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The Palanga SPA Luxury Hotel is a 5 star luxury resort in North West Lithuania. Palanga is a holiday favourite for Lithuanians who head there in droves during the summer to enjoy its sunny beaches.
The hotel is built above a mineral well that pumps mineral water from 500 meters below the surface to provide top quality mineral water spa treatments for its guests.
How would you rate the experience up you stepped into the room?
Check in was very smooth and professional. The reception staff were expecting us and our room was ready. There were no porters to whisk our luggage away, but to be fair it was 1am and the lift was close by.
The hotel is pretty easy to find if you’re in a rental car and there a local airport in Palanga nearby. There was a slight confusion as the hotel has two buildings: Luxury and Design, and it’s not clear from the outset which one is which.
Does it cover the basic needs?
Big tick in this category. All the basic amenities are covered and then some. Rooms contain a deep bath tub and a large waterfall shower, the wifi is super fast and is available throughout the complex.
There is also a plethora of complementary spa services and facilities on offer to make your stay both luxurious and fulfilling.
What makes your stay feel special?
There are 2 types of 5 star hotels: those “technically” 5 stars and those that go beyond the basics 5 star requirements to deliver an exceptional experience.
The Palanga SPA Luxury Hotel lands firmly in the second category. Whilst it won’t be found on any list of the top hotels in the world, there are a number of special touches that sets it apart from the crowd.
These comprise of the complementary Lithuanian sauna experiences, the luxurious breakfast offerings and the sheer variety of spa treatments including mud baths and powerful hydro-massage treatments. The best part? There is a strong traditional Lithuanian theme running throughout these services that delivers an authentic, traditional experience.
Does the hotel and room make sense?
Hmmm …ok!
We’ve stayed in a lot of modern hotels and the problem with being too modern is that the designers lose focus on the basic customer needs.
The Palanga SPA Design rooms have a very unique twist to them: all the floors slope. And not just slightly… the rooms are at such an angle that the bed is literally downhill from the sofa and desk.
Initially it’s very weird. We needed a good ten minutes of just sitting down in the sloping room to adjust. At first it almost feels like you’re on a boat in choppy waters, and since the bed and desk are level but the floor is at and angle it feels like you’re slightly drunk.
But the good news is soon you adjust and stop noticing the quirky flooring and you might even enjoying literally rolling down into the bed the next night.
The other good news is the rest of the room is pretty sensible and works well. The light switches are a little complicated but pretty soon you’re controlling all the lights in the room from your bedside so can switch off from the bed and light the way to toilet if you need to get up at night… which is useful because you might forget the toilet is up the hill.
It’s a rare room: quirky and modern but still well thought through.
Hotel food?
The restaurant benefits from floor to ceiling glass windows, which merge the interior with nature just outside the window. It is an exhilarating experience to immerse yourself in the landscape whilst enjoying your food.
Breakfast is feast, with a range of hot and cold dishes. Our favourite was the Eggs Benedict with the perfectly poached egg sat atop a soft but crunchy muffin, and the traditional dark bread.
Dinner takes food to another level, both in presentation and flavour. I would highly recommend the Fillet of Duck, with parsnip cream, fondant potatoes and pickled currants. The fusion of flavours from the light and creamy puree, the warm comforting grains and the sweet and juicy berries makes for an beautiful dining experience.
Best extras included?
If you’re hitting the hotel in summer then there are the lovely beaches of Palanga less than 100m away. If the beaches are too crowded there are a number of balconies with recliners where guests can catch some rays in relative peace or loungers in the grounds.
However, we visited Lithuania in winter so will recommend winding down in front of the large fire with a good drink, or the Sauna. Hosted by the hotel’s Sauna specialist, all the guests staying could enjoy up to 5 hours of complementary Lithuanian Sauna experiences including aromatherapy, salt scrub treatments, honey, coffee and chocolate glazings and lots of fun involving fir fronds, birch brushes and herbal tea showers.
We wrote a little more about our Sauna experience here. (Coming Soon)
Biggest issue after booking?
Our stay was pretty problem free. The quirky postmodern nature of the hotel does get a bit of getting used to, namely the slopping floors and the high tech lights and lifts… but it won’t take you long to figure it all out and to start enjoying the little quirks. And if you don’t, the Luxury wing of the
hotel opposite is a little more traditional.
Overall impression
The Palanga SPA Luxury Hotel is a quirky and extremely nice getaway destination offering both top-notch luxury and facilities whilst delivering unique and traditional experiences for travellers to experience the best of Lithuania… in style.
To book at either of their hotels or to find out more, visit their website.
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Thank you to The Palanga SPA Luxury Hotel for hosting our stay, however our opinions are always honest and our own.
Last modified: 28th February 2018
