Sometimes it only takes three days to find yourself again. Not through effort, not through a to-do list for the soul, but through a place that has everything you need. The Bloom and Grow Retreat in Ascona, nestled in our beautiful Hotel Giardino on Lake Maggiore, is just such a place. A retreat in Switzerland that combines beauty, mindfulness and personal growth in a way you would hardly expect.
August 27 to 29, 2026 – three days in Ticino. And an experience that lasts much longer.
Retreat Switzerland: Why Ascona is the perfect place
Anyone looking for a retreat in Switzerland might first think of the mountains, of silence between peaks. Ascona is a different kind of silence. Warmer. More sensual. More Mediterranean. The light falls on the lake differently than anywhere else. The oleander is in bloom. The Giardino gardens smell of citrus and the south of France, even if you are in the middle of Switzerland.
The Giardino Ascona is not a hotel that you book, as retreat leader Diana Nicoli says in an interview. It is a place that you can feel. And it is precisely this quality, an environment that brings out the best in people, that makes it the ideal setting for a retreat that wants to be more than just yoga and breakfast.
“The Giardino Ascona is not a hotel that you book. It’s a place you can feel. The light, the gardens, Lake Maggiore, the cuisine, the spa – every detail has a level of care that you rarely find.”
– Diana Nicoli
What sets Bloom and Grow apart from other retreats
Wellness tourism is booming in Switzerland. Retreats, yoga weekends, mindfulness seminars: There is so much on offer. So what makes this retreat in Ascona so special?
The answer lies in the combination: a carefully curated program of yoga, breathwork and meditation, no lecturing, no pressure to perform, but inviting. And the setting of the Giardino: exceptional cuisine, the dipiú spa, warm August light over the lake. And Diana Nicoli herself: a woman with experience, sensitivity and humor. She knows that personal growth is not hard work, but a question of focus.
The Bloom and Grow Retreat follows a natural rhythm: first get in touch with yourself, then find alignment, and finally slip into a flow that lasts long after the weekend is over. This is exactly how Diana Nicoli describes her philosophy, away from doing more and towards being more conscious.
“For me, personal growth means gaining clarity about who you really are and who you no longer are. At some point, there is this wonderful shift: away from ‘What can I get’ and towards ‘What do I have to give? That’s the moment when life really begins.”
– Diana Nicoli
The program: Three days for body, mind and energy
The retreat starts on Thursday evening with a gentle evening yoga session in the outdoor shala of the Giardino, followed by an aperitif in the Mediterranean garden and dinner together in the Hide & Seek restaurant.
Friday: Sunrise Yoga as the sun rises over the lake. A workshop on inner strength and personal development. Free time by the pool or in the dipiù spa. A breathwork session in the afternoon. Dinner together, evening meditation.
Saturday: Morning yoga flow. Brunch. Closing ritual and quiet moments to wind down. Departure at midday, with the luggage you didn’t pack and without some of the things you want to forget.
Included in the retreat:
✓ Daily yoga and breathwork sessions with Diana Nicoli
✓ Personal development workshop
✓ All meals according to the program
✓ Welcome aperitif in the Mediterranean garden
✓ Access to the dipiù Spa
✓ Two nights at Giardino Ascona
✓ Small group and personal atmosphere
Price double room: CHF 1,540 p.p. (2 nights, full board incl. program)
Price single room: CHF 1,700 (2 nights, full board incl. program)
Date: 27-29 August 2026
Location: Hotel Giardino Ascona, Via del Segnale 10, 6612 Ascona
Who is the retreat in Ascona for?
No previous experience necessary. No specific role. Just one thing: an open attitude. The Bloom and Grow Retreat is aimed at women and men who love quality, in their surroundings, in their encounters, in themselves. People who feel that they are due for an extraordinary weekend. Something that really has a lasting effect.
Diana Nicoli puts it in a nutshell: “If you feel that you want to give yourself an extraordinary weekend, with real people, in a breathtaking place, with something that will last, then this is the right place for you.
“What I often hear when I say goodbye: ‘I just feel good, alive and nourished on all levels’. That’s it. That’s exactly what it is.”
– Diana Nicoli
An exercise that everyone can take with them
Diana Nicoli also shares a simple exercise in the interview: morning alignment. Three minutes before you even pick up your cell phone. Four questions:
→ What am I grateful for?
→ What is beautiful today?
→ What am I looking forward to?
→ How do I want to be today?
Gratitude first. Then not what you have to do, but how you want to be. This shift from doing to being changes the tone of the whole day. In the Giardino Ascona, with a view of Lake Maggiore and a perfect Ticino coffee, it is particularly easy.
Why retreats in Switzerland are more important than ever right now
Silence becomes a rarity. Real encounters too. In her work, Diana Nicoli observes what many people feel: it is no longer enough to go on vacation. People are looking for something that lasts. A weekend after which they go home differently. Lighter. Clearer. More alive.
This is not esotericism. This is living wisdom. And this is exactly what the Bloom and Grow Retreat in Ascona stands for: silence that you can afford. Growth that doesn’t feel like work. A retreat in Switzerland that brings the south with it.
Book now: hc.onidraig@noitavreser
Retreat page: giardinohotels.ch
