3-star lacks meaning. Most European countries rate their temporary abodes based on amenities provided, not cleanliness, luxury, or similar factors that go into the AAA diamond ratings and "star" standards that Americans (and Canadians, probably) are familiar with.

Check out http://www.avehotels.cz/en/ for Prague.

Can't help on Krakow - the hotel we stayed in was very nice but your wife's mobility problems make it completely unsuitable for her.

We stayed at the K&K Opera in Budapest, which is modern. But it's a few blocks from the center (although right on Line 1 of the metro - literally less than 100 feet away from the station entrance).

If you want "Onsite or very nearby parking" does this mean you're going to drive in Budapest, Krakow and Prague? That seems daft, all are easily negotiable on public transport. Prague was the car-theft capital of Europe a few years ago, may still be. Make sure you get all your vignettes.

And none of your destinations are in Eastern Europe, they're in Central Europe.

In Krakow, Best Western Stare Miasto meets all the requirements.
On site parking, full breakfast, elevator, 600 meter walk to Sukiennice/Main Square.

Mark

BigRuss,

Thanks for the reply.

I understand what you (and adrienne) are saying regarding the star ratings. That is why I posted a list of requirements/preferences above (in response to adrienne's suggestion), and also why recommendations from people who have actually stayed at those hotels would better address my requirements.

Addressing your other comments, Russ, we're renting a car in Warsaw and driving to the cities I listed, because we also want to see the countryside and make spur-of-the moment changes if the mood strikes us. This part of the trip is unstructured, no reservations, and we won't know exactly when we'll be in those cities until the night before (hence my request for hotel recommendations so that I can be prepared in advance when it's time to book). So, yes, we're "stuck" with a car in the cities, but we won't be using it during our stays.

We'll only have the car during the second half of our trip (about 20 days). The first half of the trip we'll be going to Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius, hence the reference to Eastern Europe. Of course, we won't have a car for that portion of the trip (travel will be via plane and bus) for obvious reasons.

Thank you for the hotel recommendations. Walking is not a problem for my wife, as long as we pace ourselves (we're allowing ample time to do that). In fact, walking is our preferred mode of seeing cities. Climbing stairs, however, does present a problem for her (especially after a day of sightseeing). So "nearby parking" could be a block away. I like to have easy access to the car from the hotel, so further than that is not desirable. Onsite parking would be best, and might also minimize theft concerns.

cdnyul, thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out.

"and also why recommendations from people who have actually stayed at those hotels would better address my requirements"

Honestly, Les, I don't understand why you seem reluctant to use booking.com or tripadvisor.com to research your hotels. Reviews on booking.com are limited to those who actually book through that site, so they ARE "from people who have actually stayed" there. And at least many of us who post on Tripadvisor have also done so, and I think you'll be able to get a sense from the reviews whether they are genuine or not. Why would you trust those reviews any less than comments from posters on this Board is not clear to me. And PLEASE don't try to explain -- I'm just raising the issue for YOUR consideration.

There are some very specific things you either require or desire from your hotels; you should be able to learn whether hotels meet your needs by looking at booking.com, even if you decide not to book at this time. If you combine your search of booking.com with looks at Tripadvisor reviews and the hotels' own websites (if they exist), I would think you could identify a number of options in each city.

Whether they will have available rooms when you show up is another question entirely....

Good luck!

Hi, kja.

I do use those sites. My "standard" procedure for choosing hotels is to first go to Booking.com and set the filters for what I want. After finding a hotel or hotels that look suitable, I go the hotel web site for details, and then to Trip Advisor and read the reviews there.
However, I believe that after providing my specific preferences here (which I can't do on either Booking.com or Trip Advisor), the suggestions from travelers on this site hold the most weight. And I'll still take those suggestions and run them through Booking and Trip Advisor before making my choice. Of course, this process takes time (actually valuable time, since it would be while I'm on vacation), which is why I posted here, well in advance of when I'll need to book those hotels.

In Prague, we stayed at the Maxmillian (sp). It is only a 5 minute or so walk from the old town square, but it seems to be in its own little neighborhood. My husband also has mobility issues, can't do steps, walks with a cane, etc, so we are careful about not having an elevator. This hotel had everything we needed, great a/c and the window of our room opened to a beautiful old church. The buffet breakfast had everything that you could want and then some.

I sure do miss the days when we could both sling a backpack and walk for miles,but life happens. Making adjustments won't stop us from traveling.

Tee

Thanks, BamaTree.

The Maximillian (and sister hotel Josef) both look very nice.
The Maxmillian site indicates that they're almost fully booked for the nights we might want (but of course, Booking.com may be holding some rooms. Since we're not sure yet when we'll be there, it'll be interesting to see what will be available at this and the other recommended hotels.

Thanks for the info.

In the Wroclaw area, in Kąty Wrocławskie, about 15 kms. west of Wroclaw, just north of the A4, is Hotel Azyl.

I had lunch there on my way to Krakow, but I would not hesitate to stay there, based on the quality and the service we experienced at the hotel restaurant. Just be aware that in small towns, hotels ometimes tend to serve as a local party place, dance hall, etc.

FYI, some of the Polish restaurants, especially in smaller towns, and along major highways have their prices listed per 100grams ( per deko). The usual meat or fish portion is about 2.5 deko.

This silly custom, left over from the commie days, can lead to some pricing hanky panky. I don't patronize places with this pricing structure.

Mark

Thanks, Mark.

Wroclaw is on our itinerary simply to break up the drive from Warsaw to Dresden. Since we'll only be staying the one night in Wroclaw, we'd prefer to have a hotel in town, rather than further out, so that we can have the afternoon and evening exploring the town.

Interesting comment on food pricing. I've seen that before, in Greece or Turkey (can't remember), but only for the catch of the day.

Please, don't click the yellow triangle.

That is the best laugh I have had in a long time.

Mark

I think I'll have a gyro for lunch. Thanks for the suggestion!!

Hi, Mark.

I don't know what comment was removed by Fodor's moderators, but if I clicked the yellow triangle, I can assure you that it was unintentional.

Les

OK, I've been on the road since the beginning of September (currently in Riga after stops in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Tallinn). Next comes Vilnius, then Warsaw. I already have hotels booked in those cities.

The next places that I need hotel recommendations for would be Wroclaw and Dresden. I will have a car, so parking availability will be a consideration.

Again, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I also stayed at the Qubus in Wroclaw and really liked the hotel. It was so nice and very convenient for walking around the city. I don't know about parking as I've never tried to park a car at a city hotel, you'd have to check. It is fairly int he dead center, so I kind of doubt it. That's kind of the problem with your request, hotels in the very center of cities usually do not have on-site parking, in my experience.

For Dresden, I recommend the Dorint.
http://hotel-dresden.dorint.com/en/
It's a really nice hotel, and there is a tram stop right in front to get to the real Old center (which isn't too far, you could walk if you really wanted). It's also near the bus line to the train station. Because it's a bit off from the dead center, driving around there is easier and they may have parking, not sure. The restaurant in the hotel is actually very good, also, I made use of it one night when it was bad weather. The website mysteriously doesn't seem to list a services section, so maybe it doesn't have parking. Given it's location, I think there might be some garage very nearby though, if not. I guess you'd have to write or call and ask about parking. booking.com and tripadvisor say they do have a garage on-site.

Thanks, Christina, I'll check those out.

If it were me I would look into the possibility of parking outside the cities and taking the train in.

You could check http://en.parkopedia.com/ to see where there's parking.

For Wroclaw Krakow accommodations you might want to take a look at my trip reports--same trip two different reports; click on my name to find them.

This is where we stayed in Budapest:
http://www.bellevuebudapest.com/inde...en&faz=1&aaz=0

For Wroclaw and Krakow accommodations you might want to take a look at my trip reports--same trip two different reports; click on my name to find them.

This is where we stayed in Budapest:
http://www.bellevuebudapest.com/inde...en&faz=1&aaz=0

Hi.

Hez, thanks for the reply. We're currently in Dresden. I have looked outside the city (well, outside the "Old Town), across the river, and spent last night at the Bayerischer Hof hotel, but it just doesn't do it for me. Too far from old town requires a tram or taxi to get in. Last night (Sunday), it was raining, and there was construction on the bridge that the tram uses, so we took a taxi (8 Euro). The "15 minute" walk would've taken us an hour, so I booked at the Hilton while we were in the old square. That's where we'll be tonight.

Michael, thanks for your reply (actually, replies, as it showed up twice). Too late for Wroclaw - we stayed at the Radisson Blu. Due to overbooking in Business class rooms, they upgraded us to a huge suite. It was kind of embarrassing to have all that room for the two of us (I did say HUGE, didn't I?).

In Warsaw (seems like forever ago, but was only 3 days), same thing happened at the Intercontinental.

We loved Warsaw, and Wroclaw is an amazing city, definitely a surprise and a highlight of our trip.

Tomorrow, we head for Prague for 4 days, so I'll have to pick a hotel tonight.

Thanks for allyouyr help.

Hi, again.

We're on the downhill leg of our trip, currently in Budapest. We're heading for Krakow in a couple of days, and we're looking for a mid-drive stopping point (and hotel recommendation) to break up the 7 or 8 hour drive. Of course, it would be a bonus if the stopover proved to be particularly interesting and/or scenic.

Any recommendations?

Thanks.