Warsaw Design Apartments

The apartments are beautiful, and the staff are very nice. It’s close to the city center, about an hour’s walk from the old town, with two train stations nearby. As of February 2018, reception was tricky to find: it was behind a white door on the second floor of a separate building. Recommended!

The flat is modern and large enough to feel comfortable. I was in number 31 at house 45a. Everything was clean and generally in great condition, though the lower parts of the bathroom furniture could use some attention after years of humidity. It’s quiet: you can’t hear neighbors or traffic, and the view looks into an inner garden. Restaurants are nearby, and the city center is just 2 km away on foot. If you don’t need daily cleaning or someone to make the bed, I’d choose this flat over a hotel any time.

The apartment itself was acceptable, but we booked a specific place and got something completely different. I’d reserved the largest apartment available on Booking, and the pictures looked stunning. There were 26 photos, but none showed the apartment we got. The listing looked luxurious, with huge bathrooms, while ours had a salmon-colored sofa and a tiny bathroom with a cheap Gadget shower with music, lights, and massage jets. Breakfast was another letdown. The photos showed large salads on big plates, but we got tiny, tasteless salads in a small plastic box. Everything was fully booked, so asking for another apartment was pointless. We went to the office the next day to explain how unhappy we were and were told we’d get part of the reservation refunded. When we called later because we’d heard nothing, a very rude, uncaring man said he knew nothing about it and wouldn’t help. The woman we’d met in the office was very nice, though. She called back later and offered a free breakfast and 15% off a future reservation. We felt cheated and didn’t like how the man spoke to us, so I don’t think we’ll use it.

I spent six weeks at Warsaw Design Apartments in May and June 2016, in the Saska Kepa studio. It was sunny, open, and cozy. The apartments are about a mile from central Warsaw, roughly a 20-minute walk, and trams are convenient, coming about every four minutes. The people I dealt with were professional and pleasant, and the place worked well as a hotel alternative for a longer stay. There are a couple of restaurants around the corner, including Bydlo i Powidlo, which I especially recommend for its great burgers and prompt service. A few small grocery shops are handy too. I’d absolutely recommend staying here for a while, and I’d come back.