Spa Resort Sanssouci

Back to the future ?

With huge respect to the hard-working hotel staff and the excellent medical team — unfortunately, I would not come back. The main reason is the overwhelming presence of Russian plancton, which gives the whole place a rather strong Soviet-era atmosphere. If nostalgia for those times is what you are looking for, you may feel right at home. The Charlestone restaurant is a special experience. Despite the fact that the food is served continuously for three hours by very professional Czech cooks, the dining room turns into pure chaos. Large circulating groups of impatient guests rush around the buffet as if food might disappear at any moment, pushing for the “best pieces” with remarkable determination. It is less a dining experience and more a live demonstration of buffet survival tactics. The swimming pool is another highlight — if your idea of relaxation is floating in a crowded, noisy space that resembles a frog pond full of loud conversations. On the positive side, the medical department is well organized and staffed by very friendly and extremely hardworking people. They clearly work under pressure and with impressive efficiency. Just don’t expect much conversation — the system feels closer to a production line than a spa treatment, though the staff deserve full respect for the job they do. So if you would like a time-travel experience back to the atmosphere of Soviet-style mass recreation, this might be exactly the place for you. For me, once was more than enough.