.
Back downstairs there was much to admire.
The Splendide Lifestyle Spa is a veritable sanctuary of wellbeing with an indoor pool and whirlpool (open to the outside in summer) sauna and steam, and a full menu of therapies, massage and beauty rituals from trained technicians committed to revitalising and rebalancing not just your skin but also your yin and yang. Out in the gardens, a line of lakeside cabanas with comfy sunbeds sat on manicured lawns.
When it comes to dining there are more than enough options to satisfy even the most demanding of palates. There’s the one Michelin star Italian culinary wizardry of executive chef Marco Veneruso in gourmet signature restaurant I Due Sud, or the old school service and style of La Veranda Restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
However, it was a hot night so the more informal La Piazzetta Lounge Bar was my destination that evening. A stunning outdoor urban garden terrace that embraced the entirety of Lugano’s magnificent bay. It was undeniably a riviera moment. A classy sundowner as the lights of Lugano began to twinkle and some light Italian classics; perhaps a fresh pizza from the woodfired ape piaggio, some pasta, or a salad, and of course, a glass or two of wine to wash it all down.
It was a magical night, made all the more memorable by a nightcap out on my magnificent balcony with just the lake and mountains for company.
Hotel Splendide Royal more than justifies her place in Switzerland’s impressive list of grand hotels. Like the Montreux Palace, her iconic status and position in Lugano is undeniable. But this grand dame is going one better. She will soon be enjoying some new love and attention in the coming months that will bring an even bigger beaming smile to her already enchanting features.
The legend continues.
Tell me more about Hotel Splendide Royal in Lugano.
Hotel Splendide Royal, Riva Antonio Caccia, 7 – 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
T: +41 91 985 77 11 E: welcome@splendide.ch
Rooms from £544 for 2 adults. There are numerous packages available to explore depending on the time of year.
Ticino Tourism and Switzerland Tourism have information on all the locations mentioned here and more about Lugano, Ticino and the rest of Switzerland.
The Ticino Ticket Enjoy free public transport and discounts on attractions for the duration of your stay in any hotel, hostel and campsite affiliated to Ticino Tourism.
