Hotel Narodny dom

The main hall smelled really bad, and the cleanliness throughout was awful. I had to ask for fresh sheets after a week. The WC drain hadn’t been cleaned, and there was months’ worth of dust in places you don’t usually see, like on top of the TV. The shower floor was black, so it was hard to tell if it was clean, and there was visible fungus in the corners. They say they have parking, but they don’t. When I asked the receptionist to show me exactly where I could park, she couldn’t. Banska Bystrica is a great town, but I couldn’t wait for my stay at this poor “hotel” to be over. I really don’t understand how it gets such good ratings.

The breakfast was good, and the hotel itself was clean, but very outdated. The junior suite bathroom was appalling. We couldn’t eat at the restaurant on Saturday night, even though we had a reservation. The chef had left early, and then the restaurant didn’t open at all. The receptionist was friendly but seemed unsure about everything. We’d been told parking would be free for the weekend, but had to find coins because Saturday morning parking was charged. We were also told the restaurant was open when it wasn’t, and when we asked where to eat, they suggested a McDonald’s 3 km away. We found plenty of open restaurants just a couple of hundred metres away instead.

The service at the hotel was great. Our room felt a bit cluttered and had very few accessible outlets. There was also a strange smell in the bathroom that seemed to be present in all the rooms.

I love the retro look, and there was a live pianist playing classics. The chefs made interesting food, and the front-of-house service was good. I’d be happy to come back once the virus restrictions are lifted.