"We stayed in Hostel Gothyk on St. Mary's Street (I cant think of it in Polish right now) right beside the Basilica of The Blessed Virgin Mary, right in the heart of the old town of Gdansk. It seemed to be a newly renovated bed and breakfast building, with gothic features such as replica doors. It had two single beds and a TV with a simple place to put your belongings. The en-suite shower room was wonderful, fully tiled, while the bedroom, was basic but comfortable with 2 small armchairs for relaxing.
Breakfast was served on the top front step, just outside the front door. This caused us some amusement as there were only 2 tables although we reckoned there were about 10 guest bedrooms, if someone was having breakfast you just had to wait your turn, also we wondered what they did if their was a downpour of rain. Thankfully that didnt happen during our visit.
The main advantage to our abode for our 3 night stay was its location right in the heart of the action - the busy Dulga Street, with its streetside cafes and bars, its wonderful architecture, pedestrianised walkways. Our street was the Oxford street of tourist shopping with stalls outside most buildings selling local amber from the Baltic Sea, silk goods, handmade jewellery, ceramics, handmade clothes. This area has a lovely atmosphere, with 4/5 story buildings dating from the middle ages, all renovated, all the streets have been re-cobbled, bringing an authenticity to the medieval feel of the city. From Hostel Gothyk at about 200 metres was the harbour, with a view of all the traditional grain barns, many of which have been redeveloped into excellent hotels and concert halls.
I found Gdansk to be a riot of colour in May 07. All the shops, cafes and restaurants were adorned with trailing geraniums and other flowers in a variety of colours, giving a welcoming glow to the establishments. At night they were lit up with outdoor lighting, adding to their appeal - thats if the Polish beer and Vodka were not appealing enough! The food was also very tasty and satisfying and the prices were fantastic for us Irish.
For location alone, this is a great B and B.
Of course we had the advantage of arranging our trip through a Polish tour operator, which accounted for the excellent location, and also our wonderful guide for 2 days, Jolanta Jarosz-Stachura who knows everything there is to know about the Tricities of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot. She has excellent English and could not have been more helpful to us.
This was my second trip to Poland and I am looking forward to many more and exploring all the country has to offer." | anne Heffernan
Ireland
Jun.28.2007
Overall rating 4/5 |
