Hotel Skansen Conference& Spa

I visited just to use the pool, not as a hotel guest. It costs a bit more, but it’s quieter than the town pool, so you’re paying for a calmer swim. You can book one hour, two hours, or the whole day. There’s a main pool with four or five lanes and a shallow splash area around 1.2 m deep, plus a toddler pool, indoor and outdoor jacuzzis, a couple of small saunas, and a cold-water barrel for one person.

The rooms look modern but are simply furnished, and outside it’s mostly fields. Still, this makes a good weekend escape about two hours from Warsaw. We enjoyed the modern architecture, the very good breakfast, and the bar and bowling. The large pool and spa area is a strong point too, with an outdoor jacuzzi and sauna. A nice place for couples to unwind, and families with kids can enjoy it as well.

The massages were the weak point for me. The masseurs didn’t seem competent, and that wasn’t just my view, I was there with two other guests. The restaurant gets four stars: decent food, though I’ve eaten better at similar places in Poland, and the wine selection was so-so. For families, I’d give it five stars. There’s lots to do, and the nearby heritage park makes it a great place to spend three days with kids.

TRZY ZYWIOLY-HOTEL RESTAURANT After visiting the open-air museum in Sierpc, we felt almost obliged to find lunch, especially with children along. There weren’t many alternatives, just a karczma (inn) and the restaurant at Hotel Skansen. The karczma was closing, so we went to Trzy Zywioly. The understated, chic decor, big tables, and white tablecloths were a plus. We were a family of four. The chicken and boletus soups were edible, but nothing special. The boletus soup was missing the earthy aftertaste I expected. The main dishes were better. I had goose leg confit, and the meat was very tender, practically melting in my mouth. The caramelized beetroot and spinach gnocchi were just OK; I’d have sliced and presented the beetroot differently. My wife’s pork tenderloin in dogwood sauce with mashed potatoes was quite good too. For dessert, we tried ice cream with meringue and chocolate cake with a pinch of chili. The cake was much better. The cream on the ice cream wasn’t chilled enough and was probably ready-made. The bill was 270 pln, with no alcohol apart from one small beer. The music didn’t fit the atmosphere, though they switched to jazz near the end of dinner, around 19:00. Don’t expect too much from a hotel restaurant in a small town, but the experience was OK. If you visit skansen in Sierpc, you can give it a try.