Sadyba na Gutsulsky Polonyni

The castle looks beautiful, and the mountain view from the hotel is incredible. The rest of the stay was a disappointment. The hotel isn’t where the map pin says it is, and getting there was a real problem. Without a jeep, you’re left walking up a steep, stony 1 km road with your suitcases. There’s no phone signal or internet on the way, so you can’t call the owners for help. Our room was on the second floor, where neither Wi-Fi nor mobile service worked. Wi-Fi was available only on the first floor. When it was time to leave, we expected someone to take us back to our car. We walked around, called by phone and Viber, shouted, and knocked. We could hear that the owners were home and heard the phone ringing, but nobody answered or came out to drive us down.

They messed up our Booking.com reservation and threatened my wife. When I cancelled, I didn’t get my money back. It’s hard to argue with people who are related across the whole village, like in that Alabama joke. The way they behaved was deeply unpleasant and completely unprofessional. They seemed inexperienced and uncultured.

The estate is lovely, with a beautiful balcony view, clean rooms, and cozy sofas. There’s also a barbecue. But the rooms were cold, and there was no refrigerator or kettle. You can’t drive up, so you have to walk or ask to be picked up, while the car stays in a parking area down in the middle of the forest. It’s very inconvenient. The staff member who caused the biggest problem was the female administrator, a blonde older woman. She was very rude, put everyone in a bad mood, and kicked us out of the room five minutes before checkout. I’ve never had that happen before. Without her attitude, I could have overlooked the other issues, but it spoiled the stay.

There’s no mobile connection, but the Wi-Fi works. The room and the rest of the place were clean and tidy, and the owners were friendly. The mountain view is beautiful, and it’s a good spot if you’ve come to relax. Cars can’t reach the property, so we left ours in the parking lot below. The owner drove down to pick us up, then took us back to the car at the end. I can’t really comment on the service since I only ordered coffee. Before you arrive, call them on Viber while you still have signal. I didn’t, and had to go back.