A New Chapter of Alpine Luxury

My visit at das Ronacher

Some hotels you visit for a beautiful room, some hotels you visit for the spa, and then there are places where the entire experience makes you slow down. Das Ronacher Thermal Spa Hotel in Bad Kleinkirchheim belongs firmly to the latter.

Set in the Carinthian Nock Mountains, the Ronacher has been part of Bad Kleinkirchheim's hospitality landscape for more than a century. The family-run hotel has recently undergone a beautiful transformation, and after spending time there myself, I can say one thing with certainty: the house feels better than ever.

A very warm welcome

My stay started exactly the way I like it to: with a glass of Prosecco.

It is wonderful to arrive somewhere and immediately feel that you can let go of the outside world. At the Ronacher, that feeling came very naturally. The team was warm, attentive and genuinely welcoming throughout my stay - never overly formal, but always incredibly thoughtful.

And then there was my suite.

A suite made for staying in

My room was a dream. Spacious, elegant and designed with that particular feeling of Alpine luxury.

The highlight was the private terrace with its own jacuzzi - the kind of place where you can easily imagine spending an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing. Inside, a beautiful freestanding bathtub immediately caught my eye, alongside wonderfully soft bathrobes and all the little details that make a hotel room feel less like a room and more like your own private retreat.

5,500 square metres of wellness

Of course, the real heart of the Ronacher is its spa.

The hotel offers an impressive 5,500-square-metre thermal spa and wellness world, with five thermal pools, extensive sauna facilities and numerous spaces dedicated to relaxation. The hotel also benefits from its own thermal spring, connecting the modern wellness experience with the centuries-old bathing tradition of Bad Kleinkirchheim.

I jumped into the long pool and swam 20 lengths & then I enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing massage - exactly what I needed.

The outdoor area is particularly beautiful. Surrounded by the mountains and fresh Carinthian air, there are plenty of places to stretch out, read, swim or simply lie in the sun. It is the kind of setting where time seems to move a little differently.

Wellness with history

The story of the house is closely connected to the thermal spring of St. Kathrein. People have been visiting the healing spring in Bad Kleinkirchheim for centuries, and the Ronacher family's connection to the property dates back to 1908, when Elise and Hans Ronacher acquired the former Kurhaus. It reopened in 1911 with 50 beds. Over the decades, the family continued to expand and develop the hotel, eventually creating the thermal spa and wellness world that exists today.

That combination of history and contemporary design is one of the things I particularly enjoyed. The Ronacher doesn't feel like a place trying to recreate an Alpine past. Instead, it takes its heritage and moves it forward.

Breakfast worth waking up for

I have stayed in many beautiful hotels where breakfast is perfectly nice but quickly forgotten. The Ronacher was different.

The breakfast was so good - generous, fresh and full of choice. There were regional products, fresh juices, pastries, eggs and, to my absolute delight, Palatschinken.

The hotel describes its breakfast as an Imperial breakfast buffet, served until noon, with regional organic eggs, fresh juices and smoothies, homemade coffee and tea specialties, pastries and a variety of sweet and savoury options.

Breakfast until 12? Yes, please.

It is a small detail, but one that says a lot about the philosophy of the house: there is no need to rush here.

The Nock Mountains at your doorstep

Beyond the hotel, there is another reason to come to Bad Kleinkirchheim: nature.

The Ronacher sits in the Nock Mountains, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Carinthia, where the Alpine environment is as much a part of the experience as the hotel itself. In summer, the region invites you to hike, cycle and explore; in winter, it becomes a destination for skiing and snow-filled mountain days.

And then you come back to the Ronacher, put on your bathrobe and disappear into the spa.

That, to me, is the perfect Alpine rhythm.

A place that understands luxury

What stayed with me most after my visit wasn't one particular treatment, dish or design detail. It was the feeling of being looked after.

The staff are exceptionally friendly and attentive, and there is a warmth to the hotel that comes from its family-run character. The Ronacher has been operated by the Ronacher family for generations, and today Simone and Markus Ronacher continue that tradition. The hotel itself describes the wellbeing of its team as an important part of the guest experience - and I think you can feel that.

The recent transformation has given the house a fresh new chapter without taking away what makes it special.

Space, silence, warm water, a beautiful room, a long breakfast and surrounded by nature.