Stayed here with a spa + 3-course dinner package with my girlfriend. We have an ocean view room. The room was really nice with excellent view of the beach and water. Only issue with the room is the bed was fairly small for two adults. Think it was a 150 cm wide bed or so which is a lot less than we're used to. There was also no steam iron in the room which for me is a minus as if I'm traveling I almost always need to iron some shirts etc. The telephone in the room didn't work to call the reception or spa with either. Another thing is that the "door" to the bathroom and shower is see-through so make sure you're not emabarrased about going to the toilet as your partner will see everything is he/she is in the bed :)

But the room is nicely decorated and again with lovely ocean view so overall it was very nice.

The spa is fairly small given how many people the hotel accomodates. There's one jacuzzi, one small pool and one sauna. In addition to this there are steam saunas in each of the dressing room and two outdoor heated pools. There are also other pools that you can use in the summer when it's hot outside. On the evening we arrived the spa was packed with people and you had to wait in turn to get space in the jacuzzi or the sauna. Not a very relaxing experience. The second day before lunch was better though with a bit less people. The hotel seems to need to scale up the spa considerably to meet the number of rooms they have. That said, the staff working in the spa are very friendly and everything is very clean which is a strong positive. I can imagine if you go in summer when the beach is open and you can stay outdoor the place feels a lot bigger.

The restaurant was a dissapointment. There were just two times to pick from to arrive, at 18.30 or at 20.45 pm. We selected the latter. When we arrived the restaurant seemed full. We were seated right away but had to wait for 15-20 minutes before ordering something to drink. This is a realy negative. When you arrive at a nice restaurant you expect to be able to order something to drink right away. We didn't receive the first course until 21.45 which is pretty late to start dinner in our opinion. So we had main course at about 22.30.. the only other option for us would have been to start dinner in our opinion too early 18.30..

The food was mediocre and not of any high standards at all. The first course Löjromstoast had hardly any löjrom in it. The main course fish option was so salty someone probably dropped a bowl of salt making it. The meat was good but nothing special. The dessert was also not very nice. If you're looking for a culinary experience this is not the place for you. When I have to wait for 20 minutes to order our first drinks and then get a mediocre main course at 22.30 then the grade will not be more than 2/5 for food.

There were some nice wines in the wine list but we selected the wine menu to accompany the 3-course menu. These wines were nothing special. Avoid the recommended wines to go along with the menu.

The plus in the restaurant was the live music which was good and the athmosphere is nice being at a beach front etc.

This is a nice place but the price tag tells a different story than what you actually get. The spa is too small and the restaurant needs a visit by Gordon Ramsay urgently.

Parking is free, a positive. Service in the reception desk is good though you had to wait in line to check in. There is no alcohol served in the spa area, only place is in the restaurant and the mini bar in your room.

We wanted to book some spa treatments but it was fully booked when we arrived. You need to book this in advance. So we didn't get to try this out.

Breakfast was nice. Nothing to complain about there. A bit crowded but that's a bit of a signature of this hotel as there are a bit too many rooms for the rest of the facilities.

I give this place a 4/5 mostly because of the atmosphere close to the sea, the room we had and the overall friendlyness of the staff. If the restaurant and spa area is improved, this place would have got a 5/5. Strangely there seems to be expansion going on increasing the number of rooms but no expansin of the spa.. I hope the spa is next in line to become bigger.

I would say expand the spa and make it 2 or 3 times bigger and get Gordon Ramsay into the kitchen to shape up the non-working restaurant, then you could have a really nice resort!

Forget swedish service of the past. This is a modern, warm and friendly atmosphere at a stylish and upscale place. Nice rooms, great patio and beatiful environment. Go to relax, have a few drinks and just enjoy yourself and the others here.

After reading some of the reviews I was a bit worried about my stay at Ystad Saltsjobad. However, when I arrived in Ystad(by train from Copenhagen...an easy and pleasant journey) I was totally blown away. The town is absolutely beautiful. It is well worth going into town and check things out. Just remember that Ystad is in an agricultural area. I laughed when I got off the train and was greeted with the definite odour of sheep manure. I had read one review that complained about some kind of smell at the spa.(which I later figured was the smell of the seaweed from the ocean! What do people expect!) At least you know the source of the smell, not like in the big cities where the sewers spew out God knows what!
Another complaint was that the Spa was SO far from town. I asked someone for directions. It was a maximum 20 minute walk(suitcase in tow) to the Spa along a tree lined road(Osterleden) for half the journey and then through a cottage lined road(Neuman's vagan) through a forest for the remainder. It was sooooo lovely. I later discovered that there were many sights from the Wallander tour along this route. You walk right by Mariagatan the street that Wallander "lives" on. The walk was actually shorter than I expected as the Spa is right there as soon as forest road ends. I was welcomed warmly and checked in quickly by the reception staff. I did have a little difficulty finding my room as it was Room 425 but was located on the 2nd floor.... a very minor issue. There were no blood red and black walls in the corridor as I had read. All were crisp white. The purple carpet did have the room numbers on it, practical I thought. The spa has been through a renovation, so I guess all had been painted. My jaw dropped when I entered my room. It was absolutely beautiful. I had a deluxe room. It was a decent size and the bathroom was divided into a toilet, sink on one side and shower on the other. It was very nicely done.(rooms are always on the small side in Scandinavia/Europe and the bathrooms are efficiently designed. If you need a big bathroom don't travel on this side of the Atlantic!) The bed was gorgeous and the view from the window/doors looked straight onto the ocean, 50 meters away. I left the door open at night so I could fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.
The breakfast was fantastic. All kinds of cereals, yogurts and fruits, juices(there is a orange squeezer that not only provides great fresh juice, but an upper body workout!). There are wonderful breads, assorted cheeses, fish, meats, pates, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes. There is an urn of hot milk for your coffee, and a huge selection of teas. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. The dining room overlooks the beach and ocean front. You can sit inside or out. I ended up eating enough to last me through the day. I didn't sample the dinner menu, though I did have a chicken caesar salad from the Spa cafe.
Now, for the spa treatments and facilities. I had the Aromasoul Scrub Ritual my first day. it was amazing. I was so relaxed afterwards that I went to my room and fell asleep. The next day I had the Aromatic Beauty Touch Facial. It really worked wonders. My skin felt and looked years younger. (Tip: if you want to find out about the spa treatments go to the Swedish Spa site and google translate the descriptions. They are more descriptive and accurate that the English Site) The spa facilities are second to none. The outside pool is beautiful and the inside pool is warm and offers a view of the ocean. There is a steam room and a dry sauna as well as a jacuzzi hot tub. At first I thought the dry sauna wasn't hot enough, but, when I tried it again it was perfect(being of Finnish descent, I am used to hot saunas with water to throw on the rocks for steam). I was good and hot when I ran down to the ocean for a dip. It was sooo much fun. I didn't manage to correctly time my run from a crashing wave one time and ended up with some sand and seaweed up my butt. I just laughed and went in for more. There are two lovely still hot tubs outside. They overlook the ocean and are so relaxing. There is one other feature that amazed me. There is a room where you wait to be called for your spa treatments. There is a couch and chairs in front of a fireplace at one end and then a row of canopied/netted queen size beds in front of windows that face the beach where you can relax, read the paper or snooze. They have still and bubbly mineral water to drink. It was one of my favourite places. Also, in the Spa lounge they have a huge bowl of mixed unsalted nuts and another bowl of fresh fruit that guests can help themselves to at anytime. There are some books that you may borrow in a library area. I took a Wallander book to peruse.
There are a couple restaurants close by if you don't want to eat at the Spa, and it's a lovely walk into town where there are many eateries to choose from.
If you are there on a Saturday do go into town and experience the farmers market. There was also a craft market where I bought some hand made soap.(a great consumable souvenir) They had lovely flowers at the market. I couldn't resist and bought a bunch of white roses and gave them to the ladies at reception. They were very surprised and happy to receive them. FYI:The Wallander tours in English are on Monday and Tuesday nights at least during the summer months.
The spa also allows dogs to stay. I was in heaven as I am a huge dog lover and was missing my pooch. I met a lovely flat coated retriever, Bonnie, and a six month old Golden Retriever puppy. Having the dogs around made the Spa feel very friendly. (there are special dog friendly rooms in one section of the spa)
This has been a long review, but I really wanted to set the record straight. There will always be something to complain about wherever you stay. You can let it ruin your stay or forget about it and enjoy the many, many wonderful things about Ystadsaltsjobad. It is the most amazing Spa I have been to, and I have stayed in several in Scandinavia and in Canada.
I highly recommend everything that the Spa and Ystad has to offer. (even the smell of sheep manure!) From walking barefoot on the beach, to the spa treatments, to the fantastic breakfast, to swimming in the ocean, you will leave relaxed, refreshed and be looking forward to your next visit! I know that I am.

No the rooms are not too big. But therefore the beds are fantastic and the view from our standard room was all we could wish for. And the water tap was constructed a little weird. All 4 in our group turned the other way. But thats a detail. The smiling personel, the great spa with couch before a fire place and a line of beds! Heavenly. Great warm pool inside, great pool outside. Take 'a tour' through the hotel, pass conferance, restaurant, pool table and bar, it's a joy. As was the food by the way. As well dinner as breakfast. In short, we would be here more often if we lived closerby or its on our way.