The main reason for coming to Ötztal was to go to Aqua Dome spa. The spa hotel popped up on my Facebook feed as an advert. The photos looked great and, compared to spas in Switzerland, it was cheap.
Before setting off to the spa we had breakfast which was included in the price of the hotel room. It was a great spread including a typical continental breakfast plus a hot plate where you could cook your own omelette, fried egg or scrambled egg. There was also tea, coffee, fruit juice and water. We were allocated a table due to the COVID restrictions. We also has to wear a mask and disposable gloves while serving ourselves.
After breakfast we packed our bags and headed 10km up The Valley to the spa. We knew we could park and charge our plug in hybrid car in the car park at the spa and luckily there was one electric charging space available when we arrived. We plugged in and made our way to the spa reception.
We had pre-booked day tickets (38€ each) and just had to fill out the COVID declaration and show our vaccination certificates to be able to enter. Aqua Dome is another venue in Austria that works on the 3G principle – geimpft, genesen, getestet – vaccinated, recovered, negative test. We picked up our wristbands, which we had to use to lock our locker and could use to pay for any food and drink, and a towel for Michael and headed downstairs to get changed.
Once changed we headed into the pool area. We chose loungers indoors to start with as it wasn’t very warm outside. We started in the indoor pool which was over 30C and felt like getting into a lovely bath. All the photos I had seen showed the spa area outside so we swam through the plastic flaps into the outdoor area. One side was filled with spa water and the other side was ‘normal’ swimming pool temperature for ‘proper’ swimming. We stayed in the spa side and went to check out all the outdoor ‘bowls’. There were limited locations where photos were allowed but these locations showed the spa to its best.
The view outside of the mountains up the valley was stunning.
We spent some time in each of the three jacuzzi ‘bowls’. Each one was a different temperature with different jets and seating arrangements. It was all very relaxing. We were going to swim back inside along the cooler side but it felt very cold after being in the spa water so we stuck to the warm side.
We decide to have a break from the water as we were both becoming a bit prune-like. We went back to our loungers to read for a bit.
After a wander round the grounds outside and a quick visit to the children’s area, we decided that, as it had warmed up a bit, we would move outside into the sun. I then went for a swim in the 25m pool. I did 10 lengths swimming, then 10 lengths ‘running’ and another 10 lengths swimming – I needed to try to get my 10,000 steps in somehow. The view from our loungers wasn’t too bad!
After another break for a drink – virgin pina colada and flavoured water – we went for another dip in one of the jacuzzi ‘bowls’. During the day there were some organised games in the pool. One involved trying to balance on lilos / paddle boards while doing a fitness class.
After drying out again we decided to make a move and head home. I had to take a couple of photos on the way.
After showering and changing we went up to reception to hand in our wristbands in and pay for our drinks. On returning to the car, we were pleased to see it was fully charged.
On the way home we stopped at a Spar supermarket we had seen to see if we could find Skittles for Bethany. They are relatively difficult to find in Switzerland and are expensive. We managed to pick up two big bags each of the normal fruit flavour and sours. We also found the ‘free from’ corner and picked up gluten free bourbons, Oreos and shortbread biscuits. I also added a bottle of Aperol as I was down to my last bottle! A very successful shopping trip.
We had a very easy drive back though Austria towards the Swiss border.
Crossing the border into Liechtenstein was as easy as it had been crossing over into Austria the day before.
A few minutes later we crossed the border back into Switzerland.
On the way home our sat nav told us that there was a 30 minute delay at the same point where we had been delayed on the way to Austria the day before. Our sat nav offered us a diversion which took us up towards Kerenzerberg and into Mollis. It was a great road and the views across Walensee were amazing. As the traffic was stationary on the main road, it was great to be moving even if it was a bit further.
We had had a lovely two days away and would definitely recommend the Ötztal region and specifically the Explorer Hotels and Aqua Dome.
Crouch Family On Tour 