POLAND - Zakopane, Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences 5*
A luxury hotel of the famous Radisson chain in Zakopane, visit this resort known mainly for hiking, skiing and entertainment
Address: Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences 5* Zakopane, Bulwary Słowackiego, 34-500 Zakopane, Poland
Zakopane
I don't know if there is anyone in the Czech Republic who does not know this winter "capital" of Poland. I would compare it to our Spindleruv Mlyn in Krkonose mountains. It is located at the foot of the Tatras. In the summer for hiking, in the winter for skiing. And I can't forget the local thermal baths, which will surely come in handy after the hard work of sports. Approximately 27.000 people live here, but the city is visited annually by up to 3 million tourists.
Zakopane is the highest town in Poland, there are height differences of up to 1000 m. You can take the cable cars to Kasprowy Wierch, Gubalowka and Butorowy Wierch.
The most famous street in Zakopane where it lives is Krupowki Street, with its many restaurants, bars and shops. Its main part is a pedestrian zone, at the intersection of Krupowki and Aleja 3 Maja.
Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences Zakopane 5*
There are really many accommodation options here. I tried the world-famous hotel chain Radisson Hotels and its Radisson Blu brand for you. If you are interested in Radisson Hotels, you can read also review of Radisson Blu Sobieski in Warsaw.
Location
Radisson Blu Hotel Zakopane is a new modern 5* hotel (at a very reasonable price) built in mountain style and perfectly in harmony with the local landscape. It has a convenient location. It is located in a quieter part of the town (so you get a great night's sleep, it's quiet here at night), however the popular Krupowki Street (10 minutes walk) or the cogwheel cable car on Gubalowka (30 minutes walk and walking along Krupowki Street, so you don't get bored along the way) are in walking distance. My friend slept on Krupowki Street in the summer and said that she didn't sleep at all, that there was music playing there until five in the morning. So it depends if you want to sleep or have a party at night :) There is a grocery store opposite the hotel and if you want to go out for a beer or dance in the evening, I recommend the Watra restaurant at Władysława Zamoyskiego 2, which is a short walk from the hotel, about 7 minutes walk. But go there early, even though it is a huge space, at 19:00 on Friday we grabbed the last free table from dozens of tables, the restaurant is very popular, it has its own brewery and a wide range of food.
You can park for a fee either outside in front of the hotel or in the underground garages, which you will appreciate especially in winter.
The hotel is family friendly, which means that it is suitable for families with children.
On the first floor, there are also several conference rooms for corporate events.
Rooms
There are 158 rooms in the hotel and 68 residences in the annex building. Residences are also for sale. You can enjoy the view of the Tatras. The rooms are modernly furnished in a natural mountain style, wood prevails. You can choose from Standard, Superior or Premium rooms, from family rooms, suites, studios and apartments (the apartments are located in the annex building connected to the hotel, they are the residences). There is a high-speed wifi signal in all rooms. All rooms are well equipped with everything you need for a comfortable stay, you can find the exact equipment on the hotel website, I will only describe our suite to be sure, because I am not sure if all rooms are equipped in the same way.
Suite
The suites are really big, you could even dance here :) So families with children have no problem. Ours, numbered 635, was located on the top, attic floor. You enter the large living room, where there is a dining table with 4 chairs, a sofa bed, a coffee table with two armchairs, a coat rack and a shoe rack, endless storage spaces (when even I had two closets left empty, that's saying something! :), small fridge, capsule coffee maker including capsules, kettle with a selection of teas and instant coffee, sweets, coffee creamer and hot chocolate powder, mugs, glasses, opener, spoons, ice container with tongs (there is an ice maker in the hotel corridor and shoe shine), TV, balcony with outdoor furniture, a safe, iron and ironing board, bathrobes, slippers are not missing in the large illuminated closet. Well, welcome water and an absolutely luxurious dessert including fruit awaited us at the table, thank you very much for this unusual attention from the hotel!
In the spacious bathroom, you will find a shower, hairdryer, tissues, hand soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, vanity kit, magnifying lighted mirror. Even the large mirror is fully illuminated.
The bedroom is dominated by a comfortable double bed with pillows that won't hurt your neck, there are bedside tables with lamps next to the bed, and a second TV. Next to the bed is a dressing table with a large mirror and a seat. And there is another closet.
Food
In the hotel, you can book a room with either breakfast or half board. Breakfast is served in the Modrzejowa restaurant from 7 - 10:30 a.m., on weekends until 11 a.m. The selection is very decent. A welcome champagne awaits you right at the entrance. The menu includes a hot and cold buffet, you can find here cheeses, salami, fruit, vegetables, eggs, pancakes, bacon, yogurts, muesli, salty and sweet pastries, several types of milk, jams, honey, Nutella, spreads, to drink you have a choice of juices, teas, a coffee machine for different types of coffee, water, etc. There is also an ala carte menu where you can order an omelette or avocado toast, etc. Dinners are also buffet-style and you can always choose from two soups, various appetizers in the form of canapés or salads, cheese and salami dishes, fruit, vegetables, desserts, and the hot buffet always had some meat, fish, some local specialty, sweet food, hot vegetables, side dishes. Even for dinner you could make tea or pour free water or order a drink from the menu. What I don't understand is that many guests probably had the impression that dinner was served in the gym and happily arrived in tracksuits, some even in tracksuit shorts, even though it was snowing outside. If someone finds it difficult to dress decently for dinner, then maybe they should order apartments and not a 5* hotel.
The hotel also has the Roots restaurant, which is open from 5 - 10 p.m. The lobby bar is open during the day, and as soon as it closes, a night bar called the Scottish Bar Down Under opens.
On the 1st floor above the reception there is a Spa bar and next to it there is a children's corner.
Wellness and sport
The hotel is popular among families with children, apparently also because there is an indoor pool in which you can swim decently, and there is also a separate children's pool for the smallest children, where the water is about knee-deep. You can get pool towels at the reception by the pool. In the pool area there is also a jacuzzi tub, a bubble massage pool and a sauna area, one sauna is steam and the other is dry Finnish. You can cool off in the shower or in the pool. There are quite a few sunbeds and chairs in the entire pool area, there is not much place to put your things (it is probably best to leave them in the locker in the dressing room), nor where to lie down, which is a shame. If you like privacy, you can pay for a private wellness for PLN 300 per hour. Here you will find a salt cave with sunbeds, a Finnish sauna, a steam sauna and a hot tub. I recommend it especially to couples or groups of adult friends (up to 6 people could comfortably fit here) if you want to have a bit of peace, because you will probably meet a lot of children in the pool. But the advantage is that after 8 pm the pool including saunas is only for adults, at least an hour of peace :)
The hotel is also home to the Tatry Vita Spa Center - a luxurious spa experience where you can order massages, cosmetic procedures for the face or the whole body, or let yourself be pampered from head to toe.
The hotel also has a very decently equipped gym with a cardio zone, exercise machines and other equipment, and it is intended for adults only. An interesting fact is that you can also play squash at the hotel, which is not so common. And there is also a pool table in the night bar.
Trips around Zakopane
Well, what to see in Zakopane? It snowed heavily for 3 days, but we mustered up the courage to go outside :) In the winter you can ski here on several slopes, in the summer you can take a number of hikes on the surrounding hills, the views must be absolutely breathtaking and I would definitely go here again even in the summer, because in such bad weather it was not worth going on some hikes or taking the cable car up to 2000 m, where we would not be able to see anything due to cloud cover. But let's look at what can be seen here, whether you are a die-hard mountaineer or just want to have fun in a busy part of town.
For lovers of mountains and sports
Ski jumps
Connoisseurs of winter sports know that several World Ski Jumping Championships have been held here and World Cup competitions are held here every year. It must be an amazing experience! This sport fascinates me. I don't understand how anyone can dive headfirst from that high tower! You can walk to the bridges from the hotel. The bridges are fenced off and something was being reconstructed there, so unfortunately it was not possible to get directly into the area. Under the bridges you will find stalls with various souvenirs and food, and under the largest bridge (named Wielka Krokiew) there is also an excellent restaurant called Szalas pod reglami, amazing soups and local specialties. Closer to the center, you can ride in a horse-drawn carriage, or in the winter on a sleigh. But it's easy to reach on foot, it's slightly downhill.
Gubalowka
You can walk here from the hotel. Well, what to say about this attraction. Probably every visitor to Zakopane goes there, because there is a cogwheel going up to a height of 1123 meters above sea level. The lower station is under the well-known, busy Krupowki street, and behind it you can walk through an even more busy open-air market. You have to expect crowds, especially on the weekend. It is better to buy a ticket online or from machines along the way, than at a place where you will have trouble getting to the ticket office at all. Everyone goes up and it doesn't matter what they wear. Most people go in civilian clothes and city shoes. There is a straight, asphalt road at the top, and on both sides are stalls with souvenirs, food, clothes and many restaurants. I didn't have the feeling that I was in the mountains, but rather somewhere in the market, with only a nice view of the Tatras. I highly recommend trying to hit here more during the week, that Saturday was really crazy.
Kasprowy Wierch
Here, too, you can take the cable car up to a height of 1987 m above sea level. The peak is located on the border of Poland and Slovakia and is one of the most visited in the Tatras (thanks to the cable car). In addition to the meteorological station, there is also a restaurant.
For lovers of wellness and relaxation
Goracy Potok Thermal Baths
About 14 km from Zakopane. The indoor and outdoor pools with different temperatures are styled like a flowing river. There are also pools for children and a rope park.
Bania Thermal Baths
About 20 km from Zakopane. Thermal pools, toboggans, saunas. There are ski areas nearby.
Aqua Park Zakopane
A modern all-weather water park with exciting water slides, wild river rides and waterfalls. You can take a dip in the thermal pools, bask in the saunas, enjoy the salt cave or even play bowling.
Chocholowskie Thermal Baths
The largest water park in the area in the village of Chocholow. It is about 18 km from Zakopane. Here you will find indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and some other attractions.
For entertainment lovers
Krupówki
You will probably find it hard to miss this main street of entertainment. It is constantly full of people. From the intersection with Aleja 3 Maja, it is a pedestrian zone. There are many shops, restaurants and bars here and it is lively until late at night.
Watra restaurant
A restaurant with its own brewery and dance entertainment, at ul. Władysława Zamoyskiego 2. If you want to go here on Friday or Saturday, go here early. Already at 19:00 we had a big problem to sit down. There is live music here. A wide selection of food, including from the grill.
Pstrag Górski restaurant
A restaurant of a similar style to Watra, even with the same beer, in a mountain wooden look with stylish fire heating, only there is no dancing here. It is located at the bottom of Krupowki Street.
Well, you have to explore the rest of the places yourself :)
Many thanks to the discount portal Slevomat.cz, s.r.o. and Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences Zakopane that I could visit this beautiful hotel and write this detailed review for you.
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