1891 Garni Hotel — Hotel in Krakow

We stayed here for one night as a treat for my partner’s birthday. The hotel has undergone a complete refurbishment in March 2022 and the result is stunning - it’s absolutely beautiful.

The hotel is situated around 10-15 minutes walk away from the Old Market Square in Krakow. Whilst there are restaurants, bars and local shops/ supermarkets within walking distance, this hotel is situated in a less commercialised area of the city (just something to be mindful off if you have mobility issues, small children etc. as you would need to walk a fair distance/ catch an Uber taxi to get to the main areas of the city).

The rooms are well planned with every extra that you could wish for (fridge, hairdryer/ diffuser, shoe shine, lint brush, nail files, cotton buds/ pads, etc. etc.)

The bed is very large, good quality and comfortable to lay/ sleep on, and all rooms have blackout curtains. There is a very good offering of mood lighting with overhead, bedside table lighting and lamps within the room which you can adjust to your preference. There is also a wall panel mounted touchscreen display to control the lighting and air conditioning temperatures (unfortunately, on the evening that we stayed, there was a hotel-wide issue with the air conditioning where the temperature was bordering on being too cold - despite the heatwave… - however the night security guard came to the rescue of us - and the many other guests that had the same issue so this was eventually resolved).

The bathroom was well-equipped with everything you needed - including a telephone next to the toilet for some reason… lol?!

If there were any possible negative’s/ small improvements that could make the stay perfect, I would say that having bath sheets available would be much more luxurious for what the hotel is aiming to offer its guests (current offering is not much bigger than a hand towel), the shower - whilst very much acceptable, could be more luxurious if the shower head was changed for something a little larger; something a lot of guests come to expect when paying a premium (also the temperature of the water changes drastically, without warning, so you can be showering in a nice warm/ hot shower and suddenly the temperature increases to an almost scolding temperature… this may have only been our room but definitely something to be mindful of, particularly if you have younger children) and, whilst it wasn’t an issue for us as we don’t go on holiday to watch TV, there are no UK TV channels at all (only approximately 8 Polish and possibly German channels). All of the TV’s do, however, have Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. built into them so you could watch English programmes, if you have an account, this way. Again, this wasn’t something we were interested in; I only looked so that I was able to provide an informed review for fellow travellers.

The hotel has 24 hour reception and security. There is a bar, restaurant, gym/ leisure centre and various conference rooms within the building. A slight disappointment for us was when we returned to the hotel at approximately 10.15pm, we were hoping to have a nightcap at the bar however were informed that as the bar and restaurant was quiet, they chose to close it early. There were plenty of nearby bars etc. should we have been intent on having another drink before bed, however we just chose to hit the sack instead.

These little bits were the only reasons for knocking off the one star. If these small issues were resolved, it would easily be a 10/10 for us both. We’d still definitely come back here again when next in...

The hotel is in a great location, you can choose whether you want to go on foot because everything is within a 5 to 15 minute walk. Taxi is available next to the hotel with reasonable prices. You can decide to go with a small electric car that will take you to the places you must visit while you are in Krakow. You can also ride through the center with a beautiful white carriage where friendly ladies will drive you as if you were from the royal family. Across the street from the hotel behind the beautiful Synagogue is a small Express store and it is open 24/7 if you need something you can always buy. Hotel Garni exceeded all my expectations, the reception is extremely superior, very friendly and will tell you any information if you ask them. You can arrange a visit to Auschwitz with them, where you will be transported from the hotel and back. If you are leaving early in the morning, tell the reception and they will prepare a lunch box for you. Very good organization regarding going to Auschwitz. The staff in the restaurant is very polite, very professional and smiling. They will talk to you if you want. There is a very good selection of wine and beer. The rooms were very clean and tidy, the towels were changed every day, the bed linen as well if it was a little greasy. The room is spacious and has a wonderful view, you can open the windows yourself. It is very comfortable in terms of the temperature in the room, and you can regulate the ventilation or the heating intensity yourself. The room has absolutely everything you need and it is very peaceful and quiet during the day and overnight, the insulation is superb. The breakfast was delicious and varied, there was never a crowd when we arrived and you could have breakfast from 6:30am. The hotel shines as clean as it is, it has 2 elevators and wonderfully clean toilets on the ground floor. You also have a chess room, the lobby is very quiet and it is pleasant to sit with a glass of wine and watch the beautiful Synagogue through the window. The terrace in the garden is covered with umbrellas where the chairs are comfortable if you want to light a cigarette or have a drink or coffee. All in all, I am very satisfied with the service of the hotel, only if the pillows were a little fuller it would be perfect. Thank you to Hotel Garni for the organized transportation to the hotel and for the complete service that exceeded all my expectations. I come again to Hotel Garni and recommend it to everyone who wants a wonderful vacation in a hotel that I would give 5...

Pros: Excellent central location; Quiet modern rooms with all mod cons, air con, decent TV, etc; Free use of security safe in room; Generally friendly staff, although some were a bit curt and snappy; Good breakfast options;

Cons: Requests put through to desk staff not acted upon properly. One morning we had requested an alarm call that never happened - when we questioned the desk staff they simply said they forgot. Also, few weeks before arriving I emailed the hotel to ask for a firm mattress ( I have a very bad back and soft mattresses screw it up), and also some food upon our late arrival as we wouldn't make it for dinner ( we paid half board, so dinner should be included). Got an email back saying no problem to both of these. However, when we arrived no food had been put aside for us, and our mattress was soft and lumpy, messing up my back and sleep for most of the trip; Annoying light in the bathroom that you can't turn off, and bleeds into bedroom affecting sleep; Staff don't seem to be very compassionate or caring from my dealings with them and observations with other guests. One morning I wanted to get a coffee at about 1 minute past breakfast hours, the coffee machine was still on, but they sternly refused to let me do so; Staff struggle with some basic queries like asking to see the evening menu, or what types of tea they have at the bar; £40 deposit just to access the mini fridge in the room; Gym is tiny and very limited; Evening meal for half board is very basic and limited - starter is 2 types of soup, main is either salad or pasta, and desert is a little piece of cake. Don't bother with half board. There's lots of good restaurants to eat at in the area; My wife's evening jacket went missing from our room. When I asked desk staff if any staff reported seeing the jacket, they said no. I was going to call the police, but my wife asked me not to. Obviously that's the biggest...