Habakuk Hotel

Rating:

Review Date:Jan 8, 2009

Reviewer From:Wien

Relax experience ready to repeat

Maribor is the #2 town of Slovenija and has gained some fame for wellness and skiing. The resorts are managed by www.termemb.si and include more than 5 hotels, spas, funiculars etc. The most famous, ***** Habakuk hotel, featured as convention hotel during the EU presidency of Slovenija early in 2008. It is located on foot of the Pohorje mountains in the outskirts of Maribor, about 10 min from the center or 1 hour from Graz airport (Austrian, LH, Ryanair etc.). We enjoyed the friendly yet professional welcome of the classical Doorman, who took care of our car and luggage, showed us the (his) rack with British, German, Italian and national newspapers and magazines and made us feel at home from the first minute. The receptionist gave us a spacey room designed in the colours blue and silver with a view over the town and the outdoor pools. We found a variety of practical amenities in the large bathroom including bathrobe, slippers and a 20€ voucher for the beauty & health club. After enjoying the indoor pool scenery and the 3 saunas we were invited to a free Advent Tea Party in the lobby, with a champagne welcome drink, a Samowar for self service tea, delicious desserts (payable) and a background music of international tunes by the classical piano player, you know from the Grand Hotels of former times. The 5 course dinner included in the half pension weekend package we booked directly from the hotel was terrific. We started with a choice of Styrian ham, dropped the pasta offered after the soup, selected beef with mushrooms, potatoes and salad as main course and closed with a marron parfait and local cheese. Local mineral water (Radenska), Union beer and Italian wines (not included) did very well in accompanying the menu courses mentioned. At 9 p.m. there is a free shuttle to a large casino in the neighbourhood for those, who wish to try their luck in the Slovenian mountains or just dance the night away. For us it was quite an experience to study the Times on Saturday morning during a huge breakfast with hot and cold dishes including freshly made ham & eggs, local choice of bread, home made cakes, fruits and fruit juices and much more. The indoor and outdoor spas are open from 8 am to 10 pm, the classical massage in a candle lit wellness cave was worth all the money we spent, and the journey with the gondola up to the fresh air on top of the mountain made our wellness therapy complete. A ***** relax experience we are ready to recommend and repeat at any time.

Peter Vyskovsky