Al Faro

My favorite hotel in Ascona.I have been coming to this cute hotel right on the lakefront for 15 years.To the joyful surprise, the rooms have been gently renovated and now even have air conditioning😅

We chose this hotel because of its location - it's right on the waterfront and directly opposite the place where all the boats come in. I have MS, which makes walking a problem, and all the staff were very concerned and apologetic that there was no lift in the hotel and that the stairlift was broken (I knew about this in advance and had explained that climbing stairs is part of my physiotherapy). All the staff were very friendly and helpful in every respect - the chambermaid even came and offered a mat for the shower without being asked. The hotel offers a 10% discount on all food and drink bought by guests in the hotel, and after our first meal in the restaurant we decided we need look no farther for our evening meals.The menu was more Italian than Swiss, with homemade excellent pizzas, pasta and fish from the lake. There was also a selection of Thai dishes, which we didn't try. The restaurant next door, which is part of the same chain, has a more extensive menu, making the choice even greater. We made our best discovery in the café though. We've ordered tea many times in many places, and always been offered a cup of fairly warm water and a tea bag, plus a jug of hot milk. However in the Al Faro our English hearts were delighted to be given two mugs (!) of very hot water (as good as it gets), tea bags and a jug of cold milk - we did ask for the latter because the waiters all speak French. The result was the closest thing to English tea we have ever found in Europe. Breakfast was served in the restaurant of the hotel next door and was very good. There was a selection of cereals, bread, cheeses, jams, eggs and ham and the croissants were very good. The only drawback was that WiFi access came from this hotel, so it was only available to us when we went there for breakfast or if we sat on that part of the terrace.

Ascona in February is probably a strange time to visit we did however and it was very charming. Ascona is so crowded in summer that you hardly find a place to have a drink but in winter you can mingle with the locals and there are still some very nice places open. We did book the al Faro over the Internet it is a 3 star Hotel right on the Piazza. The rooms are spotless clean and cozy, no minibar but a great view and a superb balcony. The bathrooms are basic but the shower has a good water pressure and everything works. You feel like living inside a Rolex it is that Swiss***** standard you will hardly find everywhere else in this world. The only negative point is that the walls are rather thin in that old building, so you can hear when your neighbor is using the facilities. There is a nice breakfast buffet with plenty of fresh bread, cheese, fruits and lots of other things. The location is top the price is right in low season but is getting a little bit steep in summer. However if you want to be in the middle of Ascona where everything is happening this is the place to go.