We had breakfast at 7am and at 7:29am departed for Lugano. We arrived at Bellinzona at 9:53am which gave us only 1 minute to transfer to the train station. Over the weekend Andy and I had taken the same route to go to Milan, so he decided to lead the group. He immediately jumped off the bus and stopped traffic to make sure Dr. Garely and Prof. Blake-Neis made it across the street safely. It was sure a quick transfer, but being the New Yorkers that we are, we caught our train on time.
Upon arrival at Lugano there was heavy rain. We took a bus heading towards the Grand Hotel Eden. Unfortunately the bus left us a little far from the hotel do we had to walk in the rain the rest of the way. At the Grand Hotel Eden we met Mr. Maurizio Lieto (assistant front desk manager) who greeted us and put our back packs and wet clothes in their closet. My first impression of this hotel was great; it had animal print furniture and there were plants everywhere. The hotel features 117 gracious rooms and suites fitted with all comforts (8 suites, 7 junior suites, 48 deluxe rooms and 54 superior rooms).
Dining at the Grand Hotel Eden is top of the line, the hotels award winning restaurant features contemporary Italian cuisine in an elegant setting, offering spectacular views of the lake and mountains. Their wellness centre offers an indoor heated pool and a space dedicated to fitness, beauty and general well being, such as Jacuzzi, massage area, sauna and relaxation area. During the summer guests can spend a day of complete relaxation, sunbathing or diving in the lake. The bathrooms had plenty of amenities. It was a very sexy hotel I would say, one I look forward to visiting.
We had lunch (bread, ham, cheese and juice) in the train station because once again our day was cut short due to bad weather conditions. Dinner time came quickly and surprisingly the curry chicken, fiesta styled rice and raspberry sorbet with a coconut cookie was actually tasty. I enjoyed my dinner so much; too bad seconds didn’t make it to my spot on the table. Blogging came next and then counting sheep followed.
