BALTHAZAR DESIGN HOTEL

A wonderful hotel, with excellent staff. We couldn't have asked for a better hotel on our trip to Krakow. The staff were amazing and couldn't do enough to make the stay memorable. The rooms are luxurious, cosy, and immaculately clean, with room service making everything perfect. The decor and ambience of the hotel is beautiful, and from the moment you step through the door you know you are going to love being in the rooms and general hotel areas. Nothing bad to say whatsoever, except a huge thank you to all reception, cleaning and management at the hotel for a fabulous stay. Also, thank you for the complimentary prosecco on new years eve, it was a nice gift and very much appreciated.

Probably the best hotel I've stayed in from an accomodation perspective. 5 stars for the room and what I needed most. I loved the arrival ameretto in my room and that we were walked to our room as well as shown our room by the staff. Very clean rooms, little bottles of soap, shampoo, mouthwash, exfoliating sponge, shower cap, lotion which is rare these days. I do wish they had make up removing cloths. Bathroom floors are warming. Location is great. Only hotel I found with 2 separate rooms but feels like an apartment because you are together and has 2 queen beds. Very hard to find 2 queen beds without buying 2 hotel rooms in Krakow. The breakfast at $33 a person ($100 for 3 people) is not worth it, go down the road to a pastry shop to get the same thing for a fraction of the cost. I wanted a drink from the "bar" one night and was told no, it could be brought to my room as room service which charges you a fee. They were booked which is why they couldn't accomodate my request. A bar is meant to walk up to and they did not have this. You have to sit at a table to have the drink and their tables are booked daily. If you want a drink you can have what's in the mini bar in your room or go down the road. Not ideal when u want a draft beer or glass of wine or martini once returning to your room.

Overall, I had a very pleasant stay at Balthazar Design Hotel, but I would not choose to return. The location is absolutely perfect — just a few minutes’ walk from Wawel Castle and many restaurants. The hotel has a beautiful, well-thought-out design and a strong sense of privacy. The interiors are stylish and distinctive. At first, the hotel may feel slightly dark or moody, but after a few hours you begin to appreciate this atmosphere. The dark corridors and interiors create a sense of intimacy and character, and over time this design starts to feel quite appealing. There are, however, several important points I would like to mention: 1. The room Even the Deluxe double room, despite its category, feels rather small and somewhat oppressive. For one person it is acceptable, but for two guests the space would be genuinely too tight and uncomfortable. The lack of space is noticeable — you feel squeezed between doors and furniture. I am not sure whether booking a suite would fully solve this issue. In addition, the room was quite cold, especially at night, and I felt uncomfortable while sleeping. On one of the days, I asked for a heater at the reception. The young man at the front desk handed it to me and said that I could take it to my room myself. This meant carrying the heater alone, using the elevator, and bringing it to the room without any assistance 🫣 For a five-star hotel, this was surprising. I would expect such a request to be handled by staff delivering the heater directly to the room. This detail noticeably affected my overall impression of the service. 2. Breakfast service The breakfasts themselves are excellent — very tasty, well presented, and of high quality. On the first morning, everything was perfect: the restaurant was completely empty, the service was calm and attentive, and I enjoyed a very pleasant breakfast alone. On the second morning, however, the experience changed. There were only two tables occupied in the restaurant, and it was about 15 minutes before the breakfast area closed. I sat at the same table as the day before but was asked how many people I was dining with (😅) and then asked to move because the table was intended for four people — despite the restaurant being almost empty. This was quite surprising and unpleasant. Starting the day this way is not what one expects from a five-star hotel. In my opinion, especially in an almost empty restaurant, a guest should first be welcomed with a simple “Good morning, how are you?” before any other questions. Guests should also be allowed to choose a preferred table. Unfortunately, this moment noticeably affected my mood and diminished my overall enjoyment of the hotel compared to the first day. Positive note 😀 After the unpleasant breakfast experience, I would like to especially mention Alina from Room Service, a Ukrainian staff member. She was exceptionally kind, understanding, and genuinely surprised by the situation as well. It was very pleasant to talk to her — she was supportive and filled the moment with positive energy. I truly appreciated her warmth and professionalism. 3. Housekeeping On several days, shortly after breakfast while I was resting in my room, there were unexpected knocks on the door from housekeeping. For a small five-star boutique hotel, this felt unusual. I would expect housekeeping to be better coordinated with guest presence in order to avoid disturbing guests’ rest. This was somewhat disruptive. ⸻ Overall, Balthazar is a very beautiful and well-located hotel with great design, but certain service details can significantly influence the guest experience.

We really liked this hotel. We initially chose it for the location since our family was staying nearby, but it turned out to be a great stay on its own. We booked a double room for two nights in September through Agoda. The layout didn’t match the photos on Agoda's website. Our room was smaller, but it included everything that was listed. The room has carpet, which I don’t personally prefer for hygienic reasons, but it was spotless and slippers were provided. There was only one luggage rack. If you are traveling with more than one bag, I would recommend asking for an extra so you don’t have to situate your luggage on the carpet. The room had all the details I appreciate: coatrack hooks at the entrance, windows that opened to Grodzka Street, a Nespresso machine with porcelain cups and glassware, a table and chair, and an iron with ironing board. No Chromecast, no turndown service. Housekeeping was perfect. Each day the room was cleaned and refreshed with two bottles of water, a weather forecast, and a short story on the table. On arrival, there were two caramels on the pillows. Those thoughtful details never fail to charm me 😊. The mattress was extremely comfortable. The pillows were flat, but that was the case at other hotels we stayed at in Kraków. The air-conditioning worked perfectly and was quiet. The bathroom had Molton Brown toiletries, washcloths, and plenty of hooks for hanging things. The only thing I didn’t like was the shower, which was a shower wand without an overhead option. We didn’t have time to try the restaurant, but I wish we had. The menu and pictures I found online looked really delicious. Overall, Balthazar Design Hotel was the nicest experience. Highly recommend.

Just got back after spending 3 nights here in room 202. Have to say the room was lovely decor fantastic,little drinks area, nice fireplace, Molton brown toiletries,, lovely bedding & dressing gowns , fantastic central location. Staff were outstanding. So if your considering a long or short stay to krakow this place is a must 😎🤝💯

This charming boutique hotel exceeded our expectations! The service, cleanliness and attention to detail was incredible. It’s situated in the cutest part of old town on one of the main streets with an awesome view of the basilica & cobblestone street just a 2 minute walk to the castle.. Also, the hotel restaurant FIORENTINA was one of the best on our one month vacation throughout three different countries in Europe. The service and food were outstanding and we only wished we would have eaten there again prior to leaving. Fiorintina is a must! We will definitely be back and recommend this hotel to friends!

This is slightly tough to review. This is a very expensive hotel in many ways but is it good value? The rooms are lovely, well appointed and they don't skimp on the little things that make s difference. (Oh my goodness, the towels.... If only I could find out where they buy them!). Service is unquestionably good. I would actually describe my experience as faultless. I'm not a big fan of the breakfast approach however. The restaurant attached to the hotel, which I'll review separately, produces excellent food but it's a little like they try too hard. Breakfast should be simple in my view. And yes that's quite a minor point... You don't have to have breakfast there. I found the location excellent. It's the edge of the old town but only a five minute walk to the centre and Sukiennice. Do i recommend it? Yes, because you actually get what you pay for.

Nothing but great things to say!! Breakfast is a la carte. I love the location of their hotel. They will even walk to you to the taxi since it's not right in front of their hotel. The food was lovely. The restaurant had the best foie gras I've had in my life! We got the 2 bedroom suite which if you can afford has mouthwash and loofahs. When we switched to the sunroof room, it was so cozy and nice with all the light that came in. The location was excellent right in old town with the castle right there. The restaurant is a great place to sit and watch passerbyes. I'd give this place 6/5 if possible. And I don't give that lightly. One of 2 favorite hotels in my 18 day trip through Helsinki, Vilnius, Krakow, Warsaw, and Bydgoszcz :)