Kurhaus Cademario Resort

I didn't realise that the sponsor put is up at a spa hotel on top of the hill for our Lugano trip. According to them, all the other hotels were fully booked and those who still had rooms couldn't accomodate the ten of us. But the problem with this arrangement was the travelling to and from the hotel to the town centre. It took us 40 minutes on the bus and the bus only left hourly. For other tines, we had to arrange alternative transport.

Being a spa hotel, the Kurhaus Cademario offer great food and comfortable room. No room service though. But due to our packed schedule we were not able to enjoy any of the spa services on offer. But from what I could see, the place was only recently renovated, and the outdoor pool were still being built.

Breakfast viewThe room was cosy and practicalThe bed was really nice ....Let's start with the room. They were fully airconditioned, and equipped with blazing fast internet. There were flat screen TV with limited number of English channels. The toilet and showers were very comfortable. There were no bath tubs. But the best thing about the room must be the lake view verandah which was accessable from room, occupying the length of the room. There were deck chairs outside, but unfortunately it was nearly dark by the time we reached our room every night. I wished that I had a full Fay just to enjoy all that.

There was a sofa chair, and a separate writing table. Coupled with the fast internet, one could really get some work done here if they really wanted to.

The lobby was warm and cosy, laid out with books and sofa. There were at least three separate eating area, not counting the function rooms. Our favourite restaurant was the main one where we had our breakfast every morning. It had a cosy verandah overlooking the valley and lake. We could hear the birds singing there, as well as the church bell every 15 minutes. Shame that one could also hear the occasional rumble of aircrafts taking off from a small airstrip down in the valley. Not too often though and was certainly not a problem in the rooms.

As for the food, they were not too bad. The specialty here was the minestrone, a kind of vegetable broth. With some croutons parmesan, it tasted amazing. I had some fish on the couple of occasions I was there, and I enjoyed it.

I could imagine sitting in the lobby having a sip of cocoa in front if the fireplace during winter, with the snow outside.

From my balconyA bit of afternoon drinksCosy lobby areaFrom the brochure, it looked like there were a range of services that the spa offered. Rather on the expensive side, but I was sure that should you be able to afford the rooms here, the spa fees wouldn't be an issue.

All together, we spent four nights at the hotel, but mainly for sleep. I was sure that the hotel offered plenty more, but due to our schedule, we didn't really explore what was on offer.

The main drawback for the place was the access from my perspective. But if you were there to be isolated and rejuvenated, you might thought differently. More information about the hotel could be found here. I don't think that I was in a position to give any recommendation for the place.

The slideshow of the hotel can be seen here.

Finally, Dinner

Finally I felt like I was having a holiday. We had dinner at the hotel before packing up for the trip home tomorrow. Full meal, complete with loud discussion in the end. Quite nice actually since we were out on the verandah. The discussion went for quite a bit towards the end.

I don't feel like going back into the room. I hate packing ......

.... it was much nicer just chilling out downstairs.

Fresh and Ready

Can't resist but to enjoy the vista outside my room this morning when I woke up Sith you guys. The temperature was on the chilly side, and the wind wound down the windchill factor by a couple of notches. It was freezing, and I would need my jumper.

The hotel we stayed was situated right at the top of a hill and exposed to the elements as far as wind and rain are concerned. But inside, the airconditioning was top notch. It had been raining outside the whole night but inside, it was right cosy.

It had a spa, which none of us had managed to sample thus far due to our tight schedule. Nor the swimming pool. Today being the last day - we would be leaving to tomorrow morning - if better make the most of it.

The Second Morning

I decided to leave a bit later for the second morning as the transfer was too early for my liking. I therefore had a nice breakfast, and did a bit of surfing before taking the ride down.

The weather seemed a bit colder this morning. Possibly it would be raining as well. So, planning to stay indoors as much as we could although the town centre was just too picturesque for somebody like me. Maybe I would do an impromptu photowalk during lunch. Even the McDonald's here looked photogenic.

As for this morning, it was time to walk downhill to the bus stop. Lets see how the public transport work here ..... in Switzerland.

Breakfast in Sunshine

It was 16 C outside and Subuh at this time of the year was 5 am. By 6, the sun was already almost out. I was ready for breakfast when the cafe was opened for business at 7 am. And soon, the rest of my group cane trickling down as well. We had to get the breakfast quick as the shuttle bus would leave at 7.45 and things are efficient here. 7.45 meant 7.45 Swiss time.

The breakfast food was also much better than expected. I was expecting a light continental fare. But they served full English here. I had my scramble on toast, added to that huge croissants and cereals. I was done!

And the cafe latte was gorgeous, all on the verandah looking at the sunrise. Heaven it was. Incline see the valleys and Lake Lugano down below on the horizon. Shame that it was only for half an hour.