West Baden Springs Hotel

A must see, the restoration is amazing. The atrium even had my 7 year old in awe.

We loved wandering around the property and they are so pet friendly! We took our lab everywhere with us, including the train. He was welcomed by all. We had a great time. The Christmas tree was beautiful! If you have a fur baby, make sure you take them with you. They don’t consider them pets, they call them family. We will be back!

After another trip, I am going to have to knock the rating down some. I still had a very enjoyable time but the food seemed a bit more underwhelming overall. Also, we went in the summer this time so it was much busier and there were a lot more children. After a visit to the spa, I wanted to unwind in the hot tub. Not only were there kids being very loud in the pool (which echo a great deal because of the awesome marble architecture) but there were also small children playing in the hot tub. I’m not sure why there are so many children at this resort given the very friendly atmosphere of the sister hotel French Lick just a mile down the road. They have kids activities and programs including a pool with fountains and a DJ. Also, there is a free shuttle to the other hotel and you can enjoy the activities even if you are staying at West Baden. I would love for West Baden to make the indoor pool area Adults only given that option and the fact that it is designed and geared more towards relaxation with the spa music and amenities.
This trip we tried out the Wine and Dessert Soirée which was fantastic! The Dining Manager hosted it with fantastic descriptions. You get 3 full desserts and 4 pours. It was worth the somewhat pricey tag. The desserts were tasty and paired well with the wines.

This is truly a stunning place to visit. We decided to come relax and enjoy a weekend away here at West Baden Springs. I opted for this hotel over French Lick because I figured it would be less crowded and more romantic… I was right. It was definitely the right choice for a romantic getaway.
The structure itself is impressive and once you step in and see the grandeur of it all, it is even more breathtaking. The atrium is one of the prettiest I have seen, and looks great in the daylight and even more beautiful at night. They have changing color lights that really add warmth to the atrium at night.
We were happy with our room, a country view room (the outside of the circle). The bed and bedding were comfy and nice quality. The décor in our room was fitting for the hotel and added to the luxury of it all. I always give extra points when there are robes in the rooms! Yay for the robes in our room. I almost booked an atrium room, however decided that it could be noisy (with all the events/​people in the atrium) so I didn’t. I only regret not having it for the view we would have had at night. It would have been even more romantic to have a balcony room and sit out on it with a glass of wine during the evening while they have live jazz playing in the atrium. Oh well. Next time.
I can’t forget to mention the spa! Oh, the spa. I wanted to get the entire feel of staying at this resort so we booked massages for Saturday morning. Wow! The staff, the ambience, the massages… all excellent! I picked a hot stone massage for myself and my boyfriend just did a swedish one. We were both completely satisfied with our experiences. I like the added touches they have too such as the nice changing rooms/​bathrooms, complete with really cool looking showers and a sauna. I felt I was being pampered for sure!
We also visited the indoor pool and hot tub as well as the fitness center. I loved the pool area, however the actual lap pool was a bit cold all 3 times we visited while there. The hot tub was fantastic! The pool, hot tub and area were all very clean. It was quite the oasis since it was snowy and frigid outside. It looks like they also have a nice outdoor pool, right next to the indoor one… though it was covered for the season. The fitness facility had pretty new equipment. I would say it was on the smaller side of what i expected for a resort fitness facility, but all in all it was very nice and definitely got the job done. There were 4 treadmills, 1 elliptical, and one stationery bike plus an array of machines targeting both upper and lower body, as well as some free weights too. I’m glad they stock the center with towels and water for during and after working out.
The dining experience at West Baden was just average. They have an several different options, however we had dinner at the same place both nights. Ballard’s Bar has a double sided bar, as well as tables set up out in the atrium for dining. The atrium makes for a perfect spot to dine, however the food is where the experience really lacks. It is average food for a premium price (typical of resorts and expensive hotels). Our server, however, was awesome! His name was Jason and he really made both of our dinners better! His service was top notch and West Baden is lucky to have servers like him. We just had the coffee shop for breakfast one day and then tried the sit down breakfast the other day. It was average as well. Louisville has such good restaurants it’s hard to stack up.
We ventured over to French Lick to check out the casino and hotel. We rode the trolley (which was just recently restored and put back in running order). It was a beautiful ride over with all of the trees and snow outside of the windows.
French Lick was not as stunning as West Baden, but did have some charm throughout the lobby and also on the 2^nd floor. The casino was small and smoky. I am not much of a gambler, but would think for those who are into it there could be some disappointment, Lots of tables were not open and we were there in the middle of a Saturday. We grabbed a slice of pizza at Pluto’s Pizzeria which was fun. They have a bowling alley and small arcade down in the basement next to the pizzeria.
If you enjoy the relaxing pace of resorts, and appreciate beauty in architecture and décor, I would recommend giving West Baden a try.