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I was invited to the re-opening of the completely rebuilt Reka Village in Lugano-Albonago on the weekend of June 18-19. This particular Reka Village was the very first village of its kind in Switzerland, build in 1964. The renovation took 2 years and cost 33 million Swiss francs, so this was more than a major renovation, it seems the entire resort was rebuilt from the ground up.
Now let’s back up a little. Those of you living in Switzerland, how much do you know about Reka?
The Schweizer Reisekasse or Swiss Travel Fund is a non-profit cooperative founded in 1939 with the aim of promoting social tourism in Switzerland, i.e., to promote affordable vacation for low-income families. The motto was all workers deserve a vacation.
The kick-off of this project was in 1940 with the creation of the Reka Cheque, considered the second Swiss currency, but with the opening in 1964 of the first Reka dorf Lugano albonago, the history of Reka took a new turn.
The reka cheque is in use until today and you can use them to buy tickets for any kind of transportation in Switzerland(bus, train, boat), for gondola tickets, for restaurants, hotels and travel packages, entrance to museums, zoos, even to fill up the car, the CURRENCY is accepted in more than 9,000 places.
Reka operates 20 vacation villages throughout the main regions of Switzerland today and even one in Italy in Follonica.
Do you know any of these villages?
We have always tried to book our winter vacation in one of these villages in Wildhaus and Scuol, but we were always lateto make the bookings. These place book out fast!
Getting to know the vacation village Lugano Albonago!
After a long renovation, the holiday village Lugano Albonago now comprises seven buildings and 49 apartments with a modern design, well thought out and equipped for families, with a spa, an infinity pool, two hotel rooms, a restaurant, barbecue facilities, a playground, a reception and the Rekalino, a space for activities and child care
It is Reka’s first vacation village, which integrated sustainability and accessibility in the overall concept and construction.The apartment buildings are named after flowers; ours was called Camellia and was just half way between the reception and the pool. It smelled freshly painted and so new.
We stayed in a two bedroom apartment for a family of 4. The apartment consisted of a living room, two bathrooms, a balcony, a fully equipped kitchen and a closet with a travel crib, a baby seat, a toilet seat, among other things. This place was full of things a family can use and it’s great that they have thought of equipping the apartment so fully. That way a family can leave their own baby toilet seat or potty at home. The view of the valley was great. The window curtains matched the kitchen cabinetry in color, a nice touch. It was very hot outside that weekend, so we very much appreciated the air conditioning. Flat screen TV was bigger than we would have expected. My husband kept talking about how good the air conditioning was in the apartment, a Nespresso coffee machine was also a highlight for him. But the biggest attraction for many will probably be the infinity pool on the hill above the resort. The views from up there are unforgettable.
Reka villages typically require a minimum one week stay, mainly using the Saturday-Saturday arrival-departure during high seasons. Outside of high seasons, and depending on availability, they can release the accommodation for fewer days.
The village has a self-service restaurant and includes a pizza oven. Chef Roger made us pretty good pizzas and we went back several times for more. There is no requirement to eat at the restaurant as all apartments have a kitchenette, but for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking and the kids play outside with their new friends, it is nice to dine out. You can add breakfast or half-board to your reservation, at additional cost.
Things to do in the area during your stay at Reka Holiday Village Lugano Albonago
- Stroll along the Lugano promenade – Lugano is not the capital of the Canton, but it is the largest city in Ticino. Itspromenade is always tastefully lined with flowers and benches for the passers by Walking along the waterfront and eatingauthentic Italian gelato, you arrive at Parco Ciani, one of the most beautiful parks in Switzerland.
- Boat ride on lake Lugano or rent a pedalo – another must-do in Lugano is to take a boat ride to the neighboring towns Gandria and Morcote, for example. Another option on these hot summer days is to rent a pedalo and cool off in the lake.
- Visit Mount San Salvatorre – In Lugano paradiso, you can take the 130 year old funicular up to Mount San Salvatorre, the top of Lugano, at 912 meters above sea level, with a beautiful view of the lake, city and mountains. There you will find a restaurant, playground, church and museum.
- Visit Mount Bré – A short walk from the Reka village will take you to the funicular station of Mount Bré, with a view of the bay of Lugano and the Alps.
- Trail Sentiero de Gandria – the trail takes just under 2 hours from Gandria to Lugano – Castagnola, it is a very beautiful trail.
- Lugano public swimming pool – the Lido of Lugano has a beautiful structure of swimming pools and a small beach at the lake, as well as a playground and a snack bar. Admission is 10 francs.
How to get there:
- By car: The village is located at Via Albonago 59A, 6962 Viganello. There is parking on site.
- By public transport: By train to Lugano, then take bus number 461 from Lugano North to the Viganello bus stop and change to the bus number 10 in the direction of Albonago Peasse.
The Ticino Ticket is included in your stay and gives you free use of public transportation within the canton. Other benefits of the Ticino Ticket include discounts on cable cars, boat tickets, and major tourist attractions. You can also download the application directly to your phone.
NOTE. The article was written with no input from Reka but for full transparency, we were able to spend one night free of charge, including drinks and dinner at the opening weekend. All opinions are expressly my own.
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