Schloss Elmau is a luxury spa hotel and cultural retreat set in the Bavarian Alps above Garmisch-Partenkirchen, around 65 miles south of Munich, Germany. The hotel was opened by Dr. Johannes Muller in 1916 and today is run by his grandson, Dietmar Muller-Elmau.
There are two separate hotels at Schloss Elmau with a fabulous selection of restaurants, spas, gym facilities, and even a concert hall. It makes the perfect getaway for a vacation filled with crystal-clear mountain air, top-class facilities, and five-star comfort.
In fact, even world leaders including US Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden have been known to enjoy the facilities at Schloss Elmau, as it hosted the G7 summit in 2015 and 2022. Great care was taken to ensure that each of the leaders’ rooms in the Retreat enjoyed equally majestic views of the Wetterstein mountain! If you’ve ever wanted to sleep like the elite, this is where you can do it.
I first heard of this hotel when it was featured on a luxury travel podcast (shout out to Luxury Travel Insider!) It sounded like such a beautiful property that I made a note of it for a future trip, and I finally got the chance to visit Schloss Elmau in the summer of 2024.
Schloss Elmau luxury spa retreat is a fabulous luxury hotel, and I enjoyed staying there, but we did experience a few hiccups during our stay. Read on for my full review and discover whether I think you should stay at Schloss Elmau.
A Family Apartment At Schloss Elmau
Schloss Elmau is made up of two buildings. The historic main building is called the Hideaway, while the Retreat is a modern, more luxurious building.
The Hideaway has a classic, manor-style atmosphere that feels kind of like you’re staying in an old family estate from the 1800s. The rooms have a lot of character, with hardwood floors and natural stone tiling in the bathrooms. The decor in the Retreat has a more modern aesthetic and neutral decor dotted with vibrant soft furnishings from India, China, and Indonesia.
While the hotel would be perfect for an adults-only getaway, it’s also an excellent family destination. There are some great family-friendly room options at Schloss Elmau, and we stayed in the original Hideaway building in a Family Apartment on the third floor.
The apartment had two bedrooms: one main bedroom with a king-sized bed and a kids’ bedroom with a set of bunk beds, a small desk, and a closet. Each bedroom had its own bathroom.
Additionally, the bedrooms were separated by a shared living room, which featured a cozy sofa, a chair, desk and sizable closet. There was also a minibar and coatroom area. Our room also had a small but lovely deck off the living room, with a cafe table and chairs overlooking the main drive.
The rooms at Schloss Elmau are luxuriously appointed with Schramm mattresses, Samsung HD TVs, Nespresso coffee machines, and minibars. Complimentary toiletries and slippers are also supplied, and each guest receives a jewel-colored bathrobe instead of the traditional fluffy white variety. The rooms also offer yoga mats and reusable totes to help guests make the most of the many wellness activities around the property.
Other accommodation options at Schloss Elmau include individual rooms and family suites with 3 twin bedrooms and 1 king bedroom. These suites are much larger overall but only have one bathroom and no separate space.
The most luxurious option is the Summit suite, which enjoys fantastic views of the grounds and a wraparound terrace. There are only six of these luxury suites available at the hotel.
What We Didn’t Love about our Room
While our apartment was lovely, the rooms in both buildings have no air conditioning. This was a real problem when we visited at the height of summer. Our room was uncomfortably hot, and Dyson fans were the only options offered by reception for cooling it down.
Unfortunately, the remote control they provided with the fans wouldn’t control the air direction or speed settings. So, we could turn the fans on or off, but we couldn’t use the oscillator setting or turn up the fans from whatever setting they were left on.
One of the fans was set on the lowest setting, so it was barely putting out any cool air at all. It might just as well have been switched off!
When we tried to get help from reception and later housekeeping, no one seemed able to do anything. We were told housekeeping would come to resolve the issue, but they never did. Multiple requests to the front desk went nowhere, and we eventually gave up and just dealt with it.
Food And Drink At Schloss Elmau
There are 10 restaurants at Schloss Elmau, including the two Michelin-star Ikigai restaurant. La Salle has a European menu and features family-friendly salad, antipasti, and dessert buffets, while Fidelio serves a pan-Asian menu, including sushi, sashimi, meat, and fish dishes. In the winter months, you can try a traditional fondue in front of a crackling fire at the Elmauer Alm.
If you’d prefer to enjoy dinner without kids around, you’ll love the adults-only Summit Restaurant which has a menu highlighting seasonal and local produce. The Ananda Spa restaurant is also reserved for adults, and private dining is available at Ganesha.
Both the Hideaway and the Retreat have breakfast buffets included in the price of your room, and guests can eat breakfast in the main dining room at either hotel. We only discovered this at the end of our stay, so we always ate breakfast at the Hideaway. If we’d known that there was the option to eat at the Retreat, we’d have walked over and tried the buffet there as well.
The food is one aspect of Schloss Elmau that is very family-friendly, especially at lunchtime. My sons really enjoyed the dedicated kids’ buffet featuring kid-friendly options like pizza, chicken nuggets, and fries. This lunch buffet is free for kids, but they also had the option to order off the regular menu, which you would have to pay for separately. Adults pay for lunch, but the options are quite limited and we typically went to the Tea Salle for lunch when eating on the property.
We also had lunch in the Tea Salle (Tea Lounge) a couple of times. This cozy room has open fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a large sunny terrace. It’s a great spot to enjoy tea and a slice of cake in the afternoon.
However, the service in the Tea Salle was spotty, and the timing of food was pretty slow. We found that plates would come out of the kitchen at different times, so one person’s meal might arrive 10 minutes after everyone else had started eating.
Michelin-Starred Dining At Ikigai
One night, we decided to try out the Japanese-influenced tasting menu at Ikigai, the two-star Michelin restaurant hidden away in the Hideaway’s basement.
The food here is amazing and they offer both a wine pairing and a non-alcoholic drink pairing. I tried the wine pairing, which was excellent, and my husband chose the alcohol-free option. He’s been cutting down on alcohol recently and really appreciates interesting drink options that have great flavor and texture without the alcohol. It’s unusual to see a full alcohol-free pairing, and I think this was a lovely touch.
This was our sons’ first experience of fine dining, and the staff at Ikigai were fantastic. The full tasting menu can take over 3 hours, and I knew the boys would never last that long. The staff were happy to bring out their plates quicker and then pause our food while we took the boys back to our room. They also had a dedicated kids menu which was the perfect mix of kid-friendly but elevated, which pushed them to try new things in a familiar way.
The food and service at Ikigai were excellent, but it did have a slightly strange atmosphere. The restaurant is located in the Hideaway’s basement which you access through an underground tunnel. There are no windows, and it’s quite a small space with only a few tables.
I know the restaurant has to work with the space available, but it lacked some of the ambiance and character I’d expect in a fine-dining restaurant.
Problems With Our Food
Although the food at Schloss Elmau had some high points, some aspects could have been better.
Apart from the issues with timing at the Tea Salle, we also had problems with allergies. There were several occasions where we had indicated a food allergy, such as a sauce on a burger or croutons on a salad.
However, our meal arrived with the allergen still on it, so we had to send it back to the kitchen to be corrected. Combined with the slow service at the Tea Salle, this really disrupted our meal.
There were also some inconsistencies with our drinks. For example, my husband prefers tea without sugar, and while his first drink was fine, the next time he ordered the same drink, it was sweetened.
We were told the hotel doesn’t offer unsweetened tea, but they had done so just a short while earlier. It was very confusing and not the service I’d expect at a five-star hotel.
Common Spaces At Schloss Elmau
There are plenty of gorgeous spaces for relaxation at Schloss Elmau. Outside, you’ll find lots of little private areas with lounge chairs or day beds and stunning views of the surrounding forest and Wetterstein mountains. These are the perfect places to enjoy a snack and a book or just relax with the gentle sound of a babbling brook in the background.
Hiking is a very popular activity at the hotel, but if you don’t fancy walking all the way down into the valley, you can still enjoy the breathtaking views from the hotel’s terraces. These also have lounge chairs and umbrellas set up overlooking the valley.
Inside the hotel, you’ll find various common spaces that are beautifully decorated and feel very inviting. Warm shades of red, orange, and yellow complement the natural wood floors and furniture. The hotel’s elephant motif features prominently in the decor and is also reflected in soft furnishings and ornaments from countries like China and Indonesia.
Schloss Elmau was initially intended by Dr Muller to be both a destination for relaxation and a cultural hideaway, and the current owner successfully honors this concept.
The hotel’s own bookstore is a beautiful little spot with a nicely curated selection of books and a huge kids section. Most of the books are in German but I spotted a few in English and other languages. The bookstore also hosts literary events including book presentations and talks by authors.
You can also buy accessories, furniture, and even the hotel’s jewel-colored bathrobes from the on-site boutique.
The library lounge is a perfect place for quiet reading or studying, and I saw a few people working on their laptops there.
There’s also a smoking lounge with a case of cigars available for guests, or you can smoke your own cigars there. My husband had bought some cigars earlier in our trip, so he brought them into the hotel to enjoy in the cigar lounge.
One of the things I loved most about Schloss Elmau was the perfect mix of luxury and comfort…they somehow made all the public spaces feel welcoming, inviting, and like they were available for your use anytime.
Things To Do At Schloss Elmau
Of course, if you want to venture further afield, you’ll find plenty of things to do in Garmisch-Partenkirchen or nearby cities like Munich or Innsbruck. But you can easily spend your time enjoying all the activities and facilities at Schloss Elmau.
If you prefer to focus on relaxation, you can take advantage of three separate spas at Schloss Elmau reserved for adults only, including a German Badehaus spa, Oriental Hammam, and an outdoor Japanese Onsen pool. There’s also a family spa with a large indoor pool and the Shantigiri spa has separate areas for adults or the whole family.
One thing to bear in mind is that Schloss Elmau is a very European hotel, and you’re likely to see some naked bodies at the spas.
But Schloss Elmau has so many great activities available that it would be a shame not to take advantage of these facilities during your stay. The hotel is popular with outdoorsy, active people and offers activities for all ages.
As well as using the hotel’s gym facilities, relaxation rooms, and swimming pools, you can join group hikes in the surrounding mountains. These hikes are only suitable for people aged 12+, and you need to be in pretty good shape to join in. You can also rent bikes for mountain biking or go wild swimming in the Ferchensee lake, around 2 miles from the hotel.
You can check out the current weekly program on the Schloss Elmau website.
Although there’s no concierge service at Schloss Elmau, they do have a sports concierge who can help you map out a hiking trail or tell you about the hotel’s weekly activities. The online interface for booking activities or spa sessions was pretty clunky, so it was easier to go and see the sports concierge or spa to book activities in person. There’s definitely room for improvement in this area.
Kids Activities
I was really impressed by the kids’ activities at Schloss Elmau. There are separate kids clubs for little ones and older kids, and a range of activities running through the main school holidays, such as a soccer school taught by professional soccer players.
Some of the optional classes are included in the cost of your stay, and others have an additional charge. We did the archery class as a family, and we all thought it was super fun. We were fitted out with bows and arrows and then walked to targets set up in different spots around the property. A super knowledgeable instructor showed us the proper technique and guided us around to different targets.
The hotel also offers “edutainment” classes, which are week-long courses on a different theme each week. When we originally booked our stay, a chess course was scheduled, which my kids would have loved. However, we had to change the dates of our visit and a manga drawing course was scheduled for the new dates. My sons weren’t as interested in the drawing course, but it illustrates the variety of courses available at Schloss Elmau.
If your kids don’t want to do organized activities, there are two playgrounds with equipment like swings, slides, trampolines, and climbing frames. Inside the hotel, there’s a games room with activities like pool, foosball, and table tennis that older kids will really enjoy.
Sports Facilities
Sporty people will love the outdoor activities at Schloss Elmau. You can book time on the clay tennis courts, sign up for the free group tennis class, or book private paid lessons with the hotel’s tennis professional.
As well as hiking and mountain biking, there are also Bocce courts and an outdoor swimming pool. But beware of the horse flies that love to bite you in summer!
Other sporting options include horse riding, swimming in the local lakes, and winter sports like cross-country skiing.
Between the kid-focused activities and the family activities, we never ran out of things to do. In fact, I left wanting more and vowing to return so I could explore further.
Wellness Facilities
In addition to the spa facilities, treatment rooms and sports activities, Schloss Elmau has an extensive program of Wellness offerings.
The hotel has its own highly experienced yoga instructor who provides daily morning and afternoon yoga sessions in the Jivamukti Yoga pavilion. They also run yoga and tai chi retreats throughout the year.
You might also like to try the hotel’s Gaga dance classes that run in the morning and afternoon, or take a class in the pilates studio or qi gong studio.
Between mid-June and mid-September, you can visit the Nature Spa set in a rustic mountain cabin. This spa has its own 25m heated outdoor lap pool and Finnish sauna, and you can cool down afterward with a cold water plunge in the crystal-clear Fechenbach Creek!
Concerts At Schloss Elmau
One of the most unusual aspects of Schloss Elmau is that it has its own 300-seat concert hall hosting a range of concerts including classical, jazz, and folk music. World-class musicians such as Benjamin Britten and Yehudi Menuhin have played concerts at Schloss Elmau.
Entrance is free for hotel guests, and local residents living within 80km of the hotel can also book tickets.
When we visited Schloss Elmau, a rock/jazz band was playing in the concert hall one evening, and we popped in after the kids were in bed. It felt like a really intimate, private concert, and this awesome music experience definitely made our stay feel extra special.
One small point to bear in mind is that rooms 201-210 are very close to the concert hall, and room 201 is practically inside it. The music is fantastic, but avoid these rooms if you don’t want your sleep disturbed by it!
Service At Schloss Elmau
Although I loved most aspects of our stay at Schloss Elmau, the service felt inconsistent for a five-star resort.
We called down to the front desk and housekeeping three or four times during our stay and each time, their response felt dismissive. They said they’d follow up on our question, but we’d never hear from them again.
Another time, we called down to get our car brought around, then waited and waited. After a while, I checked at the front desk, and there was no record of our request. It didn’t feel like five-star service at all.
Although there’s a great range of free and paid activities, it isn’t easy to discover all the facilities and services on offer. We never had a tour of the property (we were told no one was available when we checked in, and to try back the next morning) and were basically left to find things out by ourselves or from other guests.
For example, we only found out on the last day of our stay that we could have been using the restaurants over at the Retreat or that there’s a free afternoon buffet of cakes and drinks in Tutto Mondo, the Retreat’s main restaurant. It would have been nice to have those options explained to us at the start of our visit.
I think it’s interesting that there’s no concierge service at Schloss Elmau, even though they offer a sports concierge to help you book sports and wellness activities. I tried to arrange for a photographer to take some pictures of us in the stunning hotel grounds, but no one could help with this sort of request, which would be pretty standard at most five-star hotels.
I think this shows that Schloss Elmau’s priorities lie more in being a luxury resort for wellness activities than a luxury five-star hotel.
This doesn’t lie with service specifically, but one annoyance I couldn’t get over was that Schloss Elmau sits within a nature preserve, and you have to pay an entrance fee of 5 euro to drive past a checkpoint to the hotel, even as a hotel guest. This fee doesn’t go to the hotel but rather to the government (I assume). It’s inconceivable to me that the hotel doesn’t have an arrangement to waive the entrance fee for guests, yet the front desk seemed confused when I asked about this. It discourages you from leaving the property, because you have to pay each time you come back.
Should You Stay At Schloss Elmau?
Schloss Elmau definitely has the ‘wow’ factor. It’s an ideal spot for a vacation in the Alps enjoying the warm sunshine of the Bavarian summer or the snowy winter months.
The rooms are beautifully designed with top-notch amenities and luxurious decor. You can enjoy a wealth of facilities and classes, whether you’re seeking quality time and pure relaxation or a more active break.
Although the hotel would be an excellent spot for an adults-only vacation, it really shines as a family destination. I was particularly impressed by the range of kid-friendly activities, and my sons loved the dining options on offer.
Schloss Elmau isn’t perfect, especially around the service, but I loved staying at this hotel in southern Germany. It’s highly recommended, and I would definitely love to go back.
