Action and relaxation: Both possible at the Loipersdorf spa resort.
I have a very special relationship with the Loipersdorf spa resort, the adjacent hotels, indeed with the entire region. When my family and I still lived in an old house with large grounds in southern Burgenland, I worked for almost two years as the press spokesperson for the spa and the associated congress centre. I still think back with pleasure to my former work colleagues and the activity in this leading tourist enterprise. Nevertheless, I will try to report as objectively as possible about our family short holiday in January 2023.
The Loipersdorf spa resort is located in the thermal and volcanic region of Styria and is one of several spas in this tourist region. It is the largest thermal spa in Austria in terms of area and accordingly has a lot to offer. In addition to our experiences as guests, I would also like to talk briefly about the interesting history of "Therme Loipersdorf". If you are not interested in the history of the spa, you can simply skip the following paragraph.
The history of Loipersdorf
As early as the middle of the last century, oil and natural gas were drilled for in the region. All that was found was water. Hot water. This discovery was ignored for the time being. It was not until the 1970s, when drilling was resumed and thermal water was again found, that the idea of using this water matured. An investigation showed the high quality of the water. The health-promoting effect of the Loipersdorf water is widely known. Under the leadership of the first manager Horst Wagner, the so-called Schaffelbad was opened on 15 July 1978. The small facility with two pools already had 90,000 visitors in its first year. On 25 September 1981, the opening of the nearby, actual main spa and the adjoining sauna took place.
In the night of 24-25 September 1983, a fire broke out in the Therme and the main building was almost completely destroyed. In 1985 the spa was reopened under the motto "Loipersdorf is rebuilding", extended with an enlarged sauna village, a solarium landscape (no longer exists), a water slide and the spa's own chapel. From then on, visitor numbers increased considerably and the attractions grew year by year. The spa helped an economically neglected region to an unimagined upswing.
In 1983, the new thermal spa burned down almost completely. (Image: Brandschutzforum Österreich)
The three areas of the thermal resort
It had been a few months since our last trip. Basically, we were pretty ripe for a holiday and decided to recharge our batteries for two nights after Christmas. What better way to do that than with a short stay at a thermal spa. For families with children, Therme Loipersdorf has been a popular destination for excursions and holidays for decades, because in addition to the extensive and varied complex, the region also offers all kinds of interesting excursion destinations. Even a one or two week holiday in the thermal spa and volcano region of Styria will not be boring.
Main entrance of the Loipersdorf spa resort: From here you can get into the warm water!
The good thing is that there is plenty of accommodation around the spa resort. Even though spa holidays in Austria tend to be expensive, there is something here for every purse. Only the entrance fees to the thermal baths are the same for everyone. We chose one of the five thermal spa hotels with access to the bathing area. From the "bathrobe corridor" of the four-star hotel "Vier Jahreszeiten" you can quickly and comfortably get to the thermal attractions and there are several of them in Loipersdorf.
Therme Loipersdorf has a total area of 36,000 square metres and is divided into several areas. The "adventure pool" is the largest area in terms of surface area. Here, young guests and adventure-hungry adults get their money's worth in winter and, thanks to the large outdoor area, also in summer. We had a blast again with the four indoor water slides, including two great tyre slides, the whitewater whirlpool and the baby pool with real sand. The outdoor area is only open in summer and with a wave pool, a wave slide diving tower, a beach volleyball court, playgrounds and a real outdoor pool feeling, it attracts many people to Therme Loipersdorf even in the warmer months. The sports pool with counter-current system can also be used in winter.
This time we were out and about with baby for the first time. The little man (7 months) was "swimming" for the first time. The wooden water playground is also inside and our two older children (12 and 8 years old) loved it. It was not unusual for us not to see the children for an hour or more after a quick "We're off then". The temperature of the water means that they can swim freely all year round. That's what makes spas so interesting for us.
In the thermal baths, even the older ones get their money's worth. Here you will find, believe it or not, seven thermal pools spread over the indoor and outdoor areas. The entrance fee includes the sauna village with 6 saunas and, for an additional charge, the soothing salt grotto and the AlphaSphere Cocoon can also be booked. In the resort's health centre, guests can choose from a variety of massages and health treatments. When visiting in the cold season, we prefer the main pool of the thermal bath, as the water temperature here is warmer than in the adventure pool at 38 degrees. We just like it warm and this temperature is also ideal for babies.
Here Max could really relax again! A very fine thing.
Right next to the main pool of the thermal bath you will also find the gastronomic area - no one has to go hungry here, because the selection in the thermal bath restaurant and the Pizzeria Don Camillo is extremely extensive. My favourite: the salami pizza.
For adults seeking peace and quiet, we recommend the "Schaffelbad" with a further 8,500 square metres of wellness area including a Roman pool, a rock pool, a "private spa" and an atrium pool and numerous different saunas. Admission to the Schaffelbad is not included in the spa entrance fee and is quite expensive, but rest and relaxation are a priority here.
Admission for children under 16 is not permitted. The Schaffelbad is one of the most beautiful sauna and wellness areas my wife and I have ever been to. A weekend only at the Schaffelbad: no problem. We would also manage without the adventure and thermal baths.
One advantage of the Loipersdorf spa resort is also its disadvantage: its extraordinary size. For example, if you stay at the Hotel Sonnreich and want to walk to the spa's health centre, it will certainly take you around 15 minutes. You first have to find your way around the spa resort.
The Schaffelbad is a true oasis of calm for sauna fans over 16. Highly recommended!
The hotel with the 1000 bathing ducks
There are five hotels directly connected to the spa: Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hotel Stoiser, Hotel Kowald, Hotel Leitner and Sonnreich. From my time at Therme Loipersdorf, I know that these hotels are of very high quality across the board. Until this holiday, my wife and I had only stayed once at the Hotel Sonnreich and were very satisfied.
This time we chose the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, which is directly opposite the main entrance. Because of this location, it is also often called "the first hotel at Therme Loipersdorf". The Vier Jahreszeiten was founded by the first spa manager and Schaffelbad inventor Horst Wagner and is now run by his son Hannes Wagner. It scores with included all-day admission to the thermal baths incl. sauna from the day of arrival to the day of departure, cuddly soft bath towels and bathrobes of the "VOSSEN" brand, a bath bag for the entire stay and the option of the late riser's breakfast buffet until 11.00 a.m. with a large selection of regional delicacies. With children in the same room, life as a late riser is unfortunately over! In addition to the excellent breakfast and evening buffet, there is a small soup and salad buffet for lunch from 12.00 - 16.00 in the hotel restaurant "Horst", which is included in the price of the overnight stay and is perfectly adequate.
The buffet at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten has something for everyone and the service is great.
Admission to the Galaxy gym at the spa resort is also included and highly recommended to at least partially work off the excellent food. We and the children were particularly taken with the desserts. After returning from the Four Seasons, I pushed our scales way under the box. The service staff at the hotel are also exceptionally courteous and attentive. We give them 5 points for that.
The drive from Vienna via the A2 southern motorway to the Fürstenfeld exit and on to Bad Loipersdorf takes about 90 minutes. We checked into the hotel online via Smart while still in the car. Check-in on site was thus even faster and we were able to move into our "garden room" with a small green area and a view of the spa before 2 pm. The rooms were renovated not too long ago and are very appealing. There are different room variations for different needs.
Our room was surprisingly spacious. You can tell that interior designers have gone wild with the furnishings, because the interior is very appealing and tasteful. The open bathroom, however, is a matter of taste - at least you can separate the sleeping area with a curtain.
This is what a room looks like two hours after moving in when travelling with children!
In addition to the comfortable double bed for the parents, a very high-quality travel cot had already been set up for our youngest and the pull-out couch for the two older ones was larger than expected (we have already had very bad experiences with "pull-out couches" in other hotels). The wish for a kettle, which we had already expressed in advance, was also fulfilled when we moved in. Particularly cute details: a little devilish rubber duck was waiting for the children on the head cushions. The hotel director has a soft spot for bath ducks of all kinds and has been collecting the cuddly little animals for several years. The respectable collection of ducks is displayed in several places in the hotel (in front of the restaurant "Horst" and in the bathrobe corridor to the spa).
What is particularly striking is that the "Vier Jahreszeiten" attaches great importance to environmental protection. Therefore, there are no extra bottled hygiene articles in the room, which is good on the one hand, but surprising on the other. My suggestion would be to extend the notice and to be able to pick up small hygiene articles, such as moisturiser or similar, at the reception on request.
The indoor playground with ball pool at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten.
All in all, the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten is a very good tip for families and couples because care is also taken to separate these two groups of guests. There is a small indoor playground with a ball pool in the dining room and all families with children are accommodated in this area. I would have liked to see that in other hotels as well.
Four Seasons: Very happy to return!
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Kind regards,
Steffi, Max and the kids
(Author of this blog: Max)
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