Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa Retreat & Cultural Hideaway

I can't say enough nice things about this vacation. The property is beautiful with a backdrop of the Alps; The numerous restaurants and eating options were all fantastic; Our room was perfect; Walks on the trails were spectacular; and the staff, the staff were always smiling and happy to answer any question or accommodate any request. The jazz concert celebrating Christmas music was wonderful and added to the magic of the entire experience. The pools, saunas and yoga were wonderful and perfectly matched to the experience. I have a few more places on my bucket list but I really hope to return here one day to enjoy the wonderful experience (and the elephants, you'll understand when you go!). Many thanks to all of the staff who did so many nice things to make this experience so memorable.

Schloss Elmar is just incredible. The nature, the views, the rooms, and the service. Just unreal. We stayed in the Retreat in a suite with our children. It was huge and so comfortable. The views were amazing and we couldn't wait to wake up every morning to go explore the area. Heaven on Earth

This resort is great for relaxation, a true gem! Great location! Very kind service and a stunning castle with a beautiful library, bar, book shop ... only the SPA has too much patina and could need some love (renovation). We definetely will be back.

Our trip to the Schloss did not start out well. We had reservations to stay at the Retreat and the day before we arrived, we found out that we would not have any access the Hideaway for the length of our stay(there was a group that had rented it out) and that we should have been informed of that when we booked. I was not happy as it's advertised as stay at one property and enjoy both. Phillip & Lukas (managers) went out of their way to make the best of the situation by upgrading our room and making dinner & lunch reservations for us off property. Fabienne & Phillipp from the front desk/concierge staff were also very helpful andfriendly. All in all it was a lovely stay and my husband and i agreed that mistakes get made and it's how a company handles the mistakes that really mean something and they owned their mistake and tried their best to make our experience positive. pros: lovely setting, great spa ("secret sauna by the river!), BMW loaner cars (the most gorgeous cars ever), bike rentals, sun loungers by the river, great bathrobes cons: the staff is young and although accommodating they could be a little more polished and let things fall through the cracks at times, the breakfast was good but not extensive (although I did appreciate the champagne) the restaurant situation is a little confusing - they advertise that there are three restaurants in the Retreat but it's really just three rooms that all serve the same menu and since we couldn't got to the other resort, that was very limited- I'm guessing it would be better if we could have used both resorts. The dinner were good but expensive in my opinion for what we got and I would say that the food was the lowpoint for us of an otherwise world class resort.

The hotel itself is remarkable, boasting a stunning building and a magical surrounding that catches the moment you arrive. However, service and quality of food (LaSalle restaurant) were not great - not what you would expect from a hotel that claims to be among the top worldwide. Firstly, the breakfast experience was underwhelming. We regularly faced long waiting times, and the waiters seemed challenged to clean the tables properly. Our dining options were severely limited as all but one restaurant were closed for a private company event, which was disappointing given the hotel's and its restaurants’ reputation. Quality in the main restaurant was Ok, nothing special. The room service also failed to impress. Simple tasks like organizing clothes were overlooked, and there was no evening service, which I would expect as standard in a hotel of this caliber. As someone participating in the early morning yoga retreats, the lack of extra amenities like tea or water was a shame. Last not least, the hotel's text message system for booking tables was not working, causing unnecessary churn. Overall, the experience felt average and certainly not worth the premium price. Apparently experience was different in the past according to (several) returning guests, yet prices kept increasing while quality kept decreasing according to them.

I had a truly amazing stay. Schloss elmau is a one of a kind hotel. Very few hotels feel as warm and welcoming as schloss elmau, while still feeling luxurious. Service is on top, and the area is absolutely stunning. The spas are unbeatable. Once you’ve been at schloss elmau you can never go to another spa, because it will never be able to match schloss elmau.