Park Hotel Principe

The rooms and service were exceptional. Getting there is a bit difficult, but they provide e-bikes and a free shuttle between the hotel and the city at different times.

We loved the huge room and little back patio, with its extendable fabric roof. The mechanical blackout blinds were a nice touch. Downstairs there are a few steps, so keep that in mind if you have heavy luggage. The hotel has a refreshingly different vintage Roman theme, and the front staff were polite and helpful. There’s free parking out front, but not enough space for a minibus, so staff helped us find a spot at the sister hotel down the road. The hotel sits on top of a hill. A beautiful view of the lake is a 200 metre walk away, by the adjacent hotel. One small tip from a US traveller: I’m used to turning on the bath faucet and then pulling the knob to switch to the shower. Here, I had to pull the knob up first, then turn on the faucet. Maybe that's common here, but it took me a minute to figure out.

I enjoyed wandering around the property, with its lovely pool and Italian master paintings on the walls. It's a beautiful place, and breakfast had a good spread.

The hotel itself was pleasant enough for our two nights on a trip around Switzerland, but the room and shared areas looked tired. There was a huge lounge area and balcony, but dings, scrapes and marks were everywhere. The bathroom also seemed dated, with tape marks on the mirror and dents and scratches around the sink. The rainfall showerhead was broken, so water spilled over the top instead of coming through it. The smaller showerhead wouldn't stay in position and flopped toward the wall. And with the bath taps set at a right angle to the shower and glass screen, I kept banging my shins on them. The pillows were thin, and the marked, damaged blanket was wrapped in two sheets that came loose as soon as you moved. The advertised air conditioning was just a small portable unit in a very large room, too loud to use and too weak for the space. The property could use an update and more attention from staff. Reception was only staffed during check-in hours, so there was nobody there to report these problems to. A phone on the desk was meant to reach their sister hotel opposite, but nobody answered. It seems this side gets treated as an afterthought to their five-star location across the road, which is a shame because it could be incredible. For a place advertised as four stars, the service and upkeep fell far below other four-star hotels I've stayed at, even some three-star ones. Parking was another frustration. We contacted the hotel beforehand for directions and were offered a choice between the spaces outside and the secure underground garage. We chose the garage and paid, as we had at several hotels on our Switzerland trip. Only after checking out did we find out that outside parking was free. Nobody told us before or during check-in, even when we told the staff member where we had parked, which felt deceptive. On our first morning, three gas trucks were working out front for several hours, with engines and pumps running, and woke us up. Getting into Lugano is a short taxi ride. The hotel does offer a few free shuttles each day, but they don't run late or very often. You can also walk back, if you don't mind the steep uphill route. I wouldn't recommend staying here as it is.