Hotelik Polonia

The location was the only good part for us. We knew it was an old, small hotel and didn’t expect high quality, but it might have had more charm if the staff weren’t so rude and careless. They seemed more focused on making sure we paid for everything than on welcoming us or even smiling. The breakfast area is cramped, the fruit was rotten, and we found bugs in the kids’ cereal. The outside grounds were lovely, but inside it felt more like a hostel than a hotel.

The staff were friendly, the breakfast tasty, and the hotel was nice, clean, and quiet.

I paid a lot for what was supposed to be a comfortable stay, especially given Polish wages, and the website doesn’t say this place is mainly for workers in the area. We were given just one room key for two people, which is ridiculous. The bed was extremely uncomfortable, and the walls were so thin I could hear the person next door using the toilet. Housekeeping hammered on our door, saying our white noise device was disturbing other guests. I don’t believe that was true. We were also accused of being loud at night, even though we were only talking at a reasonable volume and neither shouting nor playing loud music. As a British person visiting Poland for the first time, I had a dreadful experience. From the moment I arrived, staff stared rudely, muttered comments under their breath, and were extremely rude. Nobody spoke English. I personally see their treatment of foreigners as a serious racism issue, and I’ll be taking it further. If you’re used to British politeness, don’t stay here.

The rooms are quiet and clean, and everyone I dealt with, from reception to the cleaning staff, was friendly and helpful. For a stay in Lowicz, whether short or long, the location is hard to beat: right on the central square of Stary Rynek, beside the city museum and main cathedral, with city park Błony about a 5-7 minute walk away. Rooms for one person or a couple with a private bathroom aren’t especially cheap for what you might expect, but the price is fair enough. The hotel takes pride in having hosted Napoleon on his way to Warsaw, and its corridors display pictures of him and his army, along with copies of newspaper articles from that time reporting on his trip across Poland.