Villa Principe Leopoldo

A sparkling glacier-fed lake, candy-colored palaces, breathtaking mountain scenery, a relentlessly highbrow culinary scene — life in Lugano is a pretty easy ride. Maybe even easier? Staying just outside of the city, in a lavish villa that was once the private residence of a prince. Welcome to Villa Principe Leopoldo. You didn’t come to this bucolic corner of Switzerland, after all, to explore bohemian neighborhoods and eat street food — you came to taste the classic pleasures and luxuries of the region. And who knows how to live the good life better than a prince? His one-time home, a stately villa perched high over the lake, has been restored and enhanced to include a first-rate spa suite and a conchiform pool in a lemon grove.

Though the interiors feel fresh and modern, it seems only appropriate that there’s a regal feel to these suites, a gilded look, if you will: brocade sofas, marble and silk, metallic hues and romantic florals. Each has a private balcony overlooking the lake or the gardens, and an exceptionally spacious bathroom, which as any frequent hotel-goer will attest, is a true hallmark of luxury. The décor is particularly opulent — sumptuous drapery, artworks in heavy antique frames — in the larger suites, which also feature perks like Jacuzzis and large terraces, and in the public spaces downstairs.

This is especially true inside the Principe Leopoldo Restaurant, almost as notable for its ornate interior design as it is for its cuisine, which has earned a number of awards in Switzerland. As the hotel’s name helpfully reminds you, this is the Italian-speaking part of the country, and the cuisine, as well as the champagne menu and the wine list, take their cue from the traditions of its neighboring country. After dinner, retire to the piano bar for a nightcap, or step out onto the terrace and enjoy grappa and a cigar with a spectacular — dare we say royal — view.

How to get there: Villa Principe Leopoldo is a seven-minute drive from Lugano Airport.