Terme Čatež — Hotel in Brežice

We arrived on a friday afternoon and we expected that check-in will take a little longer because there were a lot of people, but waiting more than half an hour was too much. The receptionist was very unwelcoming and seemed like he was only there because he had to be - his answers were short, rude and not helpful at all, if I would ask antoher guest the same questions I think I would get better answers from them than from him. Other guests were cutting the line all the time and the two receptionist never once said that they should wait. The check-out lady was much friendlier.|Our room was on the highest floor overlooking beautiful nature and the spacious balcony was a huge plus but there was also a downside to it - the light on the balcony could not be switched off so you couldn't really sit there after sunset as the insects were crazy, also while sleeping you couldn't open the door because of mosquitos and we didn't want to turn on AC as we are not used to it at home and didn't want to get sick so the air was not good during the night (we put a t-shirt over the light the second night and it helped a little bit but not much). And the irony is that on one paper in the room it says that they ask you not to turn on the light at night as the insects will get in the room but on the other hand there is no switch to turn off the light haha! The other thing is the outside furniture - 2 small plastic chairs and a nice but a very small table (doesn't fit 3 regular plates on it). We missed something to hang the wet towels and swimmsuit on it.|The room itself was actually very nice and spacious, so was the bathroom, but it also had a problem - the bath is very big but the glass is way too short so while showering, there is a 99% chance that the floor will get wet. It doesn't matter how careful you are, the water will get underneath the glass and wet the floor that way. Everything was clean except the floor at the balcony door was a mess! Also make sure that you always LOCK THE DOORS! They can't be opened from the outside whithout the chip so we didn't even think about locking them while we were in the room and one afternoon I noticed that they were opened and didn't think anything of it because maybe one of use didn't close them properly but the next morning they were opened again! I was very uncomfortable to say the least... a gush of wind probably openes them if they are not locked.|Moving on to the restaurant. The elevator kinda works as a time machine, because you come from the room and the hall that are very modern, to the restaurant that hasn't been changed since my parents were teenagers. The unpleasant smell of cooked sausages hits you the second that the elevator doors open to the main floor in the morning. They offer eggs made 3 different ways, 10 types of meat, 5 types of cheese, 10 different types of youghurt and not a single type of plant-based milk or youghurt.. even after asking the waiter if he could check if they have some, I don't know if he forgot or they didn't have any, I didn't want to bother him again. So if you are vegan, there is a lot of fruit (from the previous day), veggies (tomatoes - tasteless), nuts and juices (don't drink them after 10a.m. - it's just colored water) to choose from, but nothing that will keep you full for a longer period of time. If you have any type of food allergies, it's better for you to bring your own food as there is not a single list of allergens next to the food. The waiters are very quick so your table is always clean. |The gym is well equiped and spacious, saunas were closed. If you want peace and quietness, visit the pool at the hotel; if you are with kids, you definetly have to visit Thermal riviera.|Overall we had a great time, I feel good about coming because we paid with the voucher - if I paid for it with my own money, I would be upset (as a student I would choose a cheaper alternative because 250€ for two nights is not in my price range).|If somebody from the hotel staff in reading this, the furniture can not be changed over night, I understand that, but the fact that the cleaning ladies and the staff at the pool is way friendlier than the receptionists is just sad. Not even a single Hello! when you come through the door. The restaurant staff as well! And as a student I have worked in a hotel restaurant and the fact that you smile and say Hi! to the guest was expected from...

Visited this place for the summer holidays in August 2023. We hired a Happy Camp mobile home, which has enough space to house the family of four. Each home comes with a wooden construction which serves as your terrace and has a sunshield. Parking the car close to your mobile home is sometimes an option, it depends were your mobile home is located as some are not reachable with the car.

The reception is available 24/7, and you'll get some NFC wristbands to enter the indoor and outdoor swimming pools. For indoor, this NFC band also serves as a locker key should you want to use one. You can either use the indoor or the outdoor pools each day, you cannot do both. The indoor pool was accessible for 3 hours. There was some damage from the 2023 flooding so not everything was available, but we were informed beforehand. Crew was working to getting things fixed. Indoor pools, toilets and showers were very clean.

For the outdoor swimming pool, you can enter and leave and re-enter after two hours we were told. Since exiting is by button (and not scanning your NFC tag like the indoor pools) my best guess is the two hours start ticking as soon as you enter. You have lots of water slides, for the very little ones, and daunting slides for the more adventurous people, labeled by colour (black, red, blue). All those coloured slided have an overseer present who watches the guests and make sure everything stays safe. They also check if your kids are tall enough to ride the slide in the first place. They also walk the premises and use whistles if you do something which is not allowed, which IMHO is a good thing. Despite being in the summer holidays it didn't feel crowded. There are so much pools that people scatter. Pools are also accessible for outsiders, we had one Slovenian bank holiday and that day was actually the only crowded day in the outside pools (31 degrees).

You can charge your NFC tag with money to pay. All restaurants in the pools only accept bank cards or the NFC tag. You order at a cashier, pay, and take the receipt with you to get what you've ordered. At the outdoor swimming pool entrance there is a bar for drinks and food. Kebab here was really good and a reasonable price for a pool bar.

Futher down (at the 25M pool) and the pool wit animation, there is also a restaurant. Don't bother getting the schnitzel, horrible menu, fries with nuggets or chickings wings is okay, but portions are not that large though. You can also get some cocktails (both with or without alcohol). In the pool next to the 3 slides is the Animation team which does some games during the day.

The camp sites also has 2 EV charges from Petrol. You can register and download the app and put in your creditcard. You can only charge for 3 hours and then it shuts off. I was not able to charge again that day by any of the two chargers, which is fine and make sure every EV driver is getting a change to charge. I have a ChargeBuddy app and QR code sticker so people can contact me via the app. Could be handy as Slovenia doesn't have a much chargers as The Netherlands.

There is also a fair, which has the typical rides, bumper cars, duck fishing, ferry wheel, can smashing. Bring a fat wallet though, bumber cars are EUR 5/ride! Wouldn't recommend though. In the evening on the central space next to the fair they have entertainment. You can also buy some great ice cones here which have lots of different flavours to pick from. In the same area there is a small super market which has your daily needs, not much vegetables though. Fresh bread every day. There is also a bakery on the other side of the camp. Post office is also nearby. For shopping, I'd go to Brezice, you have a Spar and a Lidl there. Also close by is a castle and a cave (see my reviews)

Our mobile home was close by a playing field, with some swings, a slide and a basketball/football/tennis area. Staff is very friendly and speaks English (among other languages).

Highly recommend this camp site if you have kids who...

Honestly, I don’t know where to start. This hotel was one of the worst travel experiences we’ve ever had, a complete letdown compared to the star rating it claims to have.

I’ll keep it short for those who might be considering a stay here.

The moment we walked into our room, we were in disbelief. The rooms are severely outdated—feels like they haven’t been renovated since the Yugoslav era. There were stains everywhere, chipped wooden surfaces, and a TV that’s practically an antique from the ‘90s, which barely functions. The rooms deserve a 0/5—they don’t qualify for even one star.

The food here was another nightmare. It was by far the worst we’ve encountered in any hotel. Nearly 95% of the meals were inedible, forcing us to drive daily to a gas station in Brežice for a simple sandwich. On a few occasions, we even had to drive all the way to Zagreb just to get a decent meal. Honestly, the food here isn’t worth rating… it’s that bad.

The pools are the only slightly redeeming feature of this place.

The hallways and lobby are straight out of the ‘90s, with old, worn-out decor and quite a bit of grime.

As for entertainment, there is absolutely none. After 9 p.m., the pools close, and there’s nothing left to do but go back to your room. Every evening, we had to drive to Zagreb, as there was absolutely nothing to do at or around the hotel. Everything shuts down after 9 p.m., so keep this in mind if you’re considering staying here.

Now, about the staff. The cleaning team is polite and friendly. But the front desk staff? Completely untrained—they didn’t even explain the rates properly. In the end, we were charged 150 euros more than the listed price on the website for our booking period. They also tried to charge us again for Winter Thermal Riviera, even though we had already paid by card the night we visited. It’s not only that the hotel is falling apart with very little to offer beyond the pools, but the staff also seems dishonest.

If you want to avoid this situation, you can stay at a much better, modern place—Terme Olimia—for around 15 euros more per day, which is close to Čatež. We’re currently at Terme Olimia, and the experience is like night and day compared to the place we just left.

In short, this was a terrible experience. Avoid this...