Castle Spa Wagenküll

The biggest beef I have with Wagenküll (Taagepera Loss) is that the management could not care less what you think... Upon raising our concerns with the reception – a duo of young ladies whose unhelpfulness was rivalled only by their steadfast commitment to being utterly rude and useless – we were met with rehearsed responses that might as well have been lifted from a manual titled "How Not to Care: A Hospitality Guide." When we requested an audience with the management, they proceeded to cheerfully inform us that the management was "not in the building." Except, that I had breakfast a mere feet from the said management just an hour before, having recognised their faces from the TV advertisements. Yet, rather than deigning to address our concerns, they appeared to hide away, leaving the receptionists to deliver their absurdly unconvincing narrative. We travelled as a family of five, hoping to secure the family room – a delightful arrangement of two interconnecting chambers. As this was unavailable, we were given instead a suite, which was proffered as a suitable alternative, with assurances that our four-year-old could either share our bed (because nothing says “luxury” quite like a toddler’s foot in your face at 2 a.m.) or sleep in a cot. The cost difference? The suite, despite being smaller and less accommodating, carried an additional charge of €75 per night for the children. Why, you ask? Because, apparently, they dared to eat breakfast and use the spa. Yet, had we stayed in the family room – a cheaper and far more spacious option – no such fee would have applied. When queried, the staff declared with the utmost seriousness that the suite was a "luxury experience." Luxury, I daresay, must have undergone a radical redefinition, for cramming five souls into one room with no privacy is a curious take on opulence. It is as if they believe themselves custodians of some parallel reality where discomfort and absurdity are synonymous with grandeur. To cap it off, the state of the establishment left much to be desired. Air conditioning units across the property were blinking red with distress, their filters begging for replacement, while other signs of neglect – both in the spa and the rooms – made it abundantly clear that maintenance was more an aspiration than a practice. And yet, we were expected to swallow this as a "luxury experience." One truly wonders what hallucinogenic delights the management might be partaking of to arrive at such a conclusion. In summary, Wagenküll is a place where the only luxury you can count on is the luxury of disbelief at their audacity. I remain both aghast and bemused.

Pleasant area, interesting building, nice little garden, but price and quality are not in balance. Restaurant gave rather positive impression - nice and friendly waiter, swift service, excellent food. Try their "pasta nero" - delicious! Rooms - for the ones, who still remember soviet time, this gives an impression of an outdated russian establishment, which has been attempted to convert into a boutique hotel, but with no great success - corridors, rooms, materials, smell - jut not what You would expect at that price level. Curtains have spots, carpets are worn out, bathrooms badly lit, restaurant windows nor cleaned at least for a year etc etc. Luckily we did not rent a room with balcony - those were empty boxes with no furniture - we saw guests sitting on the floors and trying to accomodate theirselves. The "Alice in Wonderland" installation in the gardens with plastic trees left also mixed feelings - good initiative trying to make the place more attractive, but overall gave a strange inconsistent "wannabe Disneyland" impression. We did not visit the spa, so not opinions to share. All in all, take a walk in the garden, check out the building, have dinnner, but rather stay somewhere else. For half the price, may be acceptable for some, but not for premium price they are charging.