Hotel Grodek by Vitali Vitaliev

Tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac in the very centre of historic Krakow, next to the medieval Dominican convent, Grodek is a brand-new (opened September 2005) 4-star boutique hotel, one of the four small Krakow hotels owned by Donimirski Boutique Hotels Group. It is an oasis of comfort and calm, just a couple of minutes walk from the hustle-and-bustle of Krakow’s Market Square.

The interior of this three-storey late-baroque building is rather eclectic, at times bordering on kitsch: a mixture of ultra-modern and pseudo-Renaissance décor, dotted with quasi-antique statues and imitation Victorian fire places. There is a well-kept winter garden under modernistic vaulted skylights.

Grodek is a very quiet place, out of reach of street noises, with soft spoken, almost subdued staff. The service in the hotel’s aptly named Cul De Sac international-cuisine restaurant in the basement is rather subdued (slow and impersonal), too. But the food (both the quality and the presentation) is simply superb, even if the names of the dishes sound somewhat peculiar in English.

You can start with (as per the menu) “Tomato composition with snails and mushroom stuffing in aroma of herbs” to be followed by “Pumpkin cream with ricotta cheese noodles” (the word “soup” has obviously gone missing somewhere here) and “Pheasant fillet served on savoy leaves” as the main course. The meal can be consummated with an enigmatically named, yet absolutely delicious, “Semifreddo in aroma of celery and lime”. Most importantly, however, a 4-course exquisite candle-light dinner for two (with wine) will cost you no more than a standard Pizza Hut buffet meal in London!

The rooms
The twenty odd rooms are all different in character and rather cosy. They are all air-conditioned – a rather unusual feature for Krakow and the whole of Poland, and their colour design ranges from soft aquamarine to relaxing light-brown.