"Great location – unfortunately that’s where the positives end
The location of Antique Apartments Plac Szczepanski is excellent. You are right in the centre of Krakow and within easy walking distance of the main sights. Unfortunately, for us, the location was the only real positive.
The biggest issue was that what we received bore very little resemblance to what was advertised. There are around 62 photographs on the listing, showing bright, spacious, modern-looking apartments and attractive communal areas. Our room is not shown in any of them, and neither are the communal areas we actually had to walk through.
Our room was tiny, essentially a bed, wardrobe and kitchenette. It was on the ground floor with windows at/below outside pedestrian level. Opening them meant people outside could see directly into the room, and there was also a smoking area outside, so keeping them open for fresh air wasn’t really an option.
We asked to change rooms but were told they were fully booked.
The communal areas were extremely disappointing compared with the photographs online. We encountered broken and badly damaged floor tiles, very worn doors, damaged/cracked glass, dark and tired stairways, damaged plasterwork and generally poorly maintained areas. There were also large refuse bins and utility equipment in the courtyard. I have photographs from our stay because the difference between these and the promotional images is remarkable.
I appreciate this is an old building in Krakow Old Town — that is part of the charm of visiting Krakow. Being historic isn’t the problem; maintenance and accurate advertising are.
Breakfast was another disappointment. There isn’t a restaurant or breakfast room. We had to choose the night before from around five cold options, such as yoghurt, a pastry or sandwich, select a delivery time in advance and have it brought to the room. Had we known this beforehand, we wouldn’t have booked breakfast.
Reception wasn’t continuously staffed either and appeared to be operated by one person when it was open.
During our stay, the Ironman event was also taking place immediately around the area. The front of the property and surrounding streets had extensive metal fencing, barriers and event infrastructure. Obviously the apartments aren’t responsible for a major city event, but this was clearly planned well in advance and we received no warning about the considerable disruption immediately outside the accommodation.
I did try to contact our booking provider while we were there, but unfortunately couldn’t get the chat facility to connect.
The most frustrating part is that with approximately 62 promotional photographs, you would expect at least some to represent the type of room and communal areas you might actually receive. I couldn’t find one that fairly represented ours.
If we’d been shown accurate photographs of our room and the areas we actually stayed in and accessed, we would not have booked it.
Krakow itself was fantastic and the location of these apartments genuinely is excellent. Unfortunately, location alone isn’t enough for me to recommend them.
My advice: before booking, ask to see photographs of the exact room/apartment you will be allocated rather than relying on the general gallery."
