Excellent value for money

For the price we paid (just under £35 a night) it was superb.

Extremely near the town square, clean, next door to a well-stocked supermarket, excellent breakfast (yoghurt, cheese, cereal, meats, breads, salad, sausages, egg etc. etc. - could have done with more fruit though, but can't have everything!).

We turned up in the morning and fortunately were able to go to our room straight away instead of having to wait til check-in time.

When we got to our room it had 2 single beds, which we pushed together (the bed frames are a bit rickety); the next day when we came back to the hotel the cleaning staff or whoever had made them into a proper double bed, which was good (and very big!)

Friendly and helpful staff, good bar. Lovely, powerful shower - one of the best I've ever used. Quite a bit of noise from the trams, and although it stopped at midnight it started up again very early. This wasn't too much of a problem as it was winter, but I should imagine if you're a light sleeper it wouldn't be too good in summer with the window open.

We had to go up a few stairs to get to our room from the lift, so check with the hotel if you have mobility problems in case it's the same with all the rooms.

Overall, if you want a good, cheap hotel, only a couple of minutes' walk to the town square, then the Monopol is the place to go!

Adequate, Great Location, but Noisy

We were sent to this hotel from the Wyspianski. It's location is perfect...near the Planty and short walk to Old Town Square. Breakfast buffet is perfect, hot and cold food, plenty of fruit, veggies, and yogurt. Beds and baths are small as other reviews have indicated. And, yes, it is noisy. Trams, leaf blower in the Planty across the street in the middle of the night....but my worst complaint is the large groups that stay there and make horrible noise. There were two groups while we were there and no attempt was made by the front desk employees to keep order. We did not sleep well at this hotel. Front desk employees were professional and helpful. Nice bar for drinks and/or dessert.

Not bad location but the hotel's just OK

My husband & I stayed here from 1-5 Nov.'05.And according to Tripadvisor, we discover that we were not the first to be relocated from the Regent.In fact,we had to wait while another couple were being redirected elsewhere too.Hmm!Is this a wee habit of RT Hotels?If so, please stop it NOW!

Of course we will never know what our room would have been like in the Regent,but I tell you,the bed for one,could not be smaller!We Always book twin,but got a teeny toatsie wee bed(up against the wall too)you could hardly turn in.So,be warned,if you are both more than 100lbs in weight & 5ft.tall,get a change of room!

As we were on the first floor(ROOM32)it was to the front,Very noisy - those trams trundle along till midnight then startup again at 4am!

The bathroom was adequate,small shower though(again,not for "biggies!)and we found it ponged a bit(not our fault!)

There was no hairdryer and don't even think about relaxing in a comfy armchair!There aint one!

The staff were pleasant enough-specially the porters,but I think the Poles need to learn a bit of smiley charm hits the spot a bit more than the frostyfaced look that is too common throughout.Don't think they mean it,but They look like they haven't had a good laugh for ages!

In saying all this,we both thought Krakow was beautiful,with wonderful buildings.Just lighten up.you Polskis!

Good location, but that's about it.

I don't think this hotel is worthy of 3 stars. While it's location is excellent (5 minute walk to the castle or the market square), the rooms are tiny and the beds horrible. The bedframe was rickety, the mattresses horrible, and there wasn't a fitted sheet over them - just a flat sheet that ended up in the middle of the bed during the night, with you sleeping on a bare mattress. The bathroom was also tiny, and the shower door didn't seal properly when closed, getting water ALL over the floor (soaking 2 towels completely). No mini-bar, no hairdryer, no room service. Perhaps I'm being overly critical, but I was expecting more.

I should also mention that the bathroom of the first room we were given smelled like someone had died in there. I think it might have been horrible mildew. We were moved to another, thank god.

Adequate

My wife and I stayed here for one night (9/10/2005) near the end of our trip to Eastern Europe. We had changed our travel plans at the last minute and needed a place for one night before moving to the Hotel Pollera, where we had a reservation. For our purpose the Monopol was just fine, but if you are looking for a place to stay several nights while in Krakow, we would recommend other hotels that are more comfortable and better value and more character (e.g. Hotel Pollera).

The Monopol is well-located on the ring road that circles old town Krakow, and is an easy walk to the main square and to Krakow castle. We arrived by train, and the station is a 15- minute walk. There is easy access to tram and bus lines, including those that take you to the main bus terminal.

The hotel is fairly large by Krakow standards, and seems to cater to small and medium-sized tour groups. The lobby is attractive and the staff is friendly, helpful, and most speak good English. Access to all rooms involves a short flight of stairs, despite the presence of an elevator. Our room (#58) was small and somewhat crowded, and though adequate, it was not very appealing. The modern furnishings included a desk/tv stand, armoire, and two side chairs. The beds were firm and comfortable. There was no air conditioning, but it cooled off at night with the window open. Our room overlooked the hotel carpark and there was some early morning noise from tour buses loading, kitchen clatter, and nearby birds waking up. This was not a terrible shortcoming, however, and most of the night was quiet.

The bathroom was small, brightly lit and had floor-to-ceiling tile and new fixtures. The corner shower was very small (so small that generously proportioned travelers may have a problem showering). There was a single sink with a small shelf above (in general, shelf/storage space was very limited).

Breakfast was buffet style in a large room off the main lobby. The selection was very good, and included juices, fresh fruit, bread, scrambled eggs and meat, cold meat and cheese, cereal and yoghurt.

In summary, the Monopol is a good bet for a night or two, but we'd look elsewhere for an extended stay.

Good 3* hotel

My partner and I stayed at the Monopol last weekend, 16-18 Sep 05. We were booked to stay at the RT Regent in Kazimierz (because of good Tripadvisor reviews) but a reservations error had occured and we were taken by taxi to the Monopol.

The staff were friendly, the room was clean, the bathroom was of a reasonable size - all in all a very good 3* tourist class hotel and certainly good value for money. The hotel is only a few years old. My only negative comment would be that some of the carpets in the public areas could do with being cleaned.

I would have no hesitation in recommending the Hotel Monopol. You get what you pay for - a good 3*, clean and friendly.

Great Hotel

My partner and I stayed in this hotel for four days at the end of August/beginning of September. We couldn't fault anything! The room was clean, quiet (despite overlooking the trams), the bed was exceptionally comfortable and the shower was one of the best I've ever come across. It's only a very short walk from the main square and about 10 mins from the station on foot. The staff are all very friendly and helpful and we would definitely recommend this hotel.

Perfectly placed....

A perfectly placed hotel for a stay in charming Krakow. Hotel is only a short walk from the main square and it overlooks the Planty. Extremely clean and the staff are also very friendly and helpful. Buffet breakfast is varied and there is plenty of it. Would definately recommend this hotel.

Great Hotel close to the Old Town Square

The Monopol Hotel in Krakow is a very nice three star hotel, across from a tree lined street two blocks from the Old Town Square. The staff were very friendly and spoke english fairly well. Also the breakfast buffet was much bigger than other hotels.

I highly recommend this hotel.

Recommended

Myself and 2 friends stayed here for 3 nights recently. Although it is an old hotel , it had been recently renovated with modern facilities and decor. The room was large and airy and had 3 good sized separate beds. The bathroom had just a shower but had plenty of hot water at a good pressure and towels were changed every day. Windows were double glazed and soundproof (the tram runs past the hotel). The breakfast was very good and filling with ham, cheese, scrambled egg, sausage etc.

Good location, only 5 minutes walk to old square, also has a secure car park. The only criticism we had was the lack of a lift, so it would not be suitable for elderly or infirm.