Casa Moscia

We stayed here for five days during the out-of-season opening for a Silvester gathering of the VBG (which runs the hotel). From the website we expected a moderate-to-nice experience. When we arrived, however, we were totally overwhelmed by the beauty of the place. A view to the lake, a small botanical garden with lots of cozy places to sit and enjoy, an actual small harbor with two rowing boats, sports facilities, lake swimming area and a small playground for toddlers. First of all the bus stop is directly above the hotel. Getting from one to the other is challenging with a stroller but that's not the hotel's fault, you have to walk a few meters at the side of the busy road without any actual sidewalk. Biggest disadvantage: No elevator, very few ramps but lots of stairs. Unsuitable for wheelchairs. With our light stroller, however, we got along pretty well. Rooms 41-44 are at street level and offer a great view to the lake with a secure balcony, fantastic for kids. Prices are high judged by international standards but not for Switzerland, there are lots of hotels that are more expensive and offer much less (especially in terms of friendlyness). Casa Moscia is certainly not a luxury hotel (those start at 500-1000 CHF/day!) but it feels like one in many ways. Food was great during our stay and there was plenty of it. Lots of choices for breakfast, including fresh fruit joghurt. For small budgets there's also the Red House with group rooms. The whole main building, originally a factory, is designed in a way that it's almost always flooded with sunlight, with a very nice cafeteria. This was important for us as we came from foggy Zurich and were in desperate need for sunlight. There are two vending machines for beverages, snacks and sweets and a coffee machine. Prices for coffee are inside Swiss limits but certainly not cheap. Payment is via a prepaid badge that can be obtained at the reception. For families with small children (perhaps up to five years) there's also a complete room with toys, separate from the main house (i.e. loud noise is not a problem :)). You can even sit outside on a small shady terrace while your kids are playing, the terrace is secured with a guardrail and a small lockable door. The whole complex is extremely quiet despite the road running directly above it. The immediate surroundings don't offer too much, Moscia is a very small and quiet village. Ascona is within walking distance (don't take the main road, walk across the hill instead), there's a small hiking path branching from this side road where you can go hiking, e.g. to the Pizzo Leone or the Gridone. The Maggia and Centovalli valleys can easily be reached via bus and the Centovalli train, Ponte Brolla is only 35mins away. The hotel itself offers rowing boats, canoes and pedal boats for moderate prices and even rowed swimming platforms (called the katamarans). A beach volley field is on the premises as well. Free WiFi worked fine and fast on all my devices, even outside the main building on the sunny "promenade". You get your own device-specific code at the reception and have to log in only once (at least that's how it worked for me). I was in an all-inclusive family hotel in Turkey once that was rated five stars on TA.com and it doesn't even come close to Casa Moscia.