EurothermenResort Bad Ischl - Hotel Royal: Hotel Review (original) (raw)

EurothermenResort Bad Ischl – Hotel Royal is a 4-star superior, thermal spa hotel in Salzkammergut, Upper Austria, Austria.

Ringed by mountains and overlooking the historic spa town of Bad Ischl, Hotel Royal offers guests an enchanting setting to rejuvenate and relax.

Hotel Royal is adjoined to the Salzkammergut-Therme, a spa complex which comprises indoor and outdoor brine baths, the Relaxium sauna world (8 saunas and 3 pools), and the Saliera restaurant.

Guests have unlimited access to the thermal pools and sauna complex. In addition, hotel guests have exclusive access to the SkyLounge, a wellness area replete with a panoramic infinity pool, Finnish sauna, infrared sauna, complimentary juice and tea bar, and multiple relaxation spaces.

Hotel Royal impressed us tremendously. We loved the mountain views, organic-certified hotel cuisine and down-to-earth atmosphere.

The service is attentive, highly-polished, and friendly. The only thing we didn’t like was the warm color palette in the hotel lobby and hallways, which is entirely subjective.

For the best hotel rates, check out Booking.com.

Hotel Royal Bad Ischl, Austria

About Bad Ischl

Bad Ischl, Austria

Bedroom Balcony View

Bad Ischl lies at the confluence of the Traun and Ischler Ache rivers, 50 km east of Salzburg City.

The spa town is located in Salzkammergut, a region famed for its many mountain lakes, historic salt mines, and darling lakeside villages like Hallstatt.

In the 19th century, Bad Ischl became a fashionable health resort amongst Austrian royalty and famous composers, because of its saline, iodine and sulfur springs.

The spa town rose to prominence between the years 1849 and 1914, when it functioned as the imperial summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elizabeth.

If you’re interested in Bad Ischl’s imperial past, you can visit the Kaiservilla (open April – December).

Tips for Staying at Hotel Royal Bad Ischl

SkyLounge, Hotel Royal Bad Ischl, Austria

SkyLounge

1. You can exchange your towels throughout your stay at the hotel reception.

2. The SkyLounge is open from 10 am – 10 pm. It’s blissfully empty in the evening. We had the lounge almost all to ourselves between 6 pm and 7 pm, when most guests were already dining.

3. Hotel Guests get unlimited access to all wellness areas on the day of arrival as well as day of departure. That’s really rare. Usually thermal spa hotels charge a fee for extended visits on the day of departure.

4. The Salzkammergut-Therme opens to the public at 9 am. Hotel guests get early access, starting at 7 am.

5. There’s a self-service water fountain with carafes in the buffet area. You can fill-up your table water throughout lunch and dinner, at no extra charge.

6. You can eat the afternoon snack in your bathrobe.

Related: How to Visit an Austrian Therme

Arrival & Departure

Hotel Royal SkyLounge, Bad Ischl, Austria

SkyLounge

Check-in

Rooms are available at 3 pm.

However, you can arrive at Hotel Royal as early as 9 am to use the thermal pools, sauna area (starting at 11 am*), and SkyLounge (starting at 10 am).

The hotel reception will give you a spa bag with a bathrobe and towels.

You can leave your luggage at the reception. Your luggage will be deposited in your room, as soon as it’s available.

*On Thursdays, the sauna area is women’s only from 9 am until 1 pm, then mixed from 1 pm until midnight.

Chip Wristband

At check-in, the hotel receptionist will give you a chip wristband. This functions as a room key as well as an access key to all gated wellness areas.

Check-out

At check-out, bring your spa bag, filled with bathrobes and towels, etc.., to the reception.

Check-out is at 12 pm. However, guests can use all wellness areas on their day of departure at no extra cost.

Hotel Royal Bad Ischl Wellness Areas

SkyLounge

Hotel Royal Bad Ischl Infinity Pool, Austria

The SkyLounge is the hotel wellness area reserved exclusively for guests. The lounge encompasses an infinity pool, an infrared sauna, a Finnish sauna, several themed relaxation areas, a sun deck, showers, and a tea and juice bar.

Upon entering, you’ll be greeted by a crackling fire and a line of swing chairs. Off to the right, plush purple sofa chairs, flanked by decorative birch trunks, face a small library.

A complimentary Sonnentor tea and Rauch juice bar invites you to make your own herbal tea or Johannisbeersaft or Apfelsaft gespritzt.

The infinity pool spills outside with views of Bad Ischl, dwarfed by snow-dusted peaks. The mountain views will keep you lingering here for a while.

There’s also a large sun deck, perfect for cooling off post-sauna sessions (in winter) and sunbathing (in summer).

Back inside, there’s a wide choice of relaxation spaces, including a stone pine room filled with water beds, the Alpenreich room with round island loungers, and the Salzreich room paneled with salt block walls.

For the best hotel rates, check out Booking.com.

Royal Oasis

Royal Oasis is a large relaxation room with mountain views and varied seating.

This room is reserved for hotel guests only. At the entrance, there’s a complimentary tea and juice bar.

Salzkammergut Thermal Baths

Salzkammergut Thermal Baths, Bad Ischl, Austria

Salzkammergut Therme comprises 4 indoor and outdoor brine pools, a children’s pool, and plenty of relaxation areas with loungers. All the outdoor pools have indoor access.

Brine consists of salt and other minerals dissolved in water. The brine in the Salzkammergut Therme is naturally occurring with a salt content of 25-30 grams per liter of water. This is equivalent to the salt content of the Adriatic Sea.

Brine baths are believed to be circulation-enhancing, anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, and have a healing effect on respiratory problems. Additionally, brine therapy:

The highlight of this compact thermal baths area is the outdoor lazy river (34°C, 93,2°F). The jets create a current, which allows you to drift along its course, leading to a brine grotto and a blackthorn hedge graduation tower.

Hotel guests have direct access to the thermal baths via a heated, bathrobe corridor, accessible from the first floor of the hotel.

Public Relaxium Sauna

Relaxium is directly connected to the Salzkammergut Therme.

The sauna area houses 9 saunas, a 33 °C brine pool (3% salt content), a cold plunge pool, a whirlpool, showers, relaxation spaces, and an outdoor garden. Sauna infusions take place throughout the day.

Saunas

Kaisersauna (Emperor’s Sauna): 90°C

Landhaus-Sauna (Country House Sauna): 80 – 90°C

Bergwerk-Sauna (Mine Sauna): 50 – 80°C

Stollensauna (Tunnel Sauna): 60°C with 40% humidity

Steinbad (Stone Sauna): 50°C with 50% humidity

Dampfbad (Steam Bath): 50°C with 100% humidity

Sole-Inhalationsgrotte (Brine Inhalation Grotto)

Infrarotkabinen (Infrared Cabin): 40 °C

Bergwerksauna im Freien (Outdoor Mine Sauna)

Sauna Etiquette and Tips

Shower before/after a sauna session.

Always shower before entering any pool.

Do not wear your bathing suit, or any other clothing in the saunas

Avoid getting sweat on wooden surfaces. Always place a towel between your body and the timber sauna surfaces.

Avoid talking in the saunas.

Speak quietly throughout the sauna complex.

Book your stay at EurothermenResort Bad Ischl – Hotel Royal.

The Room

Hotel Royal Bad Ischl Bedroom, Austria

Rooms are comfortable and immaculately clean. All bedrooms have balconies with views of the Salzkammergut-Therme, town, and mountains.

There are several room categories with varying themes. We stayed in the nature-themed Alpine double room, which featured warm nut wood floors, a black granite accent wall, and illuminated nature photography.

For the best hotel rates, check out Booking.com.

Dining

Hotel Royal Bad Ischl Dinner, Austria

All meals are served in the hotel dining room.

Dress Code: For breakfast and dinner, wear regular clothing. For lunch, you can wear bathrobes.

Table Water: There’s a self-service water fountain with carafes in the buffet area. You can fill-up your table water throughout lunch and dinner, at no extra charge.

Vegetarian/Vegan: Hotel Royal accommodates vegetarians, but not vegans.

The hotel restaurant is organically-certified.

Breakfast Buffet

A very rich and varied breakfast buffet is laid out from 7 am until 12 pm. There’s an omelet station next to warm breakfast foods (bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs).

The buffet features cold cuts, cheeses, sliced vegetables, spreads, a massive make-your-own muesli station, and organic juice bar. Breads, croissants, and Austrian pastries (e.g. Nussschnecke and Apfeltasche) abound.

All in all, it’s a wonderful breakfast.

Afternoon Snack Buffet

The afternoon snack buffet is laid out from 2 pm – 4pm. It’s primarily a cake buffet, but there’s also a soup and a single savory dish like Wiener Würstl (Viennese sausage), or Fleckerlspeis (noodles with minced meat)

The cake buffet features a wide selection of Austrian cakes like Esterházy-Torte, Marillenkuchen, Topfen-Kirsch Torte, Streuselkuchen, Schokokuchen.

5-course Dinner

Dinner is served from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. You should be seated no later than 8 pm.

The five-course dinner is made up of self-service and served courses, starting with a salad buffet. There’s always a vegetarian option for each course.

The cuisine was fantastic and memorable.

Book your stay at EurothermenResort Bad Ischl – Hotel Royal.

Sample Dinner Menu

Salad from Buffet

Starter

Scheiben vom Ausser Hirschkalb Rohschinken (Venison raw ham)

Kaltes Paprikaragout (Cold pepper ragout)

Soup from Buffet

Main Course

Doradenfilet, Tomaten-olivencrunch, Bio Goldrübenpüree (Sea bream filet with tomato olive cruncha and beet puree)

Schnitzel von der Bio Pute in Käsepanier, Bio Brokkoli, Kamutspaghetti, Paradeisersosse (Cheese-breaded Turkey schnitzel served with organic broccoli and spaghetti with tomato sauce)

Glacierte Bio Milchkalb (Glazed organic veal)

Ziegenkäsetascherl, Bio Schwammerlpesto, Rucola (Goat cheese pocket with mushroom pesto and arugula)

Dessert

Bio Kürbismuffin, Hausgemachtes Bio Heidelbeereis (pumpkin muffin with homemade blueberry ice cream)

Booking

Hotel Royal Bad Ischl SkyLounge Sauna, Austria

Address: Voglhuberstraße 10, 4820 Bad Ischl, Austria | Google Maps

For the best rates, we recommend checking out Booking.com.

More Thermal Spa Hotels in Austria

  1. Aqua Dome 4 Sterne Superior Hotel & Therme, Tirol. Read our Aqua Dome Hotel Review and How to Visit Aqua Dome.
  2. Tauern Spa Hotel & Therme, Salzburg
  3. Linsberg Asia Hotel, Spa & Therme – Adults Only, Lower Austria
  4. St Martins Therme & Lodge, Burgenland
  5. Hotel SPA Resort Therme Geinberg, Upper Austria
  6. Falkensteiner Balance Resort Stegersbach – Adults only, Burgenland
  7. Hotel Rogner Bad Blumau, Styria. Read our Rogner Bad Blumau Hotel Review.
  8. Das Sonnreich – Thermenhotel Loipersdorf, Styria
  9. Avita Resort Bad Tatzmannsdorf, Burgenland
  10. Das Ronacher Therme & Spa Resort, Carinthia

GET YOUR FREE EBOOK

Signup for our newsletter to get our guide to “Secret Hiking Destinations in Europe.”

Austria Trip Planning Essentials

Use our Austria Travel Guide and Austria blog archive to plan a unique and memorable trip to Austria.

When to Visit Austria

Summer and early Fall are our favorite seasons in Austria.

Getting around Austria

Austria has an excellent public transit system. We’ve used it extensively to travel throughout the country. We highly recommend using transit if you’re visiting cities (Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, etc…), and/or doing hut-to-hut hikes.

Some areas like Mayrhofen, Schladming and Lech am Arlberg have wonderful seasonal transit systems in place (e.g. summer hiking buses). However, if you’re not visiting during the high season, bus frequencies are significantly reduced and it’s far easier to get around with your own vehicle.

If you’re planning on visiting multiple destinations across Austria, we recommend renting a car.

Use these road trip itineraries for trip planning inspiration:

Car Rental

We recommend using the Discovercars.com car rental reservation platform to search for and book car rentals. This easy-to-use booking platform compares car rental deals from 500+ trusted providers, so that you can choose the best option for your trip.

Check car rental rates here.

If you’re driving into Austria from a neighboring country, don’t forget to purchase a vignette at/near the border.

Hiking in Austria

Where to Hike in Austria

Read Austrian Alps Hiking Destinations for an overview of where to hike in Austria, with tips on specific trails and where to stay. Also check out Best Day Hikes in Austria and these region-specific hiking guides:

Hut to Hut Hiking in Austria

Austria is a premier hut-to-hut and long-distance hiking destination. The quality of the mountain huts are superb. We particularly love the high-alpine trails, which are called Höhenwege in German. We’ve summarized our favorite multi-day hikes in Trekking Austria. If you’re new to hut hiking, read this in-depth guide to Hut to Hut Hiking in Austria.

What to See & Do in Austria

Austrian Hotels

Unique Hideaways:HochLeger Tree House, Tirol

Moon & Honey Travel is an independent blog created by two passionate hikers. We are able to provide free content to you, because of ads and affiliate links. When you make a purchase using one of these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Happy travels and happy trails, Sabrina and Kati