Melissa5

Please poke me...I need to book our accommodations for Krakow, Poland! :-?

I've got piles of info... Can't seem to choose. We need 2 rooms for 4 people. I like it QUIET at night; friendly; convenient location; helpful owners or staff. Prefer a small to mid-size friendly place. A romantic room would be a bonus for my husband and I. A/C could be nice in September 2008... A comfty bed is important to prevent backaches...

Budget: If I spend over $200 USD per room in Krakow I will have to spend less somewhere else...it's all a balance.

All of these places sound interesting:

Hotel Pugetow
Trecius
Maltanski
Wentzl
Cracowdays apartments
Qubus
Senacki

Many more apartments listed on In Your Pocket web-site.

I think I want to book the Hotel Pugetow but not sure if we will feel too far from the main sites. (Main Square; Wawel castle; Kazimierz...)

We want to "feel" like we are staying in Krakow, Poland, if that makes sense.

Ideas anyone? For me, where I stay is important. Where did YOU stay?

Thanks!

shandy

Melissa, I stayed in Hotel Putgetow in May this year. We were extremely happy with it. You need not worry about the location, it was very good. It was only a 5 min walk into the main square and there was no problem with the noise at all. The manager and other staff were extremely helpful and it had a lovely atmosphere. My only warning would be that there is no lift if this is a problem for you. I can't remember off hand if it had air con as we didn't need it.

If you like there is a review on the hotel contained within my trip report which you can read on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35010692

skatedancer

Maltanski does not have air conditioning, and also has one small window in the upper floor rooms, I believe. We were originally booked there, and then switched for those reasons. (It turned out not to be hot, though!). Also, I thought from the website that the Maltanski had such a peaceful setting, but in fact, it's right next to a busy road.

I think that anywhere in Krakow that is either in or just outside the old town is fine, as everything is easily walkable.

We stayed in the Copernicus, but this is not in your budget.

I, too, was concerned about it being quiet at night. Although Wentzl is right on the square, at least from the TA reviews, it looks like they have insulated windows to protect against the noise.

My recollection is that the busiest pedestrian streets were Grodska and Florianska. I would carefully read the reviews of hotels on TA for noise problems, but as I said above, convenience is not an issue for almost anywhere in Krakow, as long as it is within a few blocks of the old town. anywhere within the old town itself is convenient; everything is five minutes, at most, from the square.

Fidel

I stayed at Trecius; it's a bed-and-breakfast on the corner of Florianska, simple and inexpensive with lots of room. If I had to have it QUIET with services I would stay at the Senacki, costing about twice as much as Trecius.

Don't know what you mean about "feeling" like you're in Krakow and at the same time having a high concern about immediate access to tourist sites???

zwho

We rented an apartment in the Hotel Jan when we were in Krakow. 2 bedrooms, kitchen and livingroom. It was under $150.00 a night in 2003. It's less the half a block from the Rynek Glowny. I can't remember if it was noisy or not, but it was a great deal, and the staff was excellent.

Melissa5

<b>shandy:</b> Thanks for the reply. I think Hotel Pugetow sounds just right for us. (I must say the others sound good too. It's lovely to have so many enticing choices.) Do you remember the names of your rooms? (In Europe I think they name the floors differently so I never know which floor they really mean when they assign rooms...)

I love your trip report and just printed it out. Skimming it, it looks like a great read.

<b>skatedancer:</b> That's useful to hear your view of the Maltanski...I also thought it would be a peaceful location, but I noticed some of the T.A. reviewers mentioned noise from a car park...it probably depends on which room you get too. A/C could be useful if global warming causes really hot temps during our visit.

It is helpful to read your comment that anywhere in or near the old town is walkable.

<b>Fidel:</b> Your question is funny. You said, &quot;Don't know what you mean about feeling like you're in Krakow and at the same time having a high concern about immediate access to tourist sites???&quot; Here is my answer to that question, in the next paragraph:

We like a nice balance on vacations...we see some of the tourist sites, and skip others in order to experience some of the &quot;real&quot; places where locals eat, work, play, etc. For us, it's as much fun to walk into a local grocery store or market where the locals shop, and see whether we can find unscented toilet paper, labeled in a foreign language, for example. Such challenges are lots of fun. On another street we walk into a store selling cell phones to locals, and we check out the advertisements on their walls, which are interesting because they are marketing the phones to locals, not to us...The ads are different than the ads in the USA.

So, we like our accommodations to have a local feel also. We don't want to stay in a chain hotel which feels exactly like all the other chain hotels in other big cities in the world...

Melissa5

zwho: Thanks for your reply...I considered several apartments. I think more and more they are becoming a good alternative for travelers.

I appreciate everyone's help. I hope that other travelers who are reading this question will also find something that is just right for them.

annhig

Hi again, Meliisa,

I just googled hotel Pugetow. looks lovely.

how much were you quoted for September? - we might be heading that way then too.

regards, ann

shandy

Melissa,

I can't recall the name of the room but we were on the very top floor and there was a lovely circular window if that helps. Glad you enjoyed the trip report. Feel free to ask and further questions although I cam off on holidays again tomorrow (Great Barrier Reef) so won't be back for a little while.

mikej48

Melissa5, I booked the Accession B&amp;B. Take a look at the site. Great location and great prices. http://www.accessionkrakow.com/desc.php#

Melissa5

<b>annhig</b>, You'll see the Hotel Pugetow in Rick Steves Guidebook for Eastern Europe. Rick Steves readers are entitled to discounts for some hotels. You have to bring the recent Rick Steves guidebook with you to get the discount. You'll find the regular rates listed on the web-site for the Dominirski group (Pugetow, Maltanski, Grodek), and you can just check the rates for September 2008. If you have your Rick Steves guidebook with you, you can get 15% off. (Remember this only applies to certain hotels.)

I find it very useful to have both the Rick Steves guidebook and the Fodors guidebook, as they have very different approaches. Often I end up tearing out the pages for where to eat, and carrying them with me on vacation.

Who knows, maybe we'll see you in Krakow, annhig!

<b>Shandy</b>, enjoy the Great Barrier Reef! That is on my list of places to go. Would you stay on the top floor of the Pugetow again? I usually like top floors because they are quieter. I am thinking even with all the stairs it is probably worth it to get a quiet room. Did you like being on the top floor? (third floor is top for Hotel Pugetow, I think...not sure.)

Hotel Pugetow staff have been very prompt and helpful and friendly by e-mail.

<b>Mikej48</b>, the Accession b&amp;b looks nice in the photos. Have fun!

GSteed

Lots of experience..We used the Saski as a base with the Peace Corps. It has been upgraded. The restaurant served good meals. It is next to the Grand Hotel where we bought USA Today gazettes. Their 'wenda' elevator will be remembered. Lots of room choices. Double at $150. Search, Krakow Saski Hotel. Next..Euopeski. Across from train station. It has been redone! Super pub...Restaurant served good meals. One dish was a combination of foods for two people but more than enough for four. Double at $100. When we go back we will try to get a room at the Europejski. Search, Krakow Europejski Hotel.

julies

We've stayed at Hotel Pollera twice and liked it. It definitely won't cost you $200 per night, and it has a great walkable location inside the walls. Both times we had HUGE triple rooms at a very affordable price.

One time we were there Oct. 1 and it was absolutely freezing outside--maybe 40. The next time we were there in the beginning of August, and it was the summer of the horrible European heat wave. No A/C and we roasted.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't really know if you will need A/C in September. I guess it depends on whether you will be there at the beginning of the month or the end.

julies

Incidentally, I have to laugh about the title of your post and worrying about booking rooms now for Sept. I am on-line right now trying to figure out lodging for a last minute trip to Rome--looking for an apartment in 2 weeks. Talk about need to book!

annhig

Hi julies,

we used www.italy-accomm.com when we rented an apartment in Rome. they had a good selection and a very clear and informative web-site, plus last-minute deals.

Good luck,

regards, ann

annhig

oops, sorry, it's
www.italy-accom.com.

Ann

shandy

Melissa, I know it is a month later since your question but, as you know, we have been on holidays.

Although there wasn't a lift, we would happily stay on the top floor at the Hotel Pugetow again. The three floors weren't too difficult to manage and the bit of extra work to get up and down made me a feel a bit better about how much we had eating. Actually, if you had been down to the basement for breakfast it was four floors but we still didn't mind. I don't recall the steps as being very steep or anything like that.

The windows in the bedroom were a decent size so pleny of natural light and I loved the big round one. In the bathroom there was a skylight so that seemed very light and airy as well. I would think that the bathrooms on the lower floors might not have any natural light to speak of, but I can't be sure about that.

The bed itself was quite comfortable and, as mentioned before, the staff were lovely. In chatting to the hotel manager, she mentioned that a lot of their clientale were people who wanted something quiet and comfortable and who wanted a bit of individuality and local atmosphere - not an international chain hotel that could be anywhere.

Hope this helps. By the way, I will also do tonight a reply to your questions on my trip report thread as well. Hope you had a good Christmas and New Year.

DAX

Bookmarking

Melissa5

Shandy, thanks! I did book the Hotel Pugetow and I think it will suit our style well.

Melissa5

THanks for everyone's help. We are excited about visiting Krakow and staying at Hotel Pugetow!