What I liked
- The Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano is right on Lake Lugano
- My room had a lake view
- Swimming Pool on Site
- Nice breakfast
- I enjoyed my dinner
- Complimentary champagne on arrival
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I stayed for one night at the Hotel Splendid Royale on Lake Lugano, Switzerland. It was a lovely stay.
The Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano is right on Lake Lugano and my room was overlooking the lake. The view was absolutely spectacular. The hotel has a swimming pool, classical decoration, and excellent food.
I paid €400 for one night in the middle of summer. For a room overlooking the lake in a five-star hotel, I thought that was fairly priced.
On arrival, the Hotel Splendid Royale greeted me with a bottle of champagne and a bowl of fruit. The moment I stepped into the lobby, the classical grandeur hit immediately. Grand chandeliers. A grand piano. Classical furnishings everywhere you look. More palatial than hotel-like, honestly.
But I should be honest: the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano is a hotel, not a sprawling resort. The pool is small. The gym is modest. If you're hoping to hide away for days on end, this isn't the place. Lake Lugano is right there, and that's what you're really here for.
The food, though, is where this place really delivers. Breakfast came with Bircher muesli (proper Swiss, and excellent), fresh fruit, English tea and a la carte options like pancakes and French toast. Dinner in the restaurant was equally impressive — a vegetarian spaghetti that genuinely satisfied, and their signature cocktail, the "new fashion," tasted as good as it sounds.
If you're planning a Lake Lugano break like this, my Recommended Resources page has the travel essentials — from airport transfers to local tours to car rentals. Everything I actually use.
I paid €400 for a room with a lake view at the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano in the middle of summer. For a five-star hotel overlooking Lake Lugano, I thought this was decent value.
Lake Lugano is expensive. Five-star waterfront hotels especially so.
That gets you the spectacular lake view from your balcony. The grand classical lobby. The excellent breakfast and dinner.
Is the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano expensive? Yes. But for what you're getting, it's fair value.
The Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano is right on the street overlooking Lake Lugano.
Lake Lugano itself is the main attraction—it sits right at the hotel's threshold, visible from the room, the pool, the lawn. The town has character and there's plenty of reason to explore the surrounding area, but the lake is what pulls you here. For a one-night stay, it's perfect. For longer, the hotel works as a base from which to venture out and discover the region.
I spent most of my balcony time simply watching the water. The balcony was as wide as the room, with a small table looking out. The pool terrace opens straight onto grass and lake views.
This is a hotel, not a sprawling resort. Everything's oriented toward the water, not self-contained entertainment. That's the design: you're meant to be part of Lake Lugano, not isolated from it. The balcony, the pool positioning, the intimate scale—they all push you outward, and that's exactly what makes it work.
Hire a Car in Lugano
Hiring a car in Lugano is straightforward. Collect from Zurich airport or the city centre. Rates vary by season and advance booking.
I use Local Rent to compare prices. They aggregate local rental companies alongside the big international names. Better value than booking direct.
Pros: freedom to explore Ticino's mountain villages and Alpine roads, drive to Italy whenever you want. Cons: the roads are narrow and winding, parking in the old town is tight. Download offline maps and take the curves slowly.
Lake Lugano's waterfront
Lake Lugano is Lugano. The lake is why you're here. Walk the edge, find a quiet spot, and watch the water. No booking, no fee—just you and the view.
Small-Group Lake Como & Lugano: Two Countries in One Day
Book here for USD163. Rated 4.95* from over 1,500 reviews. Small-group tour hitting both Italy and Switzerland with a proper boat cruise. This is the premium pick. You'll get Bellagio, Lugano, and actual time to breathe instead of racing through.
Lake Como and Switzerland: Bellagio & Lugano Tour
Book here for USD92. Rated 4.84* from 989 reviews. Same day tour hitting both countries with a proper boat cruise. If you want to see Bellagio and Lugano without the premium price tag, this delivers.
Monte Brè Tour by Funicular
Book here for USD25. Rated 4.65* from 67 reviews. A quick funicular ride up for a different vantage point. If the boat tours feel like too much, this is the short option.
Just a heads up. The Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano is definitely a hotel and not a resort. There's a small indoor pool, but you can't rely on it for a week-long stay.
But that's okay. Lake Lugano is right on your doorstep and there's loads to do!
The hotel has some decent facilities. It has a fitness centre, an indoor swimming pool, and multiple restaurants.
The lobby was absolutely spectacular with grand chandeliers, grand pianos and classical furniture.
The Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano is a five-star property on Lake Lugano in Switzerland. Every element—room balconies, pool terrace, lawn—faces the lake rather than offering self-contained entertainment.
I was in room 355 at the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano. It was a large room with a double bed, a TV, a desk, and a luxurious bathroom.
The highlight of the room had to be the balcony with a panoramic view of Lake Lugano. The balcony had the same width as the room and a small table outside.
I was greeted with a welcome gift of champagne and fruit.
The decoration was really lovely. Definitely a classical European style. The hotel has character and charm. I definitely enjoyed staying there.
There is a small swimming pool at the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano on the first floor. It's open from the morning until 7:30 pm. I didn't use it, but I did take a photo.
The area itself is very nice. One side of the swimming pool opens out onto the grass with a view of Lake Lugano. That being said, it's a small swimming pool.
Fun for an hour with the kids but not much more than that. As I mentioned earlier this is very much a hotel and not a resort.
I had dinner in the downstairs lobby of the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano. I very much enjoyed it.
I had a vegetarian spaghetti and French fries on the side. The fries were half decent, but the spaghetti was fantastic.
I also had a couple of cocktails. The cocktail bar looked so nice I couldn't resist ordering. The hotel has a signature cocktail called the "New Fashion," which is their take on the Old Fashioned cocktail. It was fantastic.
I tried a gin cocktail, which was okay but not amazing.
I had the buffet breakfast at the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano in the ground floor restaurant. There was a large variety of dishes available at the buffet. I could also order freshly made dishes.
I ended up eating fresh fruit, Bircher muesli, and porridge. The Bircher muesli was excellent—as you'd expect from a Swiss speciality. The porridge was decent, though not as good as the muesli.
I also had an English breakfast tea. It was very well made, just as good as I get in the UK.
At the buffet there was a large variety: fruits, pastries, eggs, bread, cold cuts, cheeses, and cereals. The a la carte menu offered crepes, French toast, pancakes, and eggs any way—all included with breakfast. I like when hotels offer hot-dish options; they're usually higher quality than buffet-only.
I went for a quick workout in the gym at the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano on the first floor. Not one of the best hotel gyms I've been to. They only had a small number of dumbbells and no barbells.
They had a Smith machine but I couldn't find a bench, so I couldn't do bench presses. I was able to use a couple of their machines to exercise my chest and my back.
There were also some cardio machines. Which I never use anyway.
The Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano delivered exactly what I needed: a spectacular lake view, a five-star classical lobby that felt like stepping into a palace, and breakfast that actually impressed me. I paid €400 for a lake-view room in high summer, which felt fair. The vegetarian spaghetti at dinner was excellent, and their signature "new fashion" cocktail lived up to its name.
But I should be direct about what the Hotel Splendid Royale Lugano isn't. It's a hotel, not a resort. The pool is small—an hour's fun for kids, not more. The gym is modest. If you're hoping to stay put for multiple days with endless poolside lounging and fitness facilities, this isn't the place.
Book this for one perfect night on Lake Lugano with excellent breakfast and classical elegance. Skip it if you need sprawl and self-contained entertainment.
If waterfront luxury experiences appeal to you, the Marco Island Marriott in Florida offers a similarly stunning oceanfront setting where the view is the whole point.
If you love five-star European hotels with stunning design and compelling locations, the Intercontinental Amsterdam offers a similarly impressive experience in another beautiful city.