Giardino Ascona

Giardino Ascona, a prestigious Michelin Key One-Key property in Ascona, Switzerland, consistently receives high praise for its exceptional service, beautiful Mediterranean setting, and world-class dining. It is considered a "soul retreat" offering a blend of sophistication and relaxed luxury.

1. Overall Rating & Sentiment

Giardino Ascona is generally rated as "wonderful" with a strong overall score, for example, 9.3 out of 10 based on 87 reviews on one platform and 9.4 on Trip.com. Guests frequently describe their stays as unforgettable and rejuvenating, highlighting the ultimate hospitality and beautiful, relaxing setting. The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, with many guests expressing a desire to return.

2. Key Highlights

Guests consistently laud several aspects of Giardino Ascona:

• Service & Hospitality: Impeccable, outstanding, and highly personalized service is a recurring theme, with staff being described as wonderful, friendly, attentive, and caring.
• Design & Property: The hotel boasts a fabulous location and a gorgeous, immaculate property. The Mediterranean garden, with its lush greenery, water lilies, pools, and sculptures, is a central feature and a true highlight, creating a serene oasis. The hotel's design, inspired by Tuscany and the Mediterranean, combines warm and luxurious Italian and Swiss elements with modern touches.
• Amenities: The spa area, including indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, a hot tub, and a modern fitness studio, is highly appreciated. The availability of hotel bikes and proximity to an 18-hole golf course are also noted advantages.
• Dining: The award-winning restaurants, especially the two-Michelin-starred Ecco, are a significant draw.

3. Room Quality

The rooms at Giardino Ascona are described as spacious, elegant, and comfortable. They are air-conditioned and feature a balcony or terrace, a flat-screen satellite TV, CD and DVD players, and a mini-bar. Bathrooms are well-appointed with bathrobes, slippers, and a hairdryer. The decor deviates pleasantly from standard hotel designs, furnished in a cozy, luxurious Mediterranean style with light colors, wooden floors, and modern technologies. Rooms facing south offer natural light and serene views of the lush outdoor space.

4. Dining Experience

Giardino Ascona offers a diverse and highly acclaimed dining experience:

• Ristorante Ecco: This is the culinary flagship, proudly holding two Michelin stars and 18 GaultMillau points. Executive Chef Rolf Fliegauf (or Reto Brändli, depending on the source) is celebrated for his exceptional aromatic cuisine, combining local and seasonal ingredients with international influences to create refined and emotionally stirring dishes.
• Hide & Seek: This restaurant offers a more casual dining experience, focusing on Ayurveda-based dishes with a mix of Asian, Oriental, and local influences, as well as creative cuisine blending regional and Italian flavors with Mediterranean lightness. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Breakfast: A delicious buffet breakfast is served in the Hide & Seek restaurant from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM. Some sources, however, state that complimentary breakfast is not currently served.
• Pool Bar: A wide range of snacks, homemade ice cream, Mediterranean antipasti, salads, and grilled dishes are available in a casual setting by the pool.
• Room Service: Room service is also available.

5. Service & Staff

The service at Giardino Ascona is consistently described as impeccable, outstanding, and first-class. Guests frequently praise the staff for being wonderful, friendly, helpful, attentive, and professional, making guests feel genuinely cared for and welcomed with a "Buongiorno" and "Benvenuto." The team is known for its attention to detail and extraordinary friendliness, even being particularly kind to children.

6. Location & Accessibility

Giardino Ascona is a 5-star superior hotel nestled within a peaceful, Mediterranean garden setting in Ascona. It's located in a quiet residential area, just steps away from an 18-hole golf course. Ascona's yacht harbor and the shores of Lake Maggiore are also just a short distance away. The hotel offers its own bicycles for exploring the local area and a shuttle service to the center and Giardino Lago. It's approximately 120 km by car from Milan-Malpensa Airport and 220 km from Zürich Airport. A free shuttle service to and from Locarno railway station is also available.

7. Value & Pricing

While Giardino Ascona offers a luxurious experience, the value for money has been rated at 8.2 out of 10. Typical prices for a weeknight average around $754, and for a weekend night, around $843. The cheapest month to stay is typically May, with an average 20% drop in price, while July is the most expensive, with an average 20% rise. The experience is often deemed worth the cost due to the high level of service, amenities, and overall atmosphere. Mandatory underground/outdoor parking incurs an additional charge of CHF 30.

8. Common Complaints

While reviews are overwhelmingly positive, a few recurring issues or criticisms have been noted:

• Restaurant Hide & Seek: One guest found the meal at Hide & Seek to be "very poor" and particularly frustrating given its price, recommending looking elsewhere for meals.
• Overcharging Concerns: A significant complaint involved a guest claiming to be overcharged by nearly 1,000 CHF by the finance department, with the issue remaining unresolved for months despite communication at checkout.
• Service in Specific Areas: Some reviews, while generally positive about overall ambiance and cleanliness, pointed out specific issues with service in the restaurant and pool areas.
• Room Size/Layout: Some guests mentioned room size and layout as minor drawbacks.
• Dogs: Dogs are permitted at a charge of CHF 40 per night but are not allowed in the restaurants or on the lawn.

Sources

1. themostluxurioushotels.world
2. wbpstars.com
3. marriott.com
4. booking.com
5. trip.com
6. fivestaralliance.com
7. michelin.com
8. hotels.com
9. thehotelguru.com
10. marriott.com
11. giardinohotels.ch
12. culinarystars.ch
13. giardinohotels.ch
14. giardinohotels.ch
15. giardinohotels.ch
16. kayak.com