Hostel BIELSKO

The staircase is a masterpiece of Polish architecture, but sadly people smoke there. I had to hold my breath to get outside or back to my room. The hostel is in a beautiful old tenement building, and everything is close by. It’s warm, there’s plenty of hot water, and towels are supplied. It mostly runs itself, without a reception: you get the gate code at the entrance and retrieve your key from the mailbox. The code is written on the key, handy if your memory’s not great. Our four-person room was huge, with a lovely old wardrobe and an equally old table, but only three chairs. There isn’t much other useful furniture, which could be awkward on a longer stay, for instance when you need to dry wet towels. Two power outlets also feel like too few for four people with dead phones. There’s a large bathroom and a separate toilet, and the kitchen has all the necessary appliances.

You can barely breathe in the room because of the awful smell, and opening the windows doesn’t make it go away. It’s a shame anyone rents a place like this. The shower is rigged so badly that if you close the blinds, it ends up on the floor. How can someone charge for this and still sleep peacefully at night?

It was frightening to stay here, though fortunately our complaint was upheld. Everything was filthy, with cobwebs and spiders all over the place. The website photos are completely out of date. I can’t see how anyone can legally make money from a place like this. It felt spooky.

The location is great, and that’s the main thing going for this hotel. It has the equipment described, but it’s a shame the bathroom has only a urinal and a shower. Getting into the hotel is complicated, like solving an escape room. Given the conditions, the price is too high.