I'm planning a trip for Poland at the end of summer, and will have a single night my last night there in Warsaw. I'm thinking of splurging on a really nice hotel, like Mamaison La Regina or Bristol. Not sure if I'll have much time to enjoy all the services, but I'll have been in Warsaw for a few days earlier in the trip and may be able to spend the last night at the hotel, splurging on a meal there and pretending like this is totally normal travel for me. As a comparison, I'll probably be at an Ibis or something comparably priced for other hotels because wow! charming, old-world type places are expensive in the summer. I don't mind functional places and appreciate the RS style of travel, but thought it'd be fun to go high-end for one night before getting on a long flight home. Does anyone in the know have a preference or does it even matter when you get to this level? Flip a coin?
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
I'm from Warsaw so I stay with relatives, but I know both are really nice hotels (there have been positive reviews on this forum of both). You can't go wrong with either, and I don't think they're far apart so the location is a wash (both are well located). I don't know about now, but you'd be surprised how affordable a "splurge" in Poland is when you compare it to, say, another Western European capital city. As an example, their business hotels like Radisson Blu in the Centrum part of town (business district), have really inexpensive rates during the weekends when they don't have as many business travelers. If you're going to splurge, do it in Poland ...it won't cost you as much as elsewhere. But you should see how inexpensive nice AirBnbs are...I was really surprised myself.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5545 posts
Whilst I haven't stayed there I would opt for Hotel Bristol. I've always liked the look of it but other factors have always meant that I've stayed in the large chain hotels (Marriott, Westin, Sofitel) all of which were very nice hotels but equally very affordable during the weekend.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4273 posts
While we were in Warsaw we passed the Bristol many times. They have a great location and we saw a flurry of acitivity with the doormen, etc. it looked wonderful. We stayed at the Palace hotel which also had old world charm. At the time it was almost half the price of the Bristol and we stayed 4 nights. You will enjoy Poland immensely.
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2689 posts
Due to my own scheduling error I ended up staying at both when I visited Warsaw, and to be honest both were equally lovely and I would be hard-pressed to choose one, though the Bristol is smack in the middle of Krakowskie Przedmiescie and close to everything.
Mamaison was at the outer edge of new town (which is still old and beautiful and blends right into old town) and I had a beautiful room with a garden view--spacious, all amenities, very quiet and very comfy. Spa services and food I did not indulge in as I was there for one night. About one block from Marie Sklodowska Curie's birthplace--wonderful mural on the building--and it also made my walk to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews much faster.
The Bristol is a very fancy grand dame of a hotel very centrally located in old town and I spent 3 nights there; much bigger & more sumptuously appointed room, quiet, lovely view, turn-down service with chocolates every night, even a bidet. Very helpful front desk staff who assisted me with booking a train ticket, excellent room service and restaurant.
Posted by
San Francisco
14990 posts
What about the Polonia?
Posted by
OP
West Coast
437 posts
I'll check the Polonia, but sounds like the Bristol is a winner. If I'm going to splurge, might as well go all in with the grand dame!
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4273 posts
Sorry, we stayed at the Polonia in Warsaw (stayed at Palace in Zagreb, same trip). The Polonia is a little out of the way compared to the Bristol if you want to be in the thick of things.