Hello guys and welcome to my blog.
I hope you had a nice winter holiday. I have been thinking for a while about what topic to cover, and I want to share with you some information about a place my wife and I visited during our Christmas holiday and I think is worth going back to.
The place is called St. Martins Therme & Lodge and is located in Austria in the Burgenland region. In this blog I will tell you about our stay, share our impressions about the thermal complex and everything in between. So grab a coffee and enjoy the blog post!
1. How to get there
Living in Vienna and thus so close to St. Martins Therme, we decided to travel by train. If you are to follow the same route as us, it’s an hour train ride from Vienna Central Station to Frauenkirchen. On weekdays the train runs every 30 minutes and at weekends every 1 hour.
Once you reach your destination in Frauenkirchen, there are only 4,4km separating you from the thermal baths. But not to worry – St. Martins Therme and Lodge offers free transfers for the lodge guests from the train station to the thermal baths. So I recommend you talk to them in advance and book this service. Everything is very well thought out and they will pick you up from the train station in Frauenkirchen – even if there is a train delay they will wait for you.
If you want to arrive with your own car, there is free outdoor parking available, but also an underground parking garage where you will have to pay 6 euros per night if you choose this option.
2. How long we stayed
My wife and I stayed for 3 nights, so 4 days in total at the resort’s hotel and enjoyed a half board with additional services offered specially for the Christmas holiday. The services apart from the ones that already come with your accommodation included:
- Christmas gala Dinner
- Small discovery birdwatching tour
3. Check-in & hotel room
The Check-in was very fast and after getting a map with some information about the resort, which we were visiting for the first time, we received two wellness bags with bathrobes, towels and flip-flops – everything that we needed for our relaxing getaway.
The room was very nice, really big, cosy, with a modern interior design.
4. Cuisine & gastronomy
Breakfast is a buffet and I would say no matter how difficult it is for you to find something to eat – maybe because you are on a diet or just do not eat certain foods – you will definitely find something. There is a lot of emphasis on local and regional products with everything beautifully presented.
Dinner is à la carte 5-course menu with a salad and cheese buffet. The food tastes exceptionally good and the effort that has been put into the preparation as well as in the presentation can be easily noticed. Also the table decorations look very nice and adds to the overall atmosphere. Of course, there is a large selection of wines that you can choose from – I tried a few and can only recommend them.
The Christmas Eve was celebrated a bit different. It began with an appetizer buffet and Prosseco at Darwin’s bar followed by the Christmas Gala Dinner and at the end a cheese buffet along with live music in the main hallway. The Christmas Dinner included also a 5-course à la carte menu adding a selection of drinks which this time we did not have to pay extra for. Moreover the festive table decorations and the live classical piano music gave a beautiful note to the overall Christmas spirit.
5. Thermal bath complex & safari / activities
The complex is quite large, I would say on par with Therme Vienna. They also have private spa and sauna just for guests, and the facilities will not disappoint. There are plenty of changing rooms, showers, bar, restaurant and places to lie down.
If you get bored of the thermal spa, you can book at the lodge reception relaxation treatments, workout in the fully equipped fitness gym and many other activities such as yoga, pilates, zumba, aqua fitness, archery, kayaking etc. The Special events organized during the evening such as live music performances at Darwin’s Bar can be checked in advance on their website.
Part of our package was the bird watching tour. The entire exploration takes 1.5 hours. The pick-up point is in the main lobby and along with a tour guide and other fellow adventurers (we were 4 people in total) there will be a short drive to multiple lake locations surrounding Seewinkel National Park to observe the the amazing fauna and wildlife. Our tour guide gave us a lot of information regarding the birds that nest here, conservation efforts and with the help of high quality Swarovski binoculars we were able to see a lot of bird species in their natural habitat. In between our exhausting and dangerous journeys around the lakes, we enjoyed tea, cookies, and mulled wine. This activity is suitable for adults and children alike.
If you are traveling as a family, you can enjoy many activities. There are domestic animals around the complex’s perimeter such as chickens, white donkeys which also doubles as their mascot, rabbits and many more. There is also a hiking trail around the property that is only accessible to the lodge guests and I recommend doing it. We did it twice and it is very nice to start your day fresh.
6. St. Martins Therme for pregnant women
My wife was pregnant and we had to make sure in advance that the thermal waters are suitable during pregnancy. She was delighted with all the services provided. The water temperature is between 32-35°C, which is good for the baby and you do not have to worry about that. Also, I must add the attention to details in regard to food. When it comes to the cheese buffet, they specify which cheese is made with pasteurized milk so that everything is safe, and the waitresses can advise you or give alternatives regarding the food.
We had a great experience, but just to be sure it fits with your specific health situation, it’s best to speak with a healthcare professional before visiting any thermal spa while pregnant.
7. Tips
On the day of departure, the thermal baths are at your free disposal until closing time if you stay at least 3 nights or book “Me-Time” / “We-TIme” offers. Also, do not forget to book the transfer back to the train station in Frauenkirchen a day in advance in case you travel by train.
I recommend checking out the Wellcard. This is a card that you can top up and use at several spas in different countries. St. Martins is a partner and you can use it without hesitation. You can top up a minimum amount on the Wellcard website and receive a 10% discount on each top-up. If you use the “Corporate benefits” app (which is usually offered by many employers in Austria), you will receive 11% on the first top-up.
8. Conclusion
- Thermal spas have a lot to offer in terms of wellness, relaxation and well-being
- The quality of the services, from the hotel to the catering, is first class
- The facility is very easy to reach by car or train from the Austrian capital
- Throughout our stay, the staff were very friendly, well-trained and made every effort to ensure that we had a wonderful visit
- The prices for what you get as a package are very balanced, especially compared to other competitors in Austria, and by using the aforementioned Wellcard you can get an even better overall price
PS: I just like to add that this review is unbiased, it was not sponsored in any way shape or form. I paid for everything with my own money and I’m only sharing my experience during my stay there.