Hotel Belvedere Locarno

The Hotel Belvedere is very cool. It has a very grand and elegant vibe from a time gone by. We loved our time there (5 nts). Upon arrival, we were assigned a room in one of the newer buildings with a rather disappointing view and an awkward lay-out that didn’t match what was in my minds eye nor the room category we secured. Thankfully they relocated us to the original building and our Lake View Jr Suite was WONDERFUL and exactly what I was expecting. It was spacious and spotless with an EPIC panoramic view of the lake, the Alps and the city down below. We loved our balcony and spent a lot of time out there staring in awe at the stunning landscape day and night. We could hear the waterfall from the snow melt coming off the mountain just beside the hotel which was serine. Our suite was modern, comfortable and appeared to be recently refreshed. We found the décor to be a little basic and beige which is of course is a matter of personal taste. Our bathroom was beautiful, modern and large with a fantastic open concept shower w/non-slip slate floor, plenty of counter space and nice fluffy bath towels. The bed was dreamy with clean smelling crisp linen and soft lofty pillows. Great wifi, water pressure and room temp control throughout our stay. Housekeeping was excellent as our suite was perfectly refreshed every day. The whole property is beautiful and we loved all the artwork throughout. Do check out the amazing ceiling fresco located in one of the oldest parts of the building. Sadly the spa/pool renovation looked to be far from complete but the plans for the finished product look marvelous. The morning breakfast offering was fresh, plentiful and served in an elegant setting. Reception was welcoming, friendly and very helpful. We loved the peaceful location high up on the mountain. It is quite a hike up and down to the city below. The hotel provided a private transfer from/to the train station which was a rare and welcomed amenity. There is also a public funicular and the front desk can provide discounted tickets. We mastered the bus routes with the stop just outside the hotel gates. You do feel a bit like a sitting duck as the traffic zips around the hair-pin corner so you must be mindful while waiting. We didn’t enjoy the Piazza Grande (old town) as much as we thought we would and preferred spending our days wandering the lake promenade as well as the area’s above the hotel including the gondola & chairlift to Cardada and Cimetta; stunning vista’s! We absolutely LOVED the neighboring town of Ascona. Just a short bus ride away, we spent two of our days wandering Ascona’s stunning lake promenade and old town. There is so much Italian influence in this region. The architecture is just beautiful! Locarno was our third destination during a month long odyssey of Switzerland and northern Italy. We are so happy we chose Hotel Belvedere Locarno. It was a beautiful and memorable experience. Highly recommend. Enjoy and peace t

Fantastic hotel with a very professional team. The whole place is immaculate and very fresh. Each day when we returned to the room after breakfast the room had already been cleaned/serviced to a very high standard. The food at breakfast, lunch and dinner was top quality. The service in the restaurant was first class (special shout out to waitress Asia). All of the staff are very friendly and welcoming (and spoke good English). Food choice was excellent and was backed up by a great wine list at reasonable prices. We tried some local wines and really enjoyed them. From right outside the hotel you can catch a bus into town (we preferred the 10 minute walk) or step onto the funicular railway up the mountain (it also goes down into town). Then take the cable car further up the mountain for a fabulous view. From there you can go even higher on the chairlift. Overall, we had a very relaxing break and felt really pampered.

We took a quick overnight to Locarno from our Italy vacation and I’m so glad we did!! The room was comfortable and clean the view awesome. The staff friendly and helpful especially in the restaurant and bar. Also the food top notch from aperitif to dinner and breakfast best we have had in Europe so far!!!