We actually got to stay there for one night as a present from family (through www.bongo.be). It's a trip we definitely don't regret. Here's a ton of practical details if you're going there:
- Spa / Wellness: great! They offer all sorts of massages, facial care, tanning, you can even get your nails done. The sauna area includes 1 actual sauna, 1 hammam (hot steam room), 1 infra-red cabin (mild heat), as well as 1 salt-water room (looks kind of like a cave), several showers (cold and lukewarm - as it should be in a sauna). The salt-water room wasn't working when we were there, so we didn't get to try that one. There's also a relaxation area with a bunch of sofas and seats where you can order drinks. As well as a small fitness area. And last but not least: there's also a swimming pool and a jacuzzi.
- Dress code:
--- bath robe must be worn when walking in and out each area. You can either bring your own or rent one at the hotel for 8€/day. Same goes with slippers (I had brought my own plastic flip flops, but you can also get a pair of soft slippers at the hotel reception).
--- bathing suit / bikini must be worn in the swimming pool area
--- bathing suit / bikini is not allowed in the sauna area (because it's so hot, it's definitely not recommended to wear any nylon). Although I must add I saw several people wearing them anyway (mainly women). I felt a bit weird at first without my bikini, but you can wear a towel, and that turned out to be just fine. Obviously, no one cares and no one's going to stare at you lol Most people wore a towel anyway.
--- you can either bring your own towels or get one for each customer at the hotel reception for free. Note though: the towel you get at the reception is just big enough to wrap around your body. So if you you want to wear something bigger or more than 1, it might be best to bring your own.
--- workout shoes must be worn in the fitness area
There are no individual cabins to change clothes. They simply have 2 small rooms; 1 for men, and 1 for women, which both include lockers to store your stuff. I think most people just change there, but I didn't feel comfortable doing that (especially since the door doesn't lock), so I went to the bathroom instead. The bathrooms are extremely clean and spacious, so that worked just as well. Then I went back to store my stuff in a locker; put the key in the pocket of my robe and walked into the sauna.
- The hotel room (we had a basic one): great! Spacious enough, nice bathroom (average hotel size), TV with about 40 channels, 2 comfy seats and a table, a safe, minibar, phone. It was comfy and we have no complaints whatsoever.
- Parking: Needs to be reserved in advance, along with your room. And it's about 10€/day if I remember well (my boyfriend took care of that, so i can't remember for sure)
- The staff: great! They were all multilingual (French, Dutch, German and I'm guessing English too). Although French seemed to be everybody's best language, you can definitely go there if you don't speak French.
- The restaurant: there were 2. When facing the hotel entry, you'll see a nice restaurant on the left, and then a restaurant/bar on the right. The one on the left seems a bit fancier, but we were told it was best to reserve a table in advance and we couldn't really be bothered, so then we ended up going to the resto/bar on the right. The food was okay. It wasn't the best, and neither was the wine, but it was alright. I don't know if the fancy one on the left would have been better perhaps. Note: the restaurant staff wasn't as multilingual as the hotel staff. French seemed like the best option, but I think one or two waiters could also speak German, and English wasn't their strongest point, but they managed.
- Breakfast was good! They had a bit of everything, and there was plenty of space, so it didn't feel crowded.
TIP FOR LUNCH, DINNER AND BREAKFAST: the reception will give you a green card when you check in. It shows your name, your room number, the dates of your stay, and the word "breakfast" on it. I figured we'd only need it to get our breakfast, but if you're gonna be eating at one of the restaurants that belong to the hotel, you'll need to show that little green card to your waiter, even if it isn't for breakfast. Our waiter was kind of tripping about that, because it gets added to your hotel bill and they're required to see the card in order to avoid fraud or whatever. We weren't told that when we checked in so we had no idea. So just keep it with you at all times.
- Clervaux itself is a great little town! It's very very small, but oh so charming and pretty. There are a few things to visit (a castle, an old church, there's also a tiny museum dedicated to WWII at the castle), and if the weather is nice you can also follow several trails and go hiking (the scenery is stunning!). The town itself feels very safe and is extremely clean. It really is the perfect place to relax.
Dogs are welcome in most places, even this hotel is dog friendly, so you can definitely bring your pet along. It's great for everyone! Families with children, retired people, couples who want a romantic getaway, etc.
Don't go there though if you're a shopaholic. There aren't a whole lot shops around.
- International Hotel Clervaux
