The Best Spa Hotels in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

The castle-like Hotel Imperial, one of the most famous buildings in Karlovy Vary, was built in 1912 and has hosted a roll call of royalty and several Czech Republic presidents. Wellness has a medical focus here, with packages to support immunity, detox and fight stress, including extras such as vitamin C infusions, probiotic treatments and oxygen therapy. It’s not all virtuous though – the hotel also has a patisserie for lavish desserts when your sweet tooth calls.

Those looking for a more modern spa hotel will appreciate the sleek design and up-to-date decor at this resort, which opened in 2009. Rooms have all modern comforts, including satellite TV and a minibar, and you’re in the perfect spot to take advantage of one of the town’s famous hot springs right next door to the hotel. The property also has a beauty clinic devoted to aesthetic and laser treatments if you’re looking for a tweak on the outside, too.

This boutique spa resort, just 100m (328ft) from the town’s famous hot springs, offers prescribed programmes combining modern technology with the traditional Karlovy Vary drinking cure. Every guest is checked by the doctor, who devises a treatment plan, including 17 spa treatments a week. These include traditional massages, carbon dioxide treatment, cupping therapy, lymph drainage and even guided Nordic walking around the town.

If the idea of a spa break leaves you apprehensive, this regal hotel opposite the Mill Colonnade allows you to sample wellness offerings while exploring the town – ideal if you have a spa-shy partner in tow. You can luxuriate in the swimming pool, Finnish sauna and steam bath and sign up for treatments, including inhalations and dry carbonic baths, before heading out on excursions to Loket Castle and Mariánské Láznĕ.

There’s no need to live on lettuce leaves at this swish spa hotel housed in six art nouveau houses. Although special menus are available to tackle everything from diabetes to high cholesterol, the smart Dvorak Restaurant serves sumptuous à la carte dishes, while Café Bar Opera offers an extensive drinks menu whether you fancy hot chocolate or a cocktail. Spa devotees will also delight in the vast array of equipment on offer, including Kneipp baths, dry massage baths and a well-equipped gym.

Stay in splendour at this elegant resort spread over five historical villas, dating back to 1897 and connected by underground corridors. The stately exterior conceals a top-notch contemporary medical spa facility with a diagnostic centre and more than 3,000sqm (32,292sqft) of treatment rooms. It’s the only hotel in Karlovy Vary accredited by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, and its spa is renowned for its rigorous treatments, including a blood and urine test, three spa procedures a day and three medical check-ups.

Parents don’t need to miss out on the pampering at the Olympic Palace. The hotel offers a well-equipped kid’s club, a children’s buffet and a welcome pack that includes children’s toiletries, a mini bathrobe and slippers and a sweet treat. Children can reap the benefits of the spa, too, and are invited to use the salt chamber, jacuzzi and swimming pool, while special treatments and an on-site paediatrician can tackle any specific issues.

The spa at the St Joseph Royal Regent is easily one of the most glamorous in town. Sitting on the building’s top floor, it allows you to watch nightfall from the swimming pool under a glass roof or relax with a drink on the summer terrace. There’s also a Finnish sauna, steam room and marine sauna, while the spa specialises in traditional Thai massage. Afterwards, float back to one of 81 rooms on eight floors, or choose one of the luxury apartments for a little more space.

Combine a spa trip with a romantic break at this riverside wellness resort. Opulent accommodation options include rooms with balconies overlooking the lake or even the two-floor Admiral Suite with an Apple TV, a living room and an electric fireplace. When hunger strikes, there’s a top Italian restaurant with a lakeside terrace, while the lobby bar is stocked with fine French cognacs, champagne and even a shisha pipe. There are even couples’ treatments available if you can’t bear to be separated.

Keen sightseers are perfectly located at this spa hotel right in the town’s historic centre, directly opposite the Mill Colonnade and its mineral springs. Other attractions on the doorstep include the Museum of Glass Moser and the Jan Becher Museum, while there are more than 130km (81mi) of marked trails crisscrossing the forests that surround Karlovy Vary. Afterwards, return to the hotel to enjoy the range of saunas, swimming pool and whirlpool, or book treatments, including hydrotherapy, oxygen therapy and salt therapy to aid the immune system.

The EA Hotel Atlantic Palace, right on the spa colonnade just 85m (279ft) from the hot spring, offers 21 rooms and suites with views of the town centre, and a restaurant on the top floor. The hotel specialises in treating gastroenterological disease, diabetes and musculoskeletal system diseases, and procedures include peat applications, electrotherapy, carbon baths and lymphatic drainage, alongside the traditional drinking cure three times a day.

Rub shoulders with the local glitterati at this five-star property close to the Imperial (Kaiserbad) Spa. This plush hotel houses a clinic, balneology centre and spa with more than 3,500sqm (37,674sqft) of space and a source of thermal mineral water. There are also 250 types of treatment procedures to choose from and 14 medical specialisations, as well as two restaurants and four bars if you’re too blissed out to leave the hotel afterwards.