Thermia Palace Review: Is It The Best Spa Hotel In Slovakia?
Looking for the best spa in Slovakia? With so many great thermal spas in Slovakia to choose from, it’s hard to know which one to go for.
To help you, we decided to write our Thermia Palace review and explain why we think it is the best of the Slovakia spa resorts.
We stayed at Thermia Palace in the famous Slovakian spa town of Piestany during a Slovakian road trip in the summer.
We love visiting spa hotels for a bit of relaxation and wanted to try out one of the best spa hotels in Slovakia for something a bit different.
We visited Thermia Palace with kids and although we weren’t their usual demographic, we really enjoyed our stay.
Whether you are travelling with kids or not, this review of Thermia Palace spa hotel in Slovakia will give you a good idea of what to expect from a stay here and will hopefully convince you to give it a try!
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Where is the Thermia Palace spa?
There are more than 1300 mineral sources in Slovakia with 26 thermal spas built on these mineral springs.
Piestany is one of these thermal spa resorts. It is Europe’s only spa island and is the most famous spa resort in Slovakia.
Thermia Palace is located in Piestany.
Piešťany is situated in western Slovakia and is within easy reach of Bratislava (1 hour), Vienna (1 hr 45) and Budapest (2 hr 45).
If you can tear yourself away from the hotel, it is worth taking a stroll around the pretty town of Piestany.
It is just a short stroll across the bridge or you can take the little tourist train (Piestansky Expres) that stops at the hotel.
It also stops at the other Ensana spa hotels: Balnea Splendid, Balnea Esplanade and Balnea Grand.
History of Thermia Palace
People as far back as the Middle Ages were using the healing benefits of the geothermal springs in Piestany (although it is likely the Romans also used the healing mud and waters of Piestany).
Thermia Palace spa hotel was built in the Art-Nouveau style in 1912. It was considered to be the most stylish and modern spa hotel in central Europe at the time.
It had some of the most sought after spa facilities in the world when it opened. It was Slovakia’s first 5-star spa hotel.
In 1917, three monarchs (Wilhelm II of Germany, Karl I of Austria-Hungary, and Ferdinand I of Bulgaria) met at the Thermia Palace hotel and created their war strategy.
A stay at Thermia Palace will transport you back to this era as much of the original architecture has been preserved.
This is what makes Thermia Palace one of the most unique spas in Slovakia.
Thermia Palace is now a luxury spa and wellness hotel in the Ensana Group and the biggest health spa in Slovakia.
Ensana run a number of spa hotels in Europe with seven spa hotels in Slovakia.
Piestany spa hotel Thermia Palace is their flagship hotel in Slovakia. They also run a couple of other Piestany spa hotels that are cheaper than Thermia Palace if you are looking for a more affordable European spa vacation.
See also:
- Esplanade – 4 star spa hotel (guests have access to the Balnea Health Spa).
- Splendid – 3 star spa hotel (guests have access to the Balnea Health Spa).
Why stay at the Thermia Palace spa?
Thermia Palace is no ordinary spa hotel. Whilst you can get massages and facials, the big draw for people to Thermia Palace are the health treatments.
Each treatment is based on an individual therapy recommendation from the on-site doctors.
There are 60 different treatments available including balneotherapy and physiotherapy. Thermia Palace in Piešťany also offers mud baths.
Piešťany has emerged as one of the leading health spas for rheumatism in Europe. If you suffer from back pain, arthritis or osteoporosis it really is worth checking out Thermia Palace.
The health treatments can be combined with various wellness and beauty treatments for the ultimate health and relaxation stay.
Of course, you can also stay without the medical consultation and just enjoy the wellness and relaxation side of the spa as we did.
I’m coming back to in my old age for a bit of TLC. I absolutely love the idea of a week of prescribed health treatments and relaxation!
There are weight loss programmes, pain relief programmes or just intensive spa programmes for the ultimate relaxation.
There are all sorts of spa packages and there will be something to suit you. The packages are usually full board and are for a minimum night duration.
What really makes Thermia Palace stand out from the crowd, however, is its beautifully preserved art nouveau decor combined with state of the art spa facilities.
On the one hand, you have the incredible Mud Pool, lit by shafts of light from stained glass windows under a vaulted dome. You will not find this anywhere else in Europe.
It is hard to explain the serenity you feel as you glide naked down the steps into the mud pool and sink your toes into the warm, healing mud. Don’t worry, you will be the only one in the mud pool!
You book a session in combination with the mirror pool experience and it costs around EUR 12.
On the other hand, you have the state of the art spa facilities (pool, jacuzzi, sauna etc) right next door.
This combination of old and new is what, for us, made Thermia Palace the most beautiful spa in Slovakia.
Oh, and the fact they have an enormous outdoor geothermally heated pool that means you can visit at any time of the year.
We especially love a thermal pool in the winter. See our review of (relatively) nearby thermal baths in Bialka Tatrzanska in Poland.
You can read more about the facilities at the Irma Health Spa at Thermia Palace here.
Rooms at Thermia Palace
There are a number of different room options available at Thermia Palace ranging from comfort to deluxe.
As a family of four, we had a deluxe suite which was really spacious and even included its own dining room. Our balcony looked out over the pool area and gardens.
It says on the website that it sleeps 2 adults but it comfortably sleeps 4 with a sofa bed in the lounge area.
The room comes with tea and coffee making facilities and complimentary water.
You can read more about the rooms at Thermia Palace here.
Dining at Thermia Palace
We just want to talk about the food at Thermia Palace spa hotel briefly because it was excellent.
Most spa packages at this Piestany spa resort include full board which means that all of your food will be included. You just order drinks separately.
There was a fantastic buffet selection at breakfast and lunch and dinner was a la carte. The food felt healthy (as it should) and it was delicious. We were also told that the chef could make something simple for the kids if they didn’t see anything they liked.
All main meals are taken in the beautiful dining area – The Grand Restaurant. It really is the architectural highlight of the hotel.
Dinner is a grand affair and worth getting dressed up for with a live music for entertainment.
If you don’t have meals included in your stay, it is just a short stroll across the bridge into the centre of town where you will find a variety of restaurants.
There are also a couple of more informal dining options at Thermia Palace.
Is Thermia Palace family-friendly?
When looking on the website, we weren’t entirely sure whether this 5-star spa hotel in Slovakia was family-friendly so we emailed to enquire.
They confirmed that they had family rooms and that kids were welcome.
As you would expect, kids aren’t allowed to use the special spa areas (mud pool and mirror pool), but they are more than welcome to use the indoor and outdoor geothermally heated pools.
It is recommended that you don’t spend more than 10-15 minutes at a time in the pools because of the temperature. They maintain a year-round temperature of about 36 degrees. Kids can be affected by these warm temperatures more than adults so you do need to keep an eye on them.
There were other little touches at the Thermia Palace that we loved as a family.
- There were mini bath robes in our room for the kids to use.
- There was a giant chess set in the grounds
- We were advised that the chef could make the kids something different if they didn’t see something they wanted.
Is Thermia Palace the best spa in Slovakia?
Thermia Palace is without a doubt the best spa in Slovakia. From the stunning original architecture to the modern spa facilities.
From the moment we checked in until the moment we checked out, the staff were warm and welcoming.
If you’re looking for the best spa in Slovakia, you have to visit Thermia Palace in the spa resort of Piešťany.
Quite simply, Thermia Palace is the best spa in Slovakia.
We can’t wait to go back.
If we can be this relaxed after 2 days staying with the kids, I can’t wait to go back and try a longer spa package to try and sort out all of our aches and pains!
Things to do near Thermia Palace
If you are considering a Slovakian road trip, there are other places of interest that you might want to include.
We loved visiting Bojnice Castle (The Castle of Spirits) which is about 1 hr 15 minutes from Piestany.
We spent a couple of nights in Banska Stiavnica, the most beautiful town in Slovakia. It is a spectacular place to base yourself to explore the area. There is so much history and it is great for outdoor enthusiasts.