Despite the reviews here I really wasn't sure what to expect, but was quite impressed on my arrival at Marienbad, a gorgeous town not far over the border from Germany (I spent the previous night visiting Bayreuth). Autobahns run close-by but not all the way in to Marienbad. The Nove Lazne is probably the best hotel in Marienbad, sitting just across from the peaceful gardens that run up the spine of the town. The famous pavillon is just across the road (street) and the Casino is right next door. The hotel develops on three floors: the ground floor (which can be entered from the st. at one end near the Cafe Mozart: note handicap entry is easiest at the town end of the hotel. The ground floor is the spa section of the hotel, with marvelous marble columned pools--not lap pools but soaking and bubble pools-two have whirlpool bubbles. The other two have bars along the side where you can hold to do exercises. There are spacious lockers in the separate dressing rooms with wristband keys . The desk hands out towels and wrapping sheets used in the sauna. In this area of the spa are massage rooms, something called a Scotch bath (on order, not open to the public), etc. At the far end of this section of the hotel is a sauna (mixed sex, all are either wrapped though people in there alone did uncover to take advantage of the heat), a steam room, a room that was like the sauna but not as hot. There are several high pressure rain showers and one of those cold water bucket things (for brave souls who want to cool off quickly), a Kniepp bath (I think that is what it is called: one walks through hot water, then switches to cold water walking, around three times), and a platform of chairs with foot soaking basins which I never saw anyone using. The hotel was booked to capacity during my stay but no section ever seemed too crowded.
The second floor (the main entry goes up MANY steps to the reception) houses the reception desk and lobby (free internet computer, TV, lounge chairs), the dining room and bar, one wing section of bedrooms, and the treatment rooms that include the mineral baths. I didn't measure but it seems as if the ceilings in the hotel must be about thirty feet high. The second and third floors have bedrooms in each wing, with security doors opened by a digital room card. There are elevators in several places.
I got the comprehensive spa package for one week: not enough time to make any health improvement). On arrival day I was given a doctor's appt., first seeing a nurse to give a history, then the doc later on. It is fairly cursary. The doctor "prescribed" treatments: mine included mineral baths (thumbs up), a dry carbon gas treatment (this is kooky: you get put into a thick blue plastic body bag which is tied shut at chest level and then carbon gas is blown into it. You lie there until the gas leaks out. This is supposed to aid in circulation. I got Medical Massage (for me working on a dicey shoulder joint) which was very good. There were also something called CO2 injections-four in the far corners of the back (shoulder area, hip area). They hurt and I have no idea what they do/did. I do know that when I left the Nove Lazne I felt like a new person, though no one treatment except ultra sound on a joint seemed to have an immediate effect. During the week I reported for a urinalysis and blood test with the results given to me at the final doctor's appt.
My daughter joined me on Thursday and then we did some optional beauty things: the best were a foot reflex massage and a facial. On Saturday I had what was supposed to be an Aphrodite massage which was a total disaster. My daughter's Saturday massage was a disappointment, too. Here's what we learned: don't get the optional treatments on the weekend: the team is playing with substitutes.
The hotel is immaculate and well kept with staff busy shining things all day long.
The rooms are comfortable with good storage, a desk and TV (Satellite), mini-fridge, queen sized bed extremely comfortable. There was a welcome packet of bottled mineral water and big fruit tray, and fresh fluffy white terry robes and new terry slippers to wear. The bathroom had two sinks on a long marble slab, a deep tub with a strong hand-held shower, a heated towel bar, hanging hooks, etc. Linens were perfect and plentiful.
I found the desk staff helpful if not oozing with friendliness: there were one or two unhappy desk clerks but on the whole the reception was professional.
The clients were either Russian (the large majority) and German. Few people spoke English (I did have a halting conversation with some Russian school-aged children).
The one down side of the Nove Lazne-and I am not complaining-is that the cuisine was just adequate. I quickly learned to order chicken when offered choices. The good news is that there was a wonderful salad bar and some of the best soups I have had in a long time. The breakfast buffet offering included many healthy choices as well as things like scrambled eggs, etc.
There is a bar by the dining room, really nice but basically unused by the somewhat elderly clientele. The Cafe Mozart by the spa, however, was wonderful and served nice coffees (the desserts looked superb) at very reasonable prices: I went there every day to read the International Herald Tribune). During my stay the weather was still chilly but I think that the outdoor terrace of the cafe and the courtyard of the bar would be very popular in fine weather.
Marienbad has some shopping, but it is not Rodeo Drive stuff--mainly tchochies.. there are cafes scattered around and hotels galore. My one experience having a meal in town was disastrous: dining in hotels is what is done in Marienbad, so free standing restaurants don't seem to strive for excellence. On a side street we found a nice little place called Music Cafe that had live jazz in the evening. It was the place to enjoy a Pilsner Urquell--Pilsen is just 30 miles from Marienbad.
My Comprehenive Spa Package included room and three meals a day, a doctor's visit at the start and end of the week, and three treatments per day. At the end of it all I found it an amazing value for money and came away totally refreshed. What more can you ask? All services and extras are very reasonably priced at the Nove Lazne.
I went over to Karlsbad for a look and found it to be a more commercial, "normal" city than Marienbad, less pleasing to the eye. Had a drink at the Grandhotel Pupp which was completely pretentious with a bevy of Rolls and Porsches sitting out front.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
