rex

As part of our 11 day trip in May, we are thinking to go from Prague over into Poland for just two nights. Thinking that the Dwor Polski hotel in Wroclaw looks attractive, though its website offers very little info, and no interior photos. Not sure we even want to stay two different places, so this might be fine for the two nights. I have asked them to (snail) mail me a brochure, if they have one.<BR><BR>Looking to keep our driving &quot;ingress&quot; into Poland on the minimal side (&quot;see where you are more, move around less!&quot - - thus we are slightly negative on Krakow or Zakopane or Niedzica.<BR><BR>After this little side trip, we will probably head to Olomouc (CR) for the night before our afternoon flight from Graz to London.<BR><BR>Appreciate any thoughts - - thanks in advance.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

rex

topping<BR>

rex

trying one more time<BR>

GSteed

Wroclaw, Try the Olympia Hotel. It is at the 1936 Olympic Games site. Site is still intact! See, Raclawice Panorama. Unusual, and National Museum is across street. In rynek, Spiz restaurant, Really good Mexican menu plus Polish. They have their own brewery on site. There is also a tram that circles the city.

rex

Thank you, GSteed. Do you think that the Olympia ought to be considered as better than the Dwor Polski? Do you have an opinion on two nights Wroclaw versus splitting with any other nearby town in Silesia?<BR>

rex

Second attempt to post - - hope it doesn't suddenly double post.<BR><BR>I cannot find this hotel anywhere - - google etc.<BR><BR>In fact, I thought intitially that youuwere mixed up - - but this website explains more info about how this really was part of the Berlin venue, back before Silesien was annexed (back)into Poland in 1945.<BR><BR>In my attempts to locate the Olympia, I did, however, run across the Art Hotel - - http://www.arthotel.wroc.pl/Angielskie/indexAN.htm - - I don't suppose you know this one, do you? I am getting the drift little by little that Wroclaw is a pretty big city (Poland's fourth largest, about 600K). Any recommendation for better choices among nearby small towns (day visit, for example)?<BR>

Gino

Rex,<BR>Try going to http://www.orbis-usa.com<BR>They are the experts on Poland and also own many of the hotels in Poland.

rex

Thanks, Gina - - but the Orbis hotels look like the exact opposite of what appeals to me. They look like big concrete boxes, not particularly connected to the architecture or culture of the countries in which they sit.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, do you have any suggestions (lodging) for Silesia?<BR>

Sandy4

Off the point, but we drove through Silesia &amp; it was depressing. Loved Krakow, however.

GSteed

Search-Wroclaw Olimpia Hotel Poland.

PeterB

Definitly visit Wroclaw and area. Not only it's not far from Prague but also very nice. In Wroclaw stay in Monopol Hotel (www.orbis.com) located in old part of Wroclaw - 10min slow walk from Main square. With guarded parking arond the corner from hotel. Or if you like to stay in Castle/Palace bit outside of Wroclaw - check<BR> http://www.palackrobielowice.com<BR>http://www.kliczkow.com.pl/english/index_english.htm<BR>Cross to Poland around Kudowa Zdroj - which is a very nice spa city with many mineral water outlets located all over the city. Duszniki and Polanica Zdroj similar to Kudowa are very nice small spa cities with their own mineral waters. From Kudowa Zdroj bit North You can drive to Radkow (which is very scenic) and &quot;Bledne Skaly&quot; which is part of Table Mtns - with it's labirynth like tunnel trails... <BR>http://www.mos.gov.pl/kzpn/en/gsto_gb.htm<BR><BR>Bit more West from Wroclaw around Walbrzych area - see a very nice castle/palace in Ksiaz (with it's own stud farm which is still famous all over), and it's secrets. Which also has a hotel area ... <BR>http://www.bmb.pl/zamek_ksiaz/defaulten.htm<BR>Not far from Ksiaz also may want to visit Castle in Bolkow <BR>http://www.zamek-bolkow.info.pl/galeriazamkowa/index.htm<BR><BR>Hope this helps...

GSteed

RE: Wroclaw<BR>At different times in history, Wroclaw the Island City, has been one of the most important cities in the world. The Germans held off the Soviets for an incredible time. In my visits to that city I've never noted any war damage! Try reading, Davies, MICROCOSM.

ben_haines_london

For a quick taster you can drive still less, just to Jelena Gora, a prosperous old market town, now small city, with old centre. I used and liked the Hotel Europa. Katowice is ugly. Czestochowa tourism is dominated by Catholic enthusiasm, which may be to your taste. Wroclaw is indeed good, with both a medieval and a Renaissance city centre. Also, it has an old, central, hotel, the Monopole, which Adolf Hitler thought and Peter B and I think the best in town: it is certainly the oldest.<BR><BR>[email protected]

rex

Thanks, Ben. I think we have now decided on an agritourism for the first night which is indeed not far from Jelena Gora, and the Krobielowice Palace (which I found on my own, having failed to keep up with this thread, and didn't see the suggestion from PeterB until I had already found it).<BR><BR>Foe what it's worth, I have had a (fairly) good experience with e-mail to and from the reservations staff at www.visit.pl<BR><BR>I don't think we will set foot in Czestchowa, nor in Katowice - - maybe not even in Wroclaw. We clearly ought to have 2-4 times our meager 48 hours to explore this area of Poland (am I am not even counting Krakow, Zakopane and the Tatras). Looks rich with things to do - - waaaay too much to learn before we go (see also my post on eading about the Jewish museum in Prague before we go) - - not to mention the two new languages. May not put all that much effort into Polish. Perhaps in both locations, English and German will be the only real communicating we use.<BR><BR>Always appreciate your input and experiences.<BR>

PeterB

Ben: I'm not so sure I like our names being mentioned in same breath next to adolf ;-)))) But it is true that Monopol Hotel in Wroclaw (http://www.orbis.pl/hot_mon.html)<BR>is not only good value with nice old interior which takes you back few years, but also great location (with guarded Parking just around the block), with about 5-10min noraml walk to main square.<BR>Old Wroclaw is definitly worth seeing...

rex

Are yo recommending Monopol hotel as somehow superior to the Krobielowice Palace? I think we're in love with the staying in a castle notion - - but it's hard not to listen to someone who has direct familiarity with both properties.

PeterB

Rex: Actually this is a hard call... Monopol hotel is definitly not a superior to the Krobielowice Palace, it just a nice place to stay IF you are in Wroclaw. It really depands what are you looking for. There maybe more to do in Wroclaw, but at same time many castles offer unique experiance and activities as well (I did not stay in Krobielowice Palace, but others in Poland always offered something unique/romantic). What you may want to consider is skipping Agrotourism and then have both Castle Stay and Wroclaw Stay...

rex

Thanks a lot PeterB - - the choices ARE hard, but I think we will hang on to the agroturism, as it adds a dimension to our trip which we will not get anywhere else in the three countries.<BR><BR>The owners seem to have sunk a lot of effort into making a go of this place; they now have a rather fancy website - - http://www.pension-nostalgia.ch - - unfortuntely, I wonder who else in the world will find it (at least english speakers).<BR><BR>Even a search on yahoo.de under &quot;ferien polen&quot; or pensjonat polen&quot; fails to retrieve their website (retrieves a lot of their competitors though!)<BR>