Invasion of the Budget Flyers:
Great New Hotels in Eastern Europe
By Cameron Hewitt, Co-Author of Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe guidebook
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| Get a room! Thanks to Kraków's many new budget hotels, this couple now can. |
I recently returned from a month-long trip updating our Eastern Europe guidebook. These days, the same topic is on everyone's lips, from Poland to Croatia: cheap flights.
In mid-2004, several new budget airlines began serving Eastern European destinations. These cheap flights have brought with them a stampede of European visitors, further boosting tourism in this already booming region.
All of the British, French, German, and Italian visitors on weekend holiday in places like Kraków, Budapest, Ljubljana, and Dubrovnik are changing the face of Eastern European tourism. My Slovenian friends reported that for a few months last winter, the streets of quiet little Ljubljana were clogged with rowdy Brits on "stag party" weekends seeking Prague-style cheap booze and girls. (They've long since figured out it's not that kind of place, and went home.)
Most significantly, more visitors means an increased demand for affordable hotel beds. This new demand has had different effects in different cities. For example, in Kraków it's spawned a slew of excellent new budget hotels, while in Budapest it's simply driven prices up.
With this recent trend, my mission this year was clear: determine the very best of the new accommodations options. The following hotels are recommended in the the 2008 edition of our Best of Eastern Europe guidebook:
Kraków, Poland
Every time I return to Kraków, I find its streets packed with even more giddy tourists enjoying the "next Prague." Competition for all these new customers is fierce, and about a dozen wonderful new budget pensions have opened their doors over the last two years. Each one comes with lots of stairs, and each one is run with pride by a can-do local entrepreneur. The first four places are in the heart of the Old Town; the last two are in Kazimierz, the trendy Jewish quarter.
At Pensjonat Trecius, Michal Palarczyk offers surprising class for low prices. Hiding upstairs in a nondescript building overlooking the bustling (and sometimes noisy) Florianska pedestrian street, its eight rooms are nicely decorated, except for the two cheaper, unrenovated rooms on the top floor (S-120 zl, Sb-150–220 zl depending on size, D-150 zl, Db-200-300 zl depending on size, extra bed-50 zl, 5 percent cheaper if you pay cash, continental breakfast-8 zl, full breakfast-16 zl, non-smoking, reception open Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 8:00-15:00, free cable Internet, 2 blocks from the Main Market Square at ulica Sw. Tomasza 18, tel. 012-421-2521, fax 012-426-8730, hotel@trecius.krakow.pl).
La Fontaine B&B, run by a French family, offers eight rooms and five apartments just a few steps off the Main Market Square. Tastefully decorated with French flair, it's cute as a poodle. Each room has a little lounge with a microwave and fridge (most on the hall, some inside the room). If you don't mind lots and lots of stairs (it’s on the fifth floor), this is a fine value (Sb/Db-269 zl, extra bed-60 zl, apartment for up to 4-460 zl, cheaper Nov-March, air-con, low slanted ceilings, free cable Internet, ulica Slawkowska 1, tel. 012-422-6564, fax 012-431-0955, biuro@bblafontaine.com).
Globtroter Guest House offers 15 rustic-feeling rooms with high ceilings and big beams around a serene garden courtyard. Jacek (Jack), who really understands and respects travelers, conscientiously focuses on value — keeping prices as low as possible by not offering needless extras (June–Aug: Sb-170 zl, Db-280 zl; April–May and Sept–Oct: Sb-155 zl, Db-260 zl; Nov–March: Sb-150 zl, Db-210 zl; 2 people can cram into a single to save money — a little more than the Sb price , larger suites for up to five also available, cash only, no breakfast at hotel but you can buy 14-zl breakfast from nearby restaurant, fun 700-year-old brick cellar lounge down below, go down passageway at plac Szczepanska 7/15, tel. 012-422-4123, fax 012-422-4233, globtroter@cracow-life.com).
Mama's Hostel is ideally located and more dignified than most hostels — like an old apartment taken over by vagabonds with good manners, but who still know how to have a good time. With 50 beds in seven rooms and mellow public spaces, it's a winner (60 zl per person in a 6-bed room, 55 zl in a 8-bed room, 50 zl in a 10-bed room, 45 zl in a 12-bed room, D-160 zl; includes sheets, breakfast, laundry, and lockers; non-smoking, no curfew, free Internet and Wi-Fi, kitchen, lots of stairs with no elevator, ulica Bracka 4, tel. & fax 012-429-5940, hostel@mamashostel.com.pl).
Karmel Hotel , with 11 rooms on a pleasant side street near the heart of Kazimierz, feels elegant for the price (Sb-240 zl, tight twin Db-298 zl, “komfort plus” Db with 1 big bed-398 zl, pricier suites also available, extra bed-50 zl, about 15-20 percent less Nov–March, upstairs with no elevator, free cable Internet, ulica Kupa 15, tel. 012-430-6697, fax 012-430-6726, hotel@karmel.com.pl).
Tournet Guest House, well-run by friendly Piotr and Sylwia Dzialowy, offers 17 cheap, clean, colorful rooms near the edge of Kazimierz toward Wawel Hill. The "basic" rooms don't include breakfast (7 zl extra) or TV sets (basic Sb-110 zl, standard Sb-150 zl, basic Db-140 zl, standard Db-200 zl, Tb-250 zl, extra bed-50 zl, 20 zl less Nov–March, lots of stairs with no elevator, free Wi-Fi, reception open 7:00-22:00, ulica Miodowa 7, tel. 012-292-0088, fax 012-292-0089, tournet@accommodation.krakow.pl).
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| In Budapest, monuments are huge and imposing....as are hotel rates. |
Budapest, Hungary
The hotel scene in Budapest is decent, but not ideal. Over the last few years, supply has not kept up with demand — so prices have gone up without a corresponding improvement in quality. Still, I’ve unearthed a few gems. Book as far ahead as possible to get the best deal. Most rates drop 10–25 percent in the off-season (generally Nov–March). The Formula 1 races (one weekend in early Aug) send rates through the roof; the rest of August is also tight and expensive. If you’re arriving on an international train, you may be approached by room-hawkers on board, offering accommodations in private homes and hotels. These places get mixed reviews; you’re better off using my listings, below.
Hotel Queen Mary (named not for the British monarch, but for the owner’s wife) is simple and affordable, with 26 unimaginative but new-feeling rooms. The price is right, but the neighborhood — a block south of the Great Boulevard ring road and two blocks beyond the end of Franz Liszt Square — is dingy and gloomy (though it is central and safe). This place is likely to have rooms with others are full (Sb-€75, Db-€85, Tb-€105, prices soft — ask for discount in slow times, 30 percent cheaper Nov–March, air-con, elevator, free cable Internet, Kertész utca 34, between M1: Oktogon and M2: Blaha Lujza tér, tel. 1/413-3510, fax 1/413-3511, info@hotelqueenmary.hu).
Ibis Hotel Budapest Centrum, with 126 rooms, is part of the no-frills chain that’s sweeping Europe. Like all other Ibis branches, this place has spongy carpets, cookie-cutter predictability, and utterly no charm. But it’s cheap, well-equipped for the price, and beautifully located at the start of the happening Ráday utca restaurant scene, just up the street from the Great Market Hall and Váci utca (Sb/Db-€79 April–Oct, Sb/Db-€65 Nov–March, does not include 23 percent tax, lousy breakfast-€9/person, air-con, non-smoking rooms, elevator, Ráday utca 6, M3: Kálvin tér, tel. 1/456-4100, fax 1/456-4116, h2078@accor.com).
Budapest’s biggest and best-run hostel chain — Mellow Mood Hostels — has several good outlets around town. All have slippery rates that depend on the season; you'll get the best deal (save 20-30 percent) if you book in advance online (all are cash only). Mellow Mood also runs several budget hotels around the city, but they’re not a good value. Mellow Mood Central Hostel is the main branch, but it might close in the future. If it's open, it has 176 beds in 33 bright, cheery, clean rooms, including five twins (prices per person: twin Db-€24-32, T-€17-28, Q-€15-25, bunk in 6-bed dorm-€14-23, in 8-bed dorm-€11-22, includes sheets, towel-500 Ft, no breakfast, pay laundry and Internet access, a block north of Váci utca at Bécsi utca 2, tel. 1/411-1310, fax 1/411-1494, sales@mellowmoodhostel.com). Domino Hostel has 146 beds in the best location, on Váci utca near the Great Market Hall (same rates as Mellow Mood, elevator, pay laundry and Internet access, Váci utca 77, enter at Havas utca 6, tel. 1/266-4111, info@dominohostel.com). Marco Polo has a few dorm beds and 36 more twin rooms in a less convenient location (Nyár utca 6, M2: Blaha Lujza tér, tel. 1/413-2555, fax 1/413-6058, sales@marcopolohostel.com).
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana’s accommodations scene, once abysmal, is steadily improving. Still, it’s challenging. Only a handful of places are within convenient walking distance of the center, and most are overpriced. For the best value, stick with the Pri Mraku or the Emonec (though even these "good" options come with caveats). The most expensive hotels raise their prices even more during conventions (often Sept–Oct, and sometimes also June).
Hotel Emonec (eh-MOH-nets), a great value with some of the best-located rooms in Ljubljana, hides just off Wolfova lane between Prešeren and Congress squares. Its 39 rooms — in two buildings across a courtyard from each other — are simple, sleek, and a bit institutional, but the price is right. The catch: It's near a noisy disco, so light sleepers should request a quiet room (Sb-€57, small Db-€64, bigger “standard” Db-€74, Tb-€87, Qb-€100, pay Internet access, free Wi-Fi, free loaner bikes for guests, Wolfova 12, tel. 01/200-1520, fax 01/200-1521, hotelemonec@siol.net).
Pri Mraku Guesthouse has 36 comfortable-but-overpriced rooms in a very pleasant neighborhood near French Revolution Square. Despite its quirks (a so-so breakfast and lots of stairs with no elevator), it's my sentimental favorite in Ljubljana (Sb-€69-73, Db-€102, extra bed-€20, ground-floor and top-floor rooms have air-con and cost about €15 more, same prices year-round, non-smoking floor, free Internet access, Rimska 4, tel. 01/421-9600, fax 01/421-9655, mrak@daj-dam.si).
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| Why pay double for a big resort hotel two miles away when you can sleep cheaply inside the walls of Dubrovnik's Old Town? |
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Though still relatively undiscovered by Americans, Croatia is hot. In 2005, Lonely Planet named it the world's "Top Destination" and it hasn't cooled down since. While Dubrovnik's overpriced resort hotels are making minor improvements to earn that extra star — and charge even more — rooms in private homes (called sobe, like British B&Bs without breakfast) are an increasingly good value. I focus my search on sobe featuring their own bathrooms and a little more privacy than the norm. These places allow you nearly the same anonymity and comforts as a big hotel, at half the price.
Villa Ragusa offers the nicest rooms for the price in the Old Town. Pero and Valerija Carevic have renovated a 600-year-old house at the top of town that was damaged during the war. The five comfortable, modern rooms come with atmospheric old wooden beams, antique furniture, and thoughtful touches. There are three doubles with bathrooms (including a top-floor room with breathtaking Old Town views for no extra charge — request when you reserve), and two singles that share a bathroom. The Carevics live off-site, a few miles outside of town, so be sure to let them know when you’ll arrive so they can let you in (July–Aug: S-€40, Db-€80; May–June and Sept–Oct: S-€30, Db-€70; Nov–April: S-€25, Db-€50; 30 percent more for 1- or 2-night stays, €8 breakfast can be eaten here or at nearby Stradun café, cash only, air-con, lots of stairs with no elevator, Zudioska ulica 15, tel. 020/453-834, mobile 098-765-634, villa.ragusa@du.t-com.hr). Pero offers his guests airport transfers for €20.
Villa San, run by the Ahmic family, offers four apartments and one tiny bunk-bed room overlooking the bus stop directly in front of the Pile Gate (July–Aug: Db-€70-90; May-June and Sept-Oct: Db-€60-80; Nov-April: Db-€50-70; price depends on room size, 20 percent more for 1- or 2-night stays, pricier giant "penthouse" apartment, singles discouraged, no breakfast, cash only, above the bank behind the bus stop — go around left side to find entrance at Tiha 2, tel. 020/411-884, mobile 098-178-5620, info@villa-san.com).
If you have good luck with one of these places — or discover a new favorite hotel of your own — let us know at books@ricksteves.com.
Updated for 2008. For lots more tips, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' guidebooks — or join us on one of our free-spirited Europe tours!