Where to stay & dine in style in Ascona, Andermatt & the Lake Constance area:

My latest destination for my early summer vacations was once again my homeland, Switzerland – who is surprised? And Corona could still be blamed. But hey, this beautiful country has such an abundance of travel attractions! As the year before, my husband and I went to the Ticino, Switzerland’s south, looking for near Mediterranean vibes. And there should be two overnight stops en route, one on the way and one on the way back. As always, we wanted it to be a luxury trip with Michelin dining, whenever possible. So we opted for Ascona as our main destination as well as for Andermatt and the Lake Constance area underway. And this because we knew about suitable hotels in those places for staying and dining in style. Yet, we had a luxury Ascona trip in mind in the first place.

What were our choices? In terms of restaurants, we only opted for hotels with gourmet restaurants. So that spared us looking for offsite dining-spots. Before coming to our selected lodging in Ascona, Andermatt and the Lake Constance area, a few words about each of these regions.

Ticino & two overnight stops on the way

Ascona, our main destination, can be reached from the country’s northwest in about two and a half hours’ drive. So there is actually no need to plan on an intermediary stop. But as my husband and I were looking for a change of location and – wanted to try out a specific hotel – , we scheduled a two-night stay in Andermatt.

While this first stop does not require a detour on our way to Ascona, this is a bit different with the one in the Lake Constance area. But as we booked it on short notice, the choice was somewhat limited. So we had a longer drive home. But that was no problem as Switzerland is small. Concretely, you need about two and three quarters of an hour from Ascona to Lake Constance and then another one hour and forty minutes back to Switzerland’s northwest.

1. Ticino, Switzerland’s south, a luxury Ascona trip

As previously reported on my blog, the canton of Ticino is apart from all others in Switzerland. Here people do not only speak Italian, but it is also some kind of Italian Mediterranean within my home country. Think of lots of sunshine, palm trees, water fronts (two lakes), relaxed ambiance and plenty of vacationers, mostly German Swiss or German. And although the Ticino has a bit of Italy, it is decidedly Swiss with all the prejudices that are at least partly true.

Most leisure travelers to the Ticino either go to the Lugano area or the Locarno resp. Ascona one. While Lugano

is the largest town in this Swiss canton featuring a nice old town and numerous mountains with splendid viewpoints, Locarno is smaller (and more touristy).

The same is true for Ascona, a neighboring village. And both places are located on Lake Maggiore. Ascona is a truly idyllic spot, boasting an enchanting historic core and a picturesque lakeside piazza.

The Ticino is one of my favorite vacation spots in my home country. So it is no surprise that you find several posts about it on my blog. Amongst others, I have written about where to stay and dine in style in Lugano (my post) or about all the luxury hotels in Ascona (my post).

2. Andermatt, Swiss Alps

Andermatt is a mountain village (1,437 m/4,715 ft above sea level) at a four-way crossroads, the north-south route (Gotthard Pass) and the west-east one (Furka Pass to west and Oberalp Pass to east).

While this attribute had been an important attribute for a long time, this changed with the opening of the Gotthard Road Tunnel in 1980. As a consequence, Andermatt has been bypassed on the crucial north-south route ever since.

While this Alpine village remained quite popular as a ski resort – snow is almost always guaranteed here in winter – , it otherwise lost importance, from a tourism viewpoint. This is also because the Urseren valley, where Andermatt is located, has a rather harsh climate.

The big change came in 2009, when Samih Sawiris, an Egyptian investor, decided to spend one billion SFR/US$ on the touristic development of Andermatt. First, there was the construction of The Chedi, a five-star superior hotel, and The Chedi Residences.

Then other hotels, vacation homes and mountain railways (SkiArena Andermatt) followed. With the addition of a golf course – seemingly one of the best in Switzerland – , Andermatt became a year-round destination. And Sawiris’ latest coup – and his last one here, as he says – is even a concert hall.

3. Lake Constance area in Switzerland’s northeast

Lake Constance, Central Europe’s third largest lake, straddles three countries, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Swiss part is located on the lake’s south-western side and is the country’s most north-eastern area. And it is – maybe in contrast to the German one, which is notably sunnier – not overly touristy.

Having said that, there is a bunch of things to do in the area. Attractions include the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen (Europes largest waterfall), the Mainau Island (the Flower Island, Germany) or the Abbey Precinct of Saint Gallen.

I have been to the area several times in previous years, be it in Saint Gallen (my post), the largest city in the area, or in Heiden, a picturesque rural place not far from Saint Gallen (my post).

After this information on the areas visited on my early summer vacations, now to our choice of hotels.

3 excellent gourmet hotels in eastern Switzerland 

As outlined, we made a first stop at the mountain resort of Andermatt at the foot of the Saint Gotthard. And of course, we chose the signature’s lodging here, the mentioned ultra-luxury The Chedi (my post). Next was the main thing, a luxury Ascona trip. This was a five-night stay in this former fishing village in the immediate vicinity of Locarno, Ticino’s third-largest town. Here we went for a long time favorite of ours, the luxury hotel Castello del Sole (my report). We have not been here for seven years, and we were excited to see the changes. For our way home via the Lake Constance area, we gave Mammertsberg (my post), a luxury boutique hotel, a try.

Now to some more details to these properties. A full review of each will follow in separate posts.

1. Andermatt: The Chedi (1 Michelin star)

This is undoubtedly one of Switzerland’s most luxury hotels, and one of the country’s most expensive ones! It was opened in 2013 as first hotel of Sawiris’ mega development in Andermatt. And The Chedi is really something special! It is an unusual blend of Swiss Alpine chic and Asian vibe. You would not expect to find such a place in a quaint skiing resort as Andermatt! Every one of the 123 rooms – all at least 52 sqm in size – has its own fireplace. You can choose amongst four restaurants – The Japanese Restaurant has a Michelin star – and the award-winning spa is spread over 2,400 sqm and has indoor and outdoor pools. For details, refer to my report about it.

2. Ascona: Castello del Sole (1 Michelin star)

If you care for privacy and space to breathe, this might be the place for you. The whole complex (with bird sanctuary and farmland) covers 140 hectares! And the Mediterranean stately house with charming courtyards, directly located at the Lake Maggiore, is surrounded by an extensive park (14 hectares). It is a five-star superior property and member of the Relais & Château hotel group. There are 78 rooms in different buildings, a 2,500 sqm spa and four restaurants including the Locanda Barbarossa, which has been awarded a Michelin star. Furthermore, you find at the Castello del Sole several indoor and outdoor pools plus a private beach. Find here my hotel review.

3. Lake Constance: Mammertsberg (1 Michelin star)

UPDATE: new management as from fall 2022 (boutique collection by Andreas Caminada, 2-star Michelin chef Silvio Germann)

The Mammertsberg is a true postcard idyll, housed in a hundred-year-old mansion and overlooking Lake Constance. You find this luxury boutique hotel, featuring only six rooms, in the rural canton of Thurgau yet close to the city of Saint Gallen. The property – a Relais & Château house too – has been meticulously renovated complete with the construction of a modern monolith. Onsite there is a one Michelin starred restaurant with an outdoor area with stunning views of lake and farm land. And the hosts (including all staff) are among the most amiable I have ever encountered! As there are no other amenities, it is rather something for a short stay (one or two nights). And for details, refer to my post.

In case you are interested about more details to our luxury Ascona trip combined with two stops on the way, come back later. There will be comprehensive reviews about The Chedi (my report) in Andermatt, the Castello del Sole (my post) in Ascona and the Mammertsberg (my stay) in Freidorf/Lake Constance in the time to come.

Date of stay: July 2021

Pin it for later

The post A luxury trip to Ticino, Switzerland, with Michelin dining & 2 stops en route first appeared on Swiss Traveler