Luxury Family Stay at the Swissôtel Dresden

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Published on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 04:29

Written by Middle East TravelingMom

The History: This luxurious, family friendly Swissôtel Dresden in Germany opened its doors in April 2012, after a complete rebuilding and remodelling of the site, which was destroyed in 1945. The location of the hotel is ideal, right in the heart of the refurbished of Dresden. Historical sites surround the hotel with the Residenzschloss (Dresden Royal Palace) across the street, the Frauenkirche and the Kulturpalast next door and the Zwinger Palace and Elbe River just steps away. The hotel’s spa, Pürovel, even retains the original medieval underground stone cellar, making it a very ambient and unique experience.

The Rooms
The hotel is home to 235 beautifully decorated rooms, all complete with luxurious services, amenities and linens. The soft palette of colours provided a relaxing environment while enjoying the complementary Wi-Fi or sipping a beverage made from your in-room Nespresso machine. The room services provided were tremendous, right down to the ability to pre-order your mini bar contents before you arrive, tailoring it to your needs. The bathrooms are clean and modern and incorporated into the hotel room living space beautifully. With three categories of rooms form which to choose; you’ll surely enjoy the comforts of your home away from home. The views alone will make you happy you chose this charming hotel nestled in town.

For our stay, we were most impressed with the Kid Room offer. My children were greeted with their own bedroom filled with a large range of activities, toys and treats. On each bed sat a stuffed animal to sleep with and a robe for shower time. Spread throughout the room, my children found board games, colouring, books, a CD player with a story to listen to and delicious candy treats and hot chocolate. The bathroom even came complete with a children’s line of all-natural toiletries. As parents of three young children, we could not have been more pleased with the level of attention to detail this hotel took in making the stay most enjoyable for our children.

The Amenities

During your stay, you can enjoy the wonderful amenities that the Swissôtel Dresden provides. Workout in a calming, therapeutic gym, complete with a personal trainer should you need one. Get lost in the breath-taking Pürovel Spa, unlike any other spa I’ve seen. Be innovative in the nicely appointed meeting rooms. Or enjoy lovely Swiss cuisine in one of the two restaurants, Esszimmer and Wohnstube, or snacks and cocktails in the Schlossbar lounge.

Things To Do

This charming town lends itself to a walking tour with ease. From the hotel, you can visit many sights on foot within minutes, fantastic when you are with children. Since we were visiting in the month of December, we were able to visit five Christmas markets within five-minutes of each other. But if you find yourself in Dresden at other times of the year, there is still plenty to see and do.

For the historical sights nearby, walk to the Zwinger Palace, stroll around the Dresden Palace, walk across the Elbe River and back, view the amazing Procession of Princes (largest porcelain mural…and outdoors) and enjoy Theater Square. You’ll then find yourself right back at the hotel. In the other direction, you’ll find the beautiful Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). All of this was easily done in one afternoon of walking with our children.

For the children, we found the Verkhers Museum Dresden (Transport Museum) to be an incredibly fun place to spend an afternoon. By road, air, sea and railway, children will take a journey and delight in the amount of hands on exhibits and information. The model railway, one of the largest of its kind, is a must see. My children perhaps learned the most in the children’s part of the museum in an exhibit dedicated to wheelchair transportation. They were able to navigate a wheel chair through different terrain and experience a mode of transportation they never considered.

Heather is a freelance travel writer, encouraging her family and others to become internationally minded. You can find her on twitter.

Swissotel offered a reduced rate for our stay. All opinions are my own.