“Sleep like an aeronaut”

If you’re planning a trip to Phantasialand and need a place to stay, one hotel instantly stands out: Hotel Charles Lindbergh. Opened in 2020, it’s the newest hotel at the park and was built directly inside the steampunk world of Rookburgh. The cabins sit right alongside F.L.Y., the park’s flying launch coaster, and the entire building was designed around that theme from the start. Instead of a regular hotel stay, you’re booking a full experience: the room, park admission, dinner, breakfast, and exclusive perks for F.L.Y. are all bundled into one package.

It’s won awards as Europe’s Best Themed Hotel multiple years in a row, and the concept is meant to make you feel like you’re part of the Rookburgh story from the moment you check in. But is a stay here worth it? Let’s find out!

In this review, I’ll take you through the full stay, including the cabins, the included meals, the hotel perks, and what the experience really feels like. By the end, you’ll know whether Charles Lindbergh is the right fit for your trip to Phantasialand, or if the other hotels the park has to offer might be a better fit.

Here we go! Let’s determine if staying here is worth it while we cover all aspects of the hotel, from the rooms to the location:

The Location

The entrance to Hotel Charles Lindbergh is right next to Phantasialand’s main entrance, the parking area, and the bus stop, so it’s very easy to reach. Once you step inside, you’re immediately in the middle of Rookburgh, the themed steampunk world that surrounds the hotel. Even from the lobby, you can see the F.L.Y. coaster rushing by, and once you head up to your cabin, the track practically wraps around the hotel. It really does feel like you’re staying inside a roller coaster rather than next to one.

Another great perk is that hotel guests get direct access to the Rookburgh area. After check-in, you receive tickets that let you enter the park straight from the hotel without using the regular entrance, which saves time and avoids any lines at the main gate. It’s a one-of-a-kind setup and probably one of the coolest things about staying here.

Is this your first time at Phantasialand? And are you not sure what to expect? Let my Phantasia Travel Guide help you out!

The Rooms

Before booking, I read a few reviews that mentioned the rooms were small, so I expected a compact space. Turns out, I still wasn’t prepared. The cabins are really tiny, and because there are no real windows, it feels even tighter and a bit claustrophobic. It works for one night, but I personally wouldn’t stay longer. The theming is fun, and the concept is unique, but if you’re expecting a comfortable hotel stay, you’ll probably be disappointed.

The cabins are very minimal to fit the design. There’s no coffee machine, no extra seating, and barely any space to unpack. If you’re coming with anything bigger than a carry-on, packing light is honestly the best tip I can give; there’s just nowhere to put a larger suitcase without it being in the way.

There were also two things I didn’t love about the room setup:

There’s a built-in ticking wall clock above the bed that you can’t turn off. If you’re sensitive to repetitive sounds while sleeping, it’s not ideal.
There’s a speaker right outside the cabin doors that repeatedly plays a short part of the F.L.Y. soundtrack from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. It’s part of the theme, but hearing the same 20-second loop over and over gets tiring fast.

On the bright side, the cabins are quiet otherwise. You don’t hear other guests from inside the rooms, only when people walk past or hang out on the shared balcony. Smoking is allowed there, so it can get busy right before bedtime.

In short: the rooms fit the concept perfectly, but they’re not made for comfort. Think of it as part of the experience, not a place to relax.

The Restaurants: Uhrwerk, Bar 1919 & Breakfast

Both dinner and breakfast are included in the price of your stay, which is definitely a nice perk. At check-in, the staff asks you what time you want to eat dinner and gives you a few time slots to choose from. Dinner is served at Uhrwerk, the main restaurant in the Rookburgh area.

Once you’re seated, you choose one appetizer, one main, and one dessert from a fixed menu — all included. Drinks are the only extra cost. The options are pretty standard for a theme park restaurant (think burgers, beef tartare, pasta, tiramisu, plus vegetarian choices). The food was perfectly fine, but nothing memorable. The whole experience felt a bit rushed since you order everything immediately, and the dishes come quickly. Honestly, the chairs aren’t very comfortable either, so it isn’t the type of dinner where you want to sit and relax for a long time.

On the way to Uhrwerk, you pass through Bar 1919, which is also part of the hotel. It was crowded after dinner, so we didn’t stay, but it looked lively. There’s a pool table and themed cocktails, including large shared drinks served in fish-bowl-style glasses, which looked fun.

Breakfast was much better. It’s also served at Uhrwerk and comes as a selection of small plates instead of one large dish, so you can try multiple options without committing to just one thing. The food was fresh, varied, and much more enjoyable than dinner. The only downside was the timing: breakfast was served until 9:30 a.m., but during Wintertraum (winter season), the park didn’t open until 11:00 a.m. There isn’t much to do in between, so you end up waiting around with nothing else to fill the time.

The Extra Perks of Staying at Charles Lindbergh

Staying at the hotel comes with a few extra perks that make your Phantasialand visit smoother and easier:

Direct access to the park
Enter Rookburgh straight from the hotel without using the main entrance or waiting in line.
Two skip-the-line passes for F.L.Y. per person
One per day, and since F.L.Y. often has the longest line in the park, this saves a lot of time.
Park admission included
Your hotel stay already covers your ticket, so no need to buy park entry separately.
Dinner and breakfast included
Both meals at Uhrwerk are part of the package, so food budgeting is clear from the start.
Free parking for hotel guests
If you’re traveling by car, parking is included.
You stay inside the themed world
The hotel isn’t near Rookburgh… it’s literally built into it, surrounded by F.L.Y. and the industrial steampunk setting.

The Verdict

The theming at Hotel Charles Lindbergh is on another level. Out of all the theme park hotels I’ve stayed at (including Efteling’s Grand Hotel and Disneyland Paris), this is the one where the theme truly lives in every detail. It’s not just the décor or the design—even the communication and paperwork you receive at check-in are written in character. As a copywriter, I really appreciated how much thought went into the storytelling. For example, instead of a normal Wi-Fi instruction card, you get a note “from Charles Lindbergh” explaining how he contacted his wife using certain steps—those steps are exactly what you need to follow to connect to the Wi-Fi. It’s clever, consistent, and gives the theme an extra layer of personality.

But while the theming is 100% on point, the rooms are simply too small to be comfortable. Even one extra square meter or a window that lets in a bit more light would make a huge difference. The lack of space is noticeable, and it makes the stay feel more like an experience than a hotel night—fun for a day, not something you’d want to repeat.

The biggest drawback for me, though, was the lack of things to do once the park closed. When we stayed, the park closed at 6:00 p.m., we finished dinner around 7:00, and then… there wasn’t much left. The bar was packed, and honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to drink if I had a full day of coasters ahead. Sitting in the room wasn’t really an option either, since the cabins aren’t designed for relaxing. The same issue came up the next morning: breakfast ended at 9:30 a.m., but the park didn’t open until 11:00, so there was a lot of waiting around with nowhere to go. At a hotel like Ling Bao, you at least have a pool or extra space to unwind, which makes downtime more enjoyable.

Overall, I’m glad I experienced Charles Lindbergh once, and I think the theming alone is worth doing at least a single time. Sleeping right inside a coaster track is a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t find anywhere else. But it’s not a stay I feel the need to repeat. If you love immersive theming and want to try something unique for one night, it’s a great pick. If you value comfort, space, and things to do after park hours, you might be happier elsewhere.

I hope this was helpful. If you have any more questions, you can always reach out here or on Instagram, and I’m more than happy to answer any of your questions. Happy Travels!