WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

22 HOTELS
Accommodation at a Glance
SPLURGE: The most expensive suite in town remains
that of the Monopol; monied megalomaniacs will
enjoy striding the balcony of room 113, which was built
especially for Hitler to address the crowds below in 1937.
The Radisson remains a top choice, not least for its
dining options, while for more custom care spread out
in the luxury boutique suites of the Granary.
CHEAP: In Wrocław, cheap never has to be a byword for
poor quality. A stay at Mleczarnia is highly recommended,
while Boogie and Avantgarde remain student faves. If
you want something more private and upscale, Cilantro
Bed & Breakfast offers very high standards at shockingly
affordable prices.
LADS: The Campanile is a decent option: large, wellpriced
and happy to except groups; likewise the Scandic
and Novotel. A great location and gadgets galore can be
found at PURO, but if the budget is tight and location is
key you can’t do better than The One Hostel.
COUPLES: Europeum is a class choice at a price that
won’t break the bank, while Art Hotel is a plush boutique
full of personal touches. If you’re really trying to impress,
check out the personalised service of the Granary or the
city’s signature hotel - the Monopol, with on-site spa,
terrace wine bar and excellent restaurant.
FAMILIES: An apartment should be your first choice
and Leopart and Wrocław Capital Apartments have
a fine selection. Note that Mleczarnia is also happy to
accommodate families and even pets in their private rooms.
Polish Name Days (Imieniny)
In Poland, name days (imieniny) are widely celebrated
and have traditionally been given a greater importance
than birthday celebrations, particularly as one gets on
in years. Printed in every local calendar, these name
days represent the feast days of Catholic saints. Every
day of the year is assigned two saints – one male, one
female – and chances are if you share a name with a
saint (as almost all Poles do), you too have a name day.
Some names are even repeated more than once in a
calendar year, in which case you celebrate the first name
day after your birthday.
Name Day celebrations in Poland are social events,
traditionally involving the gathering of friends and family
at the celebrant’s home or in the bar of their choice.
Differing slightly from western birthday celebrations in
which the celebrant is often seen as a ‘guest of honour’
and might expect to be bought drinks all night, in name
day gatherings the celebrant traditionally plays the role of
host, buying drinks for friends and ensuring that guests
are taken care of. In return, guests should bring small gifts
(typically chocolate, flowers or vodka) as you would on
someone’s birthday. The Polish birthday song ‘Sto Lat’ (A
Hundred Years) is sung, and its mindless simplicity might
be tempting for foreigners to criticise until they reflect on
just how dreadful the English happy birthday song actually
is. Name Days are so important to Polish culture that they
are prominently displayed in most of the country’s trams
and buses, thereby ensuring that you know who you should
be buying flowers for that day; information that you’ll find
less readily available on public transport is the name of
the line or the destination of its next stop.
No matter what end of the price spectrum you’re able to
entertain, in Wrocław you have plenty of options from 5-star
presidentials to budget boarding houses, boutique b&b’s to
boisterous hostels, historic apartments to business suites.
The market is positively flooded with hotel rooms (well over
3,500), with several new options opening each year. As
much as we’d like to, we simply can’t list all of them in our
printed guide, however you can find a more comprehensive
list of Wrocław’s accommodation options on our website
and mobile application.
With the increasing irrelevance of official rack rates these
days due to online booking discounts, special offers and
other price variations, we no longer find it particularly
instructive to list room prices in our guide. Case in point,
anyone who uses the Hotel Calculator function on our
website - wroclaw.inyourpocket.com - will find a better
rate than the official prices we once printed; as such, we
encourage you to do just that (and you can thank us later).
Accommodation is categorised here subjectively based on a
combination of lodging type, location, price and amenities,
and in our print guide we only list those lodgings that we most
recommend to tourists.
Cream of the Crop
Monopol (Hotele Likus) A-4, ul. Heleny Modrzejewskiej
2, tel. (+48) 71 772 37 77, www.monopolwroclaw.
hotel.com.pl. First opened in 1892, the neo-Baroque
Monopol Hotel became one of Wrocław’s most fabled and
recognisable landmarks thanks to a guest list including Greta
Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Adolf Hitler and Pablo Picasso, as
well as popular appearances in film and television. After a
lengthy renovation courtesy of the acclaimed Likus hotel
group, the Monopol has a full five stars pinned on its epaulets.
121 rooms come furnished with turn-of-the century antiques,
including 14 exquisite suites. In addition to top business
facilities, Monopol is home to one of the most enticing spa
and wellness centres in Wrocław (see Leisure); add to the
package terrace and rooftop bars and restaurants above exclusive
boutique retail spaces and this legend is alive and living
well. Are you? Q121 rooms (107 singles, 107 doubles, 14
suites). PTHA6UFGKDCwW hhhhh
Platinum Palace ul. Powstańców Śląskich 204
(Krzyki), tel. (+48) 71 324 99 00, www.platinumpalace.
pl. Wroclaw’s five-star hotel scene gets an almighty kick in the
rear. Built in 1906, this was once the finest private house in
the city. Having served for a time as the Wroclaw Academy of
Music it has been lovingly restored and converted with both
taste and style into a breathtaking hotel. While the exterior
remains classical, the interiors (the rooms especially) are
modern, bold and even futuristic. It might cost a fortune to
stay here but it’s worth every penny. Located 4km south of the
market square but well-connected by tram, hop on numbers 2,
6, 7 or 17 getting off at the ‘Orla’ or ‘Krzyki’ stops and you’re
only a short walk away. Q46 rooms (41 singles, 41 doubles,
5 suites). PTHA6UFGKDwW hhhhh
Radisson Blu C-3, ul. Purkyniego 10, tel. (+48) 71 375
00 00, www.radissonblu.com/hotel-wroclaw. Overlooking
a quiet park rooms come with clean, light colours, heated
bathroom floors and a telephone next to the toilet. Stay in
the business rooms and you’ll have newspapers delivered to
your door and dressing gown and slippers to pad around in.
Facilities include a gym, fantastic restaurant and Sqwiggles
Bar - where expert bartenders mix lethal cocktails for off-duty
businessmen. Q162 rooms (13 singles, 144 doubles, 5 apartments).
PTJHAR6UFGKDW hhhhh
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
Sofitel Wrocław Old Town A-3, ul. Św. Mikołaja 67,
tel. (+48) 71 358 83 00, www.sofitel-wroclaw.com.
Outstanding quality inside a modern glass marvel. Ultramodern
fittings include Bang & Olufsen sound systems,
marble bathrooms, jacuzzis and dressing gowns. Le Louis
De-Or Bar and the Pan Tadeusz and Lounge restaurants are
attached to an impressive atrium. Q205 rooms (189 singles,
173 doubles, 15 apartments). PTJHARUFG
KDwW hhhhh
The Granary La Suite Hotel Wroclaw City Center
B-4, ul. Mennicza 24, tel. (+48) 71 395 26 00, www.
thegranaryhotel.com. A shell of its former self after
Festung Breslau, this historic 16th century brewery building
has been reconstructed and conceived as a city centre
luxury boutique hotel - the only one of its kind in Wrocław
and quickly earning a spot in the ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the
World’ collection. Consisting of 47 spatially unique suites
which adapt to the building’s tapering roof letting in lots of
light, each comes with separate dining, living and sleeping
zones, custom-designed furniture, wireless internet and
satellite TV, while the upper floor duplex suites also come
with fully equipped kitchenettes. Additional services include
the restaurant, spa, fitness centre and business facilities,
as well as valet parking, chauffeur and room services. An
experience you’re unlikely to forget with a wow factor of five,
everything at The Granary is tailored to your needs, and the
expectation is that you’re super-needy; so go ahead and
get a foot rub while they put grapes in your mouth. You’re
on vacation, dammit. Q47 rooms (40 singles, 40 doubles,
7 apartments). PTHAR6UFGKDwW
hhhhh
Upmarket
Art Hotel A-2, ul. Kiełbaśnicza 20, tel. (+48) 71 78
77 100, www.arthotel.pl. A plush boutique hotel found
on one of Wrocław’s most engaging streets. Modern
rooms come with personally controlled air-conditioning,
mini-bar and satellite TV, and feature a chic upmarket
aesthetic. Vaulted cellars dating from medieval times
house the hotel restaurant. Q80 rooms (18 singles, 56
doubles, 5 suites, 1 apartment). PTJHAR6U
FLGKW hhhh
Best Western Prima A-2, ul. Kiełbaśnicza 16-19, tel.
(+48) 71 782 55 55, www.bestwestern-prima.pl. A modern
hotel occupying a quiet corner of the Old Town. Striking a
neat balance between business and pleasure Best Western
offers top class conference facilities, fitness studio and a
quality onsite restaurant. A glass lift whisks guests to smart
rooms furnished with floral touches. Q79 rooms (78 singles,
66 doubles, 1 apartment). PTJHA6UFLG
KDW hhhh
Dwór Polski A-3, ul. Kiełbaśnicza 2, tel. (+48) 71
372 34 15, www.dworpolski.wroclaw.pl. Don’t let the
address fool you, this historical locale in the style of a Polish
manor house is located right across from the Town Hall on
Worcław’s market square. A fabulous ensemble of olde-world
sophistication with touches of modernity, this 16th-century
building provides comfortable rooms throughout featuring
satellite television, free wireless, minibars and renovated
bathrooms. The apartment is wonderful indeed, with plenty
of fancy trimmings and a private entrance for the discreet
guest. Add-ons are minimal, but there’s a feast of traditional
bars and restaurants throughout the building representing
every aspect of Polish food, drink and hospitality. Q28 rooms
(24 singles, 22 doubles, 4 apartments). THA6G
KDW hhhh
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
HOTELS
Radisson Blu Hotel
Purkyniego 10,
50-156 Wrocław, Poland
tel: +48 71 375 00 00
fax +48 71 375 00 10
reservations.wroclaw@radissonblu.com
www.radissonblu.com
September - December 2012
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