Look to your right for a grand, cream-colored building with striking blue awnings, elegant balconies, and a classic Parisian palace vibe-this is the Splendide-Royal Hotel.
Here you are at the glorious Splendide-Royal Hotel, standing just steps from Lake Lugano-a place where the very air feels like it’s holding its pinky up. Imagine the year 1902: local workers and architects are transforming the former Villa Merlina, famed for extravagant gardens that probably grew plants fancier than my haircut, into the hotel you see now. Designed to mimic grand French baroque palaces, the Splendide soon became a magnet for Europe’s elite. The Fedele family expanded this place to 125 beds, and soon the hallways echoed with laughter from the likes of Sophia Loren, Ella Fitzgerald, and even U.S. President George H. W. Bush-so if the wallpaper looks extra shiny, it’s from brushing shoulders with legends. Over the years, a new wing was added, crystal chandeliers kept sparkling, and today, there are 88 luxurious rooms (55 of which gaze lovingly at the lake), two saunas, and a spa. Picture elegant banquets, secret meetings, and perhaps a misplaced caviar spoon or two! This isn’t just a hotel-it’s where Lugano gets its extra dash of glamour!
