Our resolution: more time for ourselves

Too many New Year’s resolutions are all about self-restraint. We believe that, rather than doing without, we should all simply do MORE in 2023: experience more, feel more, travel more. Our Pillow & Pepper Mountain Yoga Retreat in the unspoilt alpine world of Vals will let you take a short break from your day-to-day routines, revive your spirit, make you experience nature afresh, and give you a chance to have some good clean fun. 

Christmas tree, presents galore and time for your loved ones

Christmas is not just a date, of course, it is a feeling. A familiar blend of decorated spruce and candles, opulent festive dinners and lovingly wrapped presents. But most of all, Christmas is about the people we spend it with. After all, time spent together is the most precious thing you can give to your loved ones—not just during the Christmas holidays but year-round and especially when on vacation. Shared adventures are a bonding experience, and create lasting memories. 

Berlin is wunderbar!

Whenever you are asked “Seriously, you’ve never been to Berlin?” or “You’ve been to Berlin but you don’t know the ...?” then you know it’s high time to visit the Berlin (again). This is a city always on the go and never standing still. Even when returning Berlin after a brief absence, you will find new concept stores and restaurants that have opened up in the meantime. You will also find an imaginative young gastronomy of exquisite taste here, along with an exciting art scene and unique hotels not found anywhere else. Let us give you our 10 insider tips to make your stay in Berlin unforgettable.  

Sun, sea and dolce vita – extend your summer with a trip to Tuscany

Tuscany is a coveted destination not just for wine lovers, culture buffs and connoisseurs of Italian cuisine. September is also a great time of year for sun worshippers to visit. The sea retains a pleasant warmth from the summer months, and you don’t need to make reservations weeks in advance to lounge in your favourite front-row “bagno.” 

Treat yourself

Take a journey to more mindfulness to rejuvenate from inside, and to experience your body with every single fibre again. Daily yoga units will be the path you travel toward inner harmony, paired with breathing exercises, mantra chanting and gongs, pristine mountain air, and plenty of time to yourself in Peter Zumthor’s masterpiece – the 7132 Thermal Baths.

Pillow Talk in Salzburg with Margot Weindorfer, Hotel Director and Salzburg Festival Expert

When COVID-19 made it impossible to celebrate the centennial of the Salzburg Festival last year, the city simply extended the anniversary into 2021. This year’s visitors will therefore benefit from a particularly lavish concert program. We talked to Hotel Director and Festival expert Margot Weindorfer about the reasons that make a visit to the World Heritage city so rewarding this summer.

Om – high time to recharge your soul with carefree energy

Om! It is the sacred syllable for pooling energy and reducing stress. Om! We will keep repeating it like a mantra in unison with our yoga teacher, Jan Leys, in the Swiss hamlet of Vals. Challenging times such as these make it all the more important to learn to cope with unwelcome negative vibes and to connect to your own body on a deeper level.

Beat the Lockdown Blues with Wanderlust

A memorable year is drawing to a close. The lockdown in spring was followed by a carefree summer of short trips inside Switzerland and countries just beyond. We rediscovered our hometown of Zurich, not least the freshly refurbished La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich. We wrote detailed profiles about the finest places that made lasting impressions on us, and these you will find on our website with its refreshing new design pillowandpepper.com now.

Namaste – more mindful, more alive

In addition to working from home and home schooling, we have been doing home yoga for weeks; even when confined within our own four walls, we yearn for mobility, lightness and self-care. Indeed, in these difficult times of social distancing, the need for a change of scene is becoming ever more pressing.  

White Christmas on ice, another year and a new website

Everything around you, things are glittering and sparkling – and the Dolder open-air ice rink above The Dolder Grand in Zurich is no exception. An intense, eventful year is drawing to a close. We personally visited more than 400 hotels and restaurants across Europe, testing and evaluating them independently. About the 320 finest places, the ones that left lasting impressions on us, we wrote detailed profiles, and we’re sharing them with you on pillowandpepper.com.  

Viva Barcelona!

Barcelona is such a vibrant city that the best way to discover its essence is by taking an active approach, staying as busy as the Barcelonians themselves who never seem to sit still. So, take a deep breath, and explore the amazing architecture of Antoni Gaudí and the modern Catalan cuisine that have created such a stir in the world with their playful ways to defy convention.  

An alternative to New Year’s resolutions: finding back to yourself at the Yoga Retreat in Gstaad

Tired of wining, dining and partying? Feel like losing a few pounds or simply having more time for yourself in the year that just started? And honestly, are you still living up to your New Year’s resolutions today, 13th of January? The problems with New Year’s resolutions is that they are too often conceived against the background of self-optimisation. But, as meditation teacher Sally Kempton once said: “You are perfect as you are, with the need of a little improvement.” That’s closer to the mark, is it not? Whatever motivates our actions should be rooted in our hearts. What is the inner force driving us? What is the desire deep down inside of us, waiting to be brought to life?