Horna Streda accommodation from AU$137

Excellent stay in Piestany

Website unhelpful in relating spa services. Reception even worse. There was no doctor because we arrived on a Friday, and didn’t book it in advance. We were only staying the weekend. Women at reception all seemed perturbed that we were there. Not sure if they simply don’t like Americans or whether they are just burned out. Spa reception was slightly more friendly but unhelpful in helping us decide which services to get so I opted for the mirror pool and mudbath. There was very little instruction as to what to expect or how to prepare. All women were naked, ushered into first the sulpher pool for fifteen minutes, which was pleasant enough, and then into the mud pool, which was treacherously slippery to descend into on the stairs. We were instructed to put the mud, all over our bodies, face and hair. The only way to do that was to lift it up with my feet, which I tried. I ultimately reached down to get some into my hands but , I had a contact lens on and the sulpheric acid in the mud lodged beneath it. I was given a small glass of water to flush it out with and then told me to put a damp cloth on it and lay down. The pain got worse so I went back to my room and flushed it in the brown water that poured from the plumbing in our bathroom due to recent rains. Emergency room a half hour away, 110 euros for taxi, burnt cornea diagnosis, antibiotic drops and cornea gel for a week, patch on eye yet no one at the hotel seemed to care or offered reimbursement for the mud bath

An overnight on a drive through western Slovakia. Hotel Elizabeth was a pleasant surprise. Easy walk to food and drinks in the main walking area downtown. Located at the base of Trencin Castle.