Sarah
Image, it’s a rainy November day in Berlin. The temperatures have dropped to around 5-10°C and the sun hasn’t been out for days. And then, someone tells you, that you could be in a tropical paradise with 28°C, lush green rainforests and a warm water lagoon with a waterfall within an hour. private investigator sydney
You would probably say: no way, a long-haul flight to such a place is at least 8 hours ago. And I can tell you: it’s true: Welcome to Tropical Islands Berlin!
Tropical Islands Berlin is a huge indoor swimming pool complex in gigantic hall 61km south in Berlin. They rebuilt a true tropical paradise with various swimming pools (one of them being the Bali Lagoon with a waterfall), a rainforest and constantly keep the temperature at 28°C year-round. The hall was a former airship hangar and is the biggest freestanding hall in the world! Plenty of sunlight’s gets through the translucent part of the wall over the “South Sea” (another pool area).
And since I absolutely love water parks and visit them wherever I can (e.g. Legoland Water Park in Dubai), Tropical Islands Berlin sparked my interest, the first time I heard about it.
Even though it was not in November, Markus and I spend two days and a night in Tropical Islands Berlin in June 2018. We had previously visited four or five times as day guests since Markus and I met for the first time. However, this time we spent the night in one of the beautiful junior suites, straight over the waterfall of the Bali Lagoon.
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Check-in and general information
The first thing we did after snatching a parking spot right in front of the entrance (yay!) was checking in. There are two different entrances, depending on whether you are a day guest or if you plan to spend the night.
As we were booked into the junior suite, we went to the checkin counter for overnight guests.
Check-in was quick and we were handed our wristbands.
The wristbands serve multiple purposes at once:
- You can open and close the lockers with it (you get your numbered locker) as well as various smaller valuable lockers close around the resort (great for storing your phone or camera!)
- They are your room key as well!
- They serve as a digital wallet. Whatever ou want to buy inside Tropical Island, you can pay by charging your wristband. And when you leave, you simly settle the balance on your writband at payment maschines (they take money as well as international credit cards)
I think the wristbands are genius as you can leave everything behind without worrying about your stuff. No keys, no money needed – and phones can be stored close to where you are!
As the room was only available after 4pm (and we arrived earlier), we went to the lockers, stored our stuff and got dress for warmer climates + swimming.
The different areas of Tropical Islands Berlin
After storing our stuff we directly went to exploring the different areas of Tropical Islands. As mentioned, we had previously visited multiple times. But since our last visit in November (yes – the rainy time!), Tropical Islands had undergone a lot of renovation and opened new areas!
So, let me give you a brief overview of the different areas you will find here:
Tropical World
The main complex Tropical Islands is the huge indoor area with the swimming pools and the rain forest. This complex can be further divided into subareas:
- South Sea
- Rain Forest
- Bali Lagoon
- Tropino Kids Club
- Rain Forest Camp and Sunset Camp
- Tropical Village
- Boulevard
South Sea
The biggest pool at Tropical Islands is the huge South Sea.
Here, you will also find Jungle Splash, the new water playground Jungle Splash with different water slides for kids. Please note, that at the time of our visit in June 2019, not all of the new slides were open yet. They are already finished but are not yet cleared by officials.
Daily at 10pm, there is also a beautiful laser show at South Sea.
The best place to enjoy this free show is from the sundeck in our opinion. Anyway, throughout the day, sunset is our secret tip for crowded days. Somehow, most people seem to miss the stairs next to the Palm Beach Restaurant and thus, there were always lots of free sunloungers when we visited!
Bali Lagoon
Our favorite pool though is not the South Sea but the Bali Lagoon. The water is slightly warmer here (32°C) and it’s a calmer, more relaxing atmosphere for adults.
There’s also a water slide here as well as two beautiful waterfalls and a flow channel.
And this is also the area that we could see from our balcony in the rain forest junior suite!
The Rain Forest
Whenever we enter the Rain Forest at Tropical Islands, we are amazed by the level of work that went into this project. If you think you would find cheesy plastic plants here: No way! They really planted rain forest plants here, including banana trees. And there is even animals like peacocks running around!
The only thing that (luckily!) is not realistic: there is no giant spiders as you would normally find in a rain forest….! Trust me, after having been to multiple tropical countries the Arachnophobic in me greatly values this! 🙂
And in case you miss the creepy tropical animals: There IS a terrarium with a real snake and a real tarantula here!
Tropical Outdoor Area (Amazonia)
Amazonia is a relatively new addition to Tropical Islands. It’s an outdoor area – meaning that this place is definitely more for the German summer than for November.
There is a really cool whitewater river as well as two pools and two beach volley ball fields and plenty of sundecks.
We were super excited about Pororoca – a standing wave you can surf! We had previously been surfing on one of these in Mexico at the Westin Cancun and absolutely loved it! There is only a few of these flow riders around the world and thus, we were delighted, that Tropical Islands Berlin purchased one of these!
Unfortunately, Pororoca was not yet opened at the time of our visit (it was scheduled for May), so we couldn’t try it! We were a bit sad because we were already looking forward to it already when in I was still in Dubai (where Atlantis The Palm has a flow rider too). Hopefully it will open soon – I will update you once there is a new opening date to this!
Sauna and Spa Area
The most important area to me is the Sauna and Spa Area at Tropical Islands Berlin.
It’s a beautifully designed complex with five different saunas, a steam bath, a salt grotto, three hot tubs and various foot baths. There are plenty of chairs to relax everywhere as well as different showers, cold ice dispensers and cold dip tanks.
Every hour, you can participate in a sauna infusion that is held at one of the five saunas. Afterwards, you will get a free mineral drinks and/or some fruits as well!
The sauna area is open from 9 am to midnight and is textile free. Yes, that means everyone is NAKED.
Should you feel uncomfortable with this, you can borrow a bath robe from the entrance for a small fee. You can wear the bath robe in the area and use a second towel inside the sauna (but please, have another one to sit on – no sweat on the wood!).
We only very rarely saw someone wearing a bikini (somehow, it was only girls who ignored the rule). Please don’t be that person. I think it is extremely rude and disrespectfull to everyone else who is naked there. If you can’t stand it – stay out. Sorry for the harsh words – but this place is a beautiful and relaxing oasis. And part of the atmosphere is, that everyone is naked.
Why am I wearing a bathing suit and a dress in some pictures on Instagram then?
For obvious reasons, I can’t (and don’t want to) post nude pictures on the internet.
This is why I went in with a staff member before the opening at 9 am to get those pictures. During the official opening time, smartphones and cameras are prohibited in this area (for obvious reasons). You can leave them in the free valuable lockers at the entrance. 🙂
Overnight stays at Tropical Islands Berlin
As I already told you, one of the coolest things about Tropical Islands Berlin is that it almost never closes. Thus, you can spend the night here as well!
In fact, you don’t even need to book accommodation. You can also just crash on the sunloungers if you want. However, at 1am, you will be charged for another day pass. Thus, I think you will get a much better value if you book an overnight stay – the Safari tents can even be cheaper than two day passes!
And during this visit, we finally came for an overnight visit. And even better, we stayed at one of their most beautiful accommodation options – a junior suite overlooking the Bali Lagoon!
Our beautiful junior suite over the waterfall
We were super excited about the junior suite because we had seen it on previous visits from the Bali Lagoon!
So, the moment the clock turned 4 pm, we were already standing right at the entrance of our suite. (In fact, Markus was already trying the wristband key three times before :D).
And the junior suite is definitely super beautiful from the inside as well! There was a really big bed, a sofa with a table and chairs as well as a gorgeous bath room with a big rain forest shower! And of course, there was the balcony, overlooking the Bali Lagoon!
See the Junior Suite in 3D!
I personally feel like it is super difficult to get a good idea about hotel rooms from pictures alone. Thus, I partnered up with a Berlin Start Up called Wolowo to create interactive 3D tours of hotel rooms for you!
And of course, I also created such a tour about our junior suite at Tropical Islands Berlin!
Just click on the dots with the cursor to get to the next 360° panorama – and drag and drop to move around!
If you would like to have 360°/ 3D recordings for your property: Shoot me an email to [email protected] – I can create a similar tour for you as well!
And if you are a blogger and would like to learn how to create those tours for your partners, just contact me on Instagram or via email as well!
Other overnight options at Tropical Islands Berlin
There are only three junior suites at Tropical Islands Berlin and these are frequently booked out weeks in advance. If you plan to stay at one of these, better plan ahead, especially on the weekends!
Luckily, there are plenty of other options as well – and many of them are cheaper, if the junior suite is too expensive for you!
Tents (Rainforest Camp or Sunset Camp)
The cheapest overnight option at Tropical Islands are tents. A night in a safari tent (including entrance for two day AND breakfast) already starts at 75 € per person!
There are safari tents for two and for four people and wooden premiums tents for two persons. The tents are located in two areas inside the dome – the rain forest camp and the sunset camp.
Lodges
Another accommodation option inside the dome are the lodges. Lodges can be found in different areas of Tropical Islands Berlin – including Bali Lagoon and the South Sea.
Adventure Lodges (cheaper) don’t have their own bathroom and only some are with AC while all Premium Lodges come with a separate bathroom and AC.
I personally really like some of the Adventure Lodges as they are uniquely themed. There is one inside the Bali Pavillon and some in the Sunset Camp that look really promising online – and they start at 100 € per person (with the two day passes and breakfast) if you can spare the bathroom.
Rooms and Suites
Rooms are categorized into Comfort Rooms, Premium Rooms and Designer Rooms. And then there are the three Junior Suites and two Suites.
Rooms can be found in various areas across the Tropical Islands dome. We found rooms at the Boulevard, at Tropico Kids Club (great for families!), in the Tropical Village, the Sunset Camp and close to the sauna (Royal Harbour). We particularly liked the area of Royal Harbour – but of course, that is totally up to you!
Restaurants at Tropical Islands Berlin
I am a huge foodie – so no way I could write an article about Tropical Islands Berlin without adding some information about the food!
Our room included breakfast buffet at Sawadee Restaurant in the Tropical Village and we also decided to go there for dinner buffet. We also got a huge portion of Froyo at the Café Borneo and went for cocktail happy hour at Café Borneo at the Sauna bar.
Sawadee Dinner Buffet
“Sawadee” is the word I heard the most during my trips to Thailand – and it means “Welcome”!
Sawadee offers a dinner buffet from 6 pm to 10 pm for 19,90 € – including soft drinks. We thought this is a really fair price as there was a big selection of dishes.
Most dishes were Asian – from Chinese to Thai – with some European opions as well. The best was the fresh Dim Sum in our opinion – but there is plenty of choice for everyone.
Sawadee Breakfast Buffet
Overnight stays usually include breakfast at Sawadee Restaurant as well.
The buffet includes various types of bread rolls and croissants, a selection of sausages and cheeses as well as salads and bread spreads. You can also choose between scrambled eggs, eggs sunny side up and soft/hard boiled eggs. Along with it, there was coffee, tea, juices and softdrinks available. I would say it’s a decent standard hotel buffet level!
Other restaurants at Tropical Islands Berlin
Of course there is not only Sawadee Restaurant in Tropical Islands. It’s just that we ate at Sawadee and thus can’t give you a personal feedback on the other restaurants!
Your other options include:
- Mondial Food Court (pizza, pasta, salad self-service)
- Tropical Garden Restaurant (you can book 3- or 4-course dinner here)
- Bali Pavillon (Japanese Ramen shop)
- Palm Beach (at the South Sea, à la carte)
- Tropino Restaurant (for the kids)
Froyo at Cafe Borneo
Who does not love Froyo?! Luckily, frozen yoghurt is very reasonably priced at Tropical Islands. There are three cup sizes, priced at 3,95 €, 4,95 € and 5,95 € (Jumbo). We chose Jumbo and it was almost too much for the two of us!
The concept is easy – you can fill from the various froyo self-serve maschines (we tried natural, chocolate and white peach) and add as many toppings as you want. You can see, ours turned out to be a crazy, sugary dream 😀
Cocktails bars (with Happy Hours!)
There are plenty of bars around Tropical Islands Berlin that serve softdrinks, beer, wine and alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic softdrinks. Drinks are served in plastic cups only (sadly) – and these come with 2€ deposit! So don’t forget to return them after finishing your drink (we forgot…)
Most of the bars have a happy hour that offers great discounts. You will get beer, wine and cocktails (also non-alcoholic) 2 for 1 during happy hour.
- Sauna Bar: 4 pm – 5 pm
- Tropical Garden: 4 pm – 5 pm
- Palm Beach: 5 pm – 6 pm
Tropical Islands Berlin ticket price
You can always check Tropical Islands website for recent offers and ticket prices.
At the time of writing, these were the entrance prices to Tropical Islands Berlin:
| Ticket | Adults | Children |
|---|---|---|
|
Pure Tropics (at Entrance) |
44,00 € |
35,00 € |
|
Online Best Price Ticket: Pure Tropics |
39,50 € |
29,50 € |
|
Sauna & Tropics (at Entrance) |
49,50 € |
41,50 € |
|
Online Best Price Ticket: Sauna & Tropics |
44,00 € |
37,00 € |
Please note that the Online Best Price Ticket can only be purchased until 3 days prior to your visit.
There is also a Family Ticket for 139,00€ that is valid for the Tropical World as well as the outdoor area Amazonia for two adults with up to four children.
Depending on the season, there might also be Early Bird Tickets (6-9am) as well as Evening Specials (6pm-12pm) – please refer to the website for details!
And should you live close, it might also be interesting to think about an Annual Pass. Annual Passes start at 249 € per person and can thus offer huge savings if you visit frequently!
How to get to Tropical Islands Berlin
You can get to Tropical Islands Berlin by car or by public transportation.
Get there by car
If you decide to go by car, it’s fairly easy from Berlin. Just drive down the A13 until the exit Staakow. From there, it is only 13 km until Tropical Islands Berlin and the way is marked.
There is plenty of free parking at Tropical Islands.
Get there by public transportation
Should you plan to come by public transportation, you should first get a train from Berlin going to Cottbus. There is two regional trains, the RB (Regionalbahn) and the RE (Regionalexpress), of which both run once every hour from 6 am to 9 pm.
- RE 2: 6:23 – 21:26 (hourly)
- RB 24 : 5:44 – 21:44 (hourly)
Depending on where you start in Berlin, the trip with public transportation takes between one and 1,5 hours.
Our verdict on Tropical Islands Berlin
So, did we like the stay at Tropical Islands Berlin and would we come back to stay overnight?
Totally! I think we really missed an opportunity by only visiting as day guests before. A weekend at Tropical Islands is like a mini vacation in the tropics and filled up our batteries immediately.
Tropical Islands is definitely not only for families with kids, but also a great place for couples who look for a relaxing wellness weekend getaway. The sauna area is beautifully arranged and the staff makes sure that all sauna infusions are cheerful mini events throughout the day.
We are also super curious about the flow rider Pororoca and will definitely come back once it opens!
Final tip: It’s a good idea to book ahead if you prefer a certain kind of room (like the Junior Suites). And also, visiting during the week is a great way to avoid the crowds (we stayed from Thursday to Friday) – check peak holiday times and book outside of them if you like it calmer!
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We would like to thank Tropical Islands Berlin for inviting us to stay with them in their beautiful junior suite. This has in no way influenced the way we report about the place and everything you read is our untarnished opinion.
