Dom Wypoczynkowy Belchatów

The location is the one real plus, very close to the trail. I also noticed billiards and ping-pong in the shared areas, which could work for families with kids. But if you just need somewhere to rest after a hard hike, I’d avoid it. I won’t stay there again and would strongly advise others against it. We paid 220 PLN for one night in a double room. The room felt decades past its best, and the heating was set to minimum, as the receptionist told us when we arrived, so we spent the night cold. There was nowhere to dry our soaked hiking clothes. The so-called beds were awful: we slept on an old fold-out sofa, and I haven’t had that much pain in ages. The bedding had no pillowcase, just sheets wrapped around it. There were no towels in the room. We asked at reception, but they didn’t arrive until we were leaving. The bathroom was just as bad: the toilet had been left unflushed and its seat was broken. It seemed nobody had cleaned after the previous guests. The walls might as well have been plywood, we could hear our neighbors clearly. When we tried to check out, nobody answered the phone. We waited 25 minutes at the desk, then had to leave to catch our train. Nobody ever called back.

The few positives were the view from the window, being near the town center, and having towels in the room. Beyond that, the price for what we got was a disaster. We paid 245 PLN for a double room for one night, plus 25 PLN for “parking” even though we didn’t park in the advertised lot. That lot was completely full when we arrived, so we left the car on what looked like a side street in front of the property and were charged for that too. The entrance looked so forbidding that my partner wondered if we were at the back of the building. An arrow sign was the only thing that led us to reception. The stairs were worn and easy to trip on, and the terrace alongside them had cracked, pitted tiles. There was nobody at reception when we went in, so we had to call to ask about our accommodation and find the room ourselves across the several floors. On the way, we passed a shabby billiards table and an unused drink bar. The higher we went, the more worn the seating; inside the room the carpet was filthy. It may once have been luxurious, perhaps 20 years ago. The bathroom was dirty too. We chose it for the fairly good price, location, and breakfast, expecting an early start after our hike. The photos on Booking.com and the official holiday home site could leave you in for a shock. Breakfast also meant getting there quickly: with more guests, there wasn’t enough food. I understand that not every place is a newly renovated guesthouse, but usually the low standard comes with a low price. That wasn’t the case here.

The only real upsides were the view of Szrenica from the window and a fairly comfortable mattress. For a double room we paid 245 PLN for the night, then another 25 PLN for “parking” despite not using a space. At that price, the quality was a disaster. We picked the place because the location and rate seemed reasonable, and breakfast was offered. We often travel around Poland, especially in the mountains, and expected to leave for the trail in the evening and head off again early. The photos on Booking.com and the official site gave us a very different impression. The paid parking area was run-down, with bricks, boards, and even nails to watch out for. It apparently included the roadside below the building, which cost the same 25 PLN for the night. The entrance looked like a back entrance, and without the arrow sign we might have thought we were in the wrong place. Tiles were falling off the worn stairs. The terrace was in such poor shape that even the floor in Unit 4 of the Chernobyl power plant is better. There was nobody on staff to welcome us. Another guest told us to call the number to ask whether a room was available and where it was. We had to find it ourselves, with no room signs on the walls. If you travel a lot or like escape rooms, you’ll notice the floor numbers jump into the hundreds as you go up. The drink bar was closed, probably for the best, and the billiards table was barely standing, with a tear right in the middle of its cloth. The room might have been luxurious 20 years ago. The floor was extremely dirty, and every chandelier had dust and cobwebs. The bathroom was filthy as well. Breakfast required an early arrival. After our first impression, we checked the reviews and got there before 8 a.m., so we managed to eat. There were quite a few people, and both the quality and quantity disappointed us. I can understand an older guesthouse not being newly renovated, but that usually means a low price. Here it didn’t. This is the first time we ignored other people’s reviews. We’ve learned that taking a few minutes to read them can matter.

The owner was friendly and chatty, lent us guidebooks, and suggested places to visit. We spent six days and five nights there and would gladly return. The breakfasts were tasty and filling; whenever it seemed the food was running out, another full plate came out. Beds were comfortable, sheets and towels clean, and the bathroom kept up well. The new owner still has plenty of aesthetic work ahead, but is moving the place in a lovely direction. It’s a good base for skiing or hiking, with views of Łabski Peak, Szrenica, Wielki Szyszak, Śnieżne Koły, and other peaks whose names I haven’t learned yet.