Tropical Islands, Germany

In the cold month of February we headed off for a warm get away to Germanys Tropical Island.  Yes you heard me right, Germany has a Tropical Island!  Read up and check it out, because you'll want to go!

Tropical Island Resort is a tropical theme park in the former Brand-Briesen Airfield, built inside a former airship hanger.  Check this out...yep inside this big hanger!

This place is a beach lover's year-round dream come true: white sandy beaches, hot air balloon rides, tropical rainforests, kids play zones, waterslides, spa, sauna and so much more all under one large dome!  To get an idea of how HUGE this place is, it is as long as the Eiffel Tower is high, and taller than the statue of liberty. 

When we got there we went from our winter jackets to bathing suits and Bode solely in a diaper within minutes.  Inside the dome the air temperature was a nice 78°F, and the air humidity was around 60%.  There was so much fun to be had, and so many places to explore!  Bode was studying the map to help guide us through the park.

Bode also got a kick out of looking at all the tropical animals.  He really liked the flamingos:)

Our favorite swim spot at the resort was the Lagoon.  The water was warm, some cool waterfalls, and Bode was able to stand and splash around in the shallow end. 

Kick Kick Kick

 Look Bode! A hot air balloon!

Check out this video of my boys having fun!

They had a really nice outside area called Amazonia.  We enjoyed floating in the lazy river, and going down the rapids slides.  In the summer more of the outdoor park is open to explore, but the cool breeze with the warm water was nice and refreshing on our faces.

They also have a beach area with a water jungle gym that we explored. We really liked the slides, even Bode enjoyed them.  We snuck Bode up an intertube slide that he went down with Jordan.  The look on his face as I gave them a push down was priceless.  They also have slides for younger kids, but who doesn't want to do the fun big kid slides?!?  At the beach Bode was able to climb around, get wet, and splash around in ankle high water, and play in the sand (with other kid's sand toys... note to travelers, bring sand toys and water toys). 

When we were done spending time in the water for the day (although it is 24 hours, so you can swim to your hearts content) there was still so much to be done.  For adults and kids alike!  Jordan and I took turns in the spa/sauna which was included in our reservation.  They had really nice sauna rooms and each hour they would have a steam treatment in one of the rooms where they would infuse a nice smell into the steam and you could sweat out all your toxins.  In true German fashion the sauna and spas are a naked event.  The dress code is a towel or bathrobe only and they have changing areas for you to get into your birthday suits.  

For Bode, and all kids, the fun is never over in the kids zone.  They have a huge indoor play area that includes climbing areas, bumper cars, electric scooters, remote control swimming boats, the BIGGEST ball pit I've ever seen and a baby play area.   They have shows, face painting, miniature golf and so much more!

One of the really nice things about Tropical Island is that you don't have to worry about carrying your valuables with you all the time.  They give you a watchband that gives you access to your locker, hotel room door, and is hooked up to your credit card so there is no need to carry cash or cards with on the beach.  Just swipe away and bill all your purchases easily!  For lunch and dinner they have a handful of restaurants and they also have a foodcourt with easy grab and go foods like pizza, burgers, brats, ice cream and frozen yogurt.  We thought it was really reasonable- sharing a pizza a bratwurst and soda came out to roughly 14 euro.  The breakfast buffet was included in our stay which was totally worth it.  Traditional German breakfasts are meats and cheeses, but this buffet had everything from fried eggs, waffles, pancakes, donuts and NUTELLA! as well as lox, cream cheese and fresh veggies! This dude was carb loadin~. Travelers will be happy to know that we were able to bring in food and drinks for our little one, and I would recommend bringing in extra water for all.  They also had a microwave available in the food court to microwave "baby food".  

Our hotel room was really nice.  While there are options to stay inside the dome in tents, huts, and rooms, we stayed in a connected building that had air conditioning. It was also really nice that they had mini fridges in the room, because traveling with a toddler you have to bring snacks, and cold milk! You may think you don't need AC in February, but if you are staying inside the dome it gets hot!  We booked over 6 weeks in advanced and got a deal for 99 euro per person... That got us a one night in a family sized room connected to the dome (we opted to bring our own pack n play) included 24 hour passes for two days (50euro/day each) and breakfast buffet (15 euro each).  For a total of 215 euro! It was totally worth!  Especially to be close to the room so we could go back and relax when we needed, and once Bode was asleep we could take turns going back into the park to spa/sauna and waterslide!

Bode had so much fun in the room we couldn't control his excitement!

Wakey Wakey time for day 2 of pure fun before we head home!

We had so much fun at Tropical Island and I would HIGHLY recommend it to others with kids, or no kids.  We got what we came for, and it met all of our expectations.  I only wish we could have been there longer so that we could have more memories together here!