When you see the waterfront Casetta restaurant with its wonderful views over Lake Maggiore, expect your first thought to be: Why is that cute little thing not my house? Wonderfully placed as it is, the rustic Casetta is just a tiny bit of all that you’ll discover and enjoy at Hotel Eden Roc in the Italian-speaking Ticino canton of Switzerland.
The larger of two Eden Roc pools gives guests perfect views of Lake Maggiore while they swim or ... [+]
For newcomers to the Eden Roc: Yes, those are real palm trees that you see on the lakefront of this Tschuggen Hotel Group property that is also a member of Leading Hotels of the World and Swiss Deluxe Hotels. Such is the climate down here in Ticino where you are closer to Milan than Zurich.
If variety is the spice of life in the hotel world as elsewhere, then Eden Roc’s three wings will delight in their utterly disparate flavors. The stand-alone structures, which were acquired, developed and redesigned over several decades, all make for an aesthetic three-for-the-price of one visit. You can switch it up as you prefer or keep coming back to the one you favor, as you will be coming back for sure.
Always evolving could well be the theme of the Eden Roc. Its eclectic looks in those three wings can be traced largely to a singular creative Ascona native. Architect and designer Carlo Rampazzi, who is also responsible for the group’s Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa and Carlton Hotel in St. Moritz, is well-known for his vibrant sartorial flair as well, which anyone spotting him in town can’t miss.
As seen from the property's small marina, two of Eden Roc's main wings stand out in the bright ... [+]
It’s all in the details, from an asymmetrical baroque love seat that is placed outside of the spa down to delightful flower and cactus vases in rooms which elsewhere might have been treated as afterthoughts. Some Rampazzi rooms have lamps whose dual light fixtures curve upward and might suggest cow horns, as befits this Alpine world; some have throw pillows that look like cotton balls in cotton candy colors. Speaking of pillows, where else can you find a sleep menu that includes sheep wool and horsehair pillow options?
And then there is the extensive art collection. The look of the bronze lobby figure by Giuliano Pedretti leaves no doubt that the sculptor was a family friend of the great Ticino-born Giacometti. In some rooms, dynamic works by a German painter who goes by the name of Tristan match the delightfully vibrant furniture colors. Outside of the bar, a flower mural by the Como, Italy artist Arianna Testoni is simply joyous. Even the vitrines that promote the products of high-end Ascona haberdashers and jewelers are artistic.
The light and bright Restaurant Marina is the Eden Roc's most casual looking venue, but the refined ... [+]
In the just renovated Eden Roc Two (management promises to come up with more charming names soon), the original 1971 hotel lobby floor is in golden cream limestone and the lounge area’s sofa and chair fabrics are lush. In the building’s central open-air courtyard there are possible plans for future Christmas markets. In the shape of a ship prow pointed toward the lake, Eden Roc One is soon to be renovated as well.
Welcome constants throughout the Eden Roc are the stunning floral arrangements by the in-house florist and fresh fruit in the rooms, as well as Molton Brown amenities.
The exterior of the Eden Roc Marina wing makes you think of classic 60s Art Deco right out of Miami. The sixteen room interiors are new and marine-fresh. Walking there from the Eden Roc One main lobby takes you down long hallways which Rampazzi has lined with a whimsical fish-motif carpet and windows that let in light through tightly shattered panes. A bold chandelier hangs over white Saarinen tulip chairs and tables in the Restaurant Marina whose waitstaff wear festive nautical blue pants.
Eden Roc rooms and suites come in a dizzying variety of shapes, sizes, colors and contours, and ... [+]
At the French and Mediterranean inspired La Brezza restaurant, don’t even think about anything less than a seven-course prix fixe to dine on young Michelin-star chef Marco Campanella’s black cod, chicken skin and parsley root dish, or his beef, boletus and leek.
Breakfast, both buffet and à la carte, is never crowded, nor rushed at Restaurant Eden Roc and its sun terrace. The Eden Bar’s round lounge features cabaret singers who perform under a ceiling dotted with Rampazzi’s celestial-themed small lights. No matter where you dine or drink, let the wait teams educate you on Ticino wines—such as the white Merlot—whose small production means you won’t likely find them elsewhere.
The Eden Roc’s 22,000 square-foot spa with full treatment center and hairdressers is spacious enough that it’s spread over several floors. While the property doesn’t feel resort-y, go ahead and wear your robe to the sauna world and steam baths or downstairs to the indoor/outdoor pool in a cozy blue-tiled grotto with a Chagall-like stained glass window of a sails and sun theme that are all Rampazzi.
The Eden Roc Spa includes an indoor/outdoor pool and lots of loungers within its cocooned space.
At Eden Roc, you are at most a one-minute walk away from Ascona’s narrow stone alleys that slope down to the popular lakefront promenade. Lined with restaurants and bars, it’s also the place to get that gelato you crave. The small Eden Roc sister hotel Albergo Carcani has a fine ground-floor trattoria with terrace seating, perfect for watching the world go by next summer over the ten-day Ascona Jazz Festival.
In addition to kayaks and paddle boards, Eden Roc lends bikes, Vespas and even electric Smart cars. You might take one to the next door town of Locarno where you’ll be sure to hit up the chocolate shop Läderach. Vis-à-vis the train station you’ll find the fun Locarno–Madonna del Sasso funicular with its late-50s cars that will take you up to the pilgrimage church of the same name.
From there, the Cardada cable car, with stations and cars designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, will deliver you at 4,400 feet just below the Cimetta mountain peak and to the Cardada-Cimetta chairlift to take you even further for some light hiking. Of course, the views are breathtaking, but don’t sweat it if you land on a misty day when the fern-filled woods are spooky fun. For a mountain food adventure, find a spot by the fireplace in the Capanna Lo Stallone inn whose popular polenta dishes are cooked over a wood fire outside.
Most of the Maggiore glacier lake belongs to Italy, and Hemingway fans will remember those passages in A Farewell To Arms as Frederic rows Catherine across the border to escape the Italian Carabinieri.
For a more leisurely visit yourself, guests can book an excursion on one of the Eden Roc boats—a vintage mahogany Riva Aquarama Speciale or the sleek new Riva 56’ Rivale yacht—which are skippered by Marco Meier who also founded the Asconautica sailing school located in the tiny Eden Roc marina (there is a small beach as well.)
Within minutes you’ll arrive at one of the world’s great botanical parks, the Giardino Botanico which takes up the larger of the two tiny Brissago Islands and which lie at Switzerland’s lowest point. The island’s gorgeous old manor house inn has a fine restaurant with garden seating.
Sail a bit further south and you’re in Italy suddenly with a stop at the postcard perfect village of Cannobio on the lake’s western shore. Here too, a long promenade is taken over by excellent trattorias and food shops that sell charcuterie, olive oil and staples that back home you’d call gourmet, but here are just what people eat.
Eden Roc is also located only an hour’s train ride to the city of Lugano which is even more Italian feeling than Ascona, though locals are proudly Swiss. Among its shows, the four-year-old lakeside LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura museum is currently showing William Wegman’s famous dog photos (through January 6). The city has plenty of fine dining options, but La Tinèra restaurant is a delight for its unpretentious basement setting and typical Ticino dishes.
Eden Roc’s rooms spread over three big wings and its lakeside location mean that there’s little foot traffic inside or out. The property never feels crowded, particularly not soon when in winter two wings will close, taking the room count from 95 to some 40.
For all its high-end flavor, the town of Ascona might not have the buzz of St. Tropez or Lake Como; but therein lies the beauty of Eden Roc. You’ve come here to enjoy the anti-St. Tropez or Como.
Travel notes: With a Swiss Travel Pass, Eden Roc guests can get from the Zurich airport to Locarno, Ascona’s sister city, in about three hours on the train. From there, pickup by Eden Roc to the hotel is a mere fifteen minute drive tops.
For optimal JFK-Zurich flights, on December 8, Delta will start operating with newly-retrofitted Boeing 767-400 aircraft that feature a more private Delta One cabin to go along with an entirely modernized interior throughout. Delta's refreshed 764-400 aircraft employs full-spectrum LED ambient lighting among its new features, with 33 Delta One seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.
