Willa Wisienka W Zakopanem Guest House Zakopane Poland. Best Hotel Deals & Reviews

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Based on 2 reviews

Date of Stay: February, 2009

We are family with 3 children and we've travelled and holidayed around many parts of Europe but I can safely say we have never encountered such a bizarre, cruel and rude hotel owner in all our years of travel. The correspondence we had with the owner when booking our accommodation detailed a 2 roomed apartment and the price. But upon arrival, the 5 of us we were shown to a room with a double bed. We were given some more bedding to rig up a bed from the sofa, but that still left one of us with no where to sleep. The owner demanded our passports and then insisted upon us paying in full there and then. I hadn't even got my coat off !!! We quickly realised his rush was to ensure we hadn't the time to see the near doubling of our bill. He then held our passports as a ransom, until we paid his new price. Luckily we had been to Zakopane before and knew the area and other places to stay. Unfortunately though our children were witness to some very upsetting and worrying scenes as we had to involve the Polish Police in recovering our passports. The Police were fantastic and helped us pack and change hotels. They were baffled as to the man's behaviour and were amazing in their handling of this deranged man, who thought he was above the law and could lie and cheat his customers and then happily see 3 young children out on the street. Please think very carefully before making a reservation at Willa Wisienka, and if you do go, don't hand over your passports !!!

Date of Stay: February, 2009

I would like to say that the stress that the owner of this place caused my family and friends has never been equalled on any holiday I have ever taken and I sincerely hope ever will take in the future. We were quoted a price for two 2 room apartments that would both sleep 5 / 6 people. We paid a deposit based on the quote for 2 nights inc breakfast. On arrival one half of party (4 families in total) were accommodated at the address we had been given at booking while the other 2 families waited outside (a good 15mins in minus 10) scanning the other buildings to see which one was ours. Two car trips and about 45 mins later we were taken into our accommodation 1.5 km away. We were given one room that slept 4 people (on a double bed and a sofa) and two twin rooms opposite each other across the corridor. There were nine of us (4 adults and 5 children) and there were only 3 beds made up so we had to sort out ourselves, who was where and make our own beds. We found no satisfactory way to sleep all nine without splitting one family across a corridor (adult /child - adult /child) and have a six year old sleeping on cushions on the floor, as there was no bed. We were unable to establish from the owner where our 2 room apartments were. We were tired, cold and just wanted to get comfortable. Unfortunately we were not helped get warm as the rooms were below 15 degrees C. We had a baby monitor with us that displays temp and it did not reach the lowest reading of 15. The radiators were barely warm. We asked about this and were told that the German boiler is set at 21 degrees and cannot be altered. So the boiler room and first floor seemed to be a toasty 21 whereas we barely got warm enough to take our socks and fleeces off. At some point during our arrival we handed over all 4 of the adult passports to the owner not thinking we would have to involve the police to get them back later on. Breakfast was not served at our villa, we had to be collected at a pre arranged time and taken in convoy to the other building. Not great on a skiing holiday when you need to get all your cold weather gear on and pack your bags for the family, for the day, just to go for breakfast. So the next morning only one family wanted breakfast and we were collected by the owner. After breakfast he wanted to arrange payment. His English was not good and a group of girls staying at the main building acted as interpreters at his request. I explained that we had paid for the previous and following night so we would pay the balance when we had sorted out our queries which were: Why had we not got the apartments we had booked and confirmed by email? No reply Why was it so cold in the rooms? The boiler is set at 21 degrees and cannot be changed. (the equivalent of no reply as he was not at this stage open to investigating the cold rooms or radiators) We requested 2 camp beds so that the family of 5 did not have a child sleeping on cushions and the family of 4 could all sleep in same, small twin room with single bed couch. I told him I was not happy on many levels (distance from friends, no 2 room apartments, cold, breakfast 1.5km away etc) but if the camp beds were put in place we would be satisfied. He agreed to the camp beds and then wrote down what we owed him on a scrap of paper. All this took up a good hour of our first morning, after breakfast, meaning we did not leave for the day till gone 11am. Camp beds were in place that eve. The next morning both exiled families were convoyed to breakfast. The coldness, of the large room in particular, was again broached as we realised that as well as not get warm, we could not dry our wet ski gear for the next day. My friends were informed that a plumber would check their cold radiator that day. My friend was also then informed of the balance of payment due. She realised that this did not correspond to the quote and, through his computer translator, was extremely frustrated and rebuffed by his rudeness and disregard for the contract we had agreed. We had a copy of the booking confirmation and he ignored it. This again took over an hour of our holiday time after breakfast and left my friend most distressed that he was seemingly putting up the price now that we had arrived. We discussed this later that morning and were advised by our Polish friends that we had a contract and he should honour it. That evening he came to our accommodation and had with him another guest to act as interpreter. Myself, and an adult from the other family had our money to pay him. He did not want to accept the rate he had confirmed at time of booking. His explanation was that the price had gone up now so we should pay what he said. We stuck to our booking confirmation that we had in our hand for all to see. We seemed also to have the sympathy of the interpreter who was in an awkward position. He explained to Miroslaw (owner) that he could not put price up after confirming booking and accepting deposit. This man goes by his own laws however and it took about 45 minutes of very unpleasant intimidation on his part before he reluctantly accepted our payment, in cash, with climate tax on top (which if you read his website is included in the price). After accepting our payment he went up the stairs to our rooms and demanded we give him the key to the room that we were not sleeping in back to him as "we had not paid for it.”. He had no thought of how frightened the children might be when he came shouting and raging up the corridor. So he left us in peace, cold peace as the plumber had not materialised. So we hoped that would be the end of it. We had no need to deal with him again; we could enjoy the rest of our holiday. However my family had booked breakfast for the next morning, but don’t worry that would be the opportunity to get back our passports! When he collected us the next morning he came up to our rooms and insisted that I bring my book with workings out in it from the night before. I felt sick by now. I was barely out of bed and dressed and he was bullying me again. I took the book and got in the car with my family. We arrived at Wisienka breakfast site and before we got out of the car he accused us of not paying the correct climate tax. He wanted the equivalent of another £12. I showed him my workings out and it seemed it was a lot of fuss and peevishness from a man who was wrong. I got no apology but he admitted his mistake. Then to breakfast: After breakfast which if anyone is still reading this you can imagine how I had no appetite, I went to retrieve the passports. Then the whole group were off to the Aqua Park in Zakopane (highly recommended). He decided against giving us our passports back stating it was Polish Touristic Law and he could keep them till we left. I mentioned EU law and that what he was doing was illegal but his hotel it seemed is not in the EU. After conversation with a Polish friend who also spoke to him on the phone, but got nowhere, we were advised to call the police. We did and when they arrived they informed him that he had to give back our passports. They also advised us that we would have a better time somewhere else. We were told he would give us back the money owed and our passports if we left. So the police left satisfied they had sorted the problem and we were driven back to our digs to pack. The police were called again when he showed no inclination to keep his side of the bargain and they stayed till we got our stuff and were off the premises. Hurrah. It was with the greatest relief we got into a taxi, the driver of which had rooms. We had nothing to lose we were homeless so we checked them out; they were great, just what we required. Lovely place and lovely people, very well situated, everything we hoped for and our holiday then really began. We have been to Zakopane before and will go again, we love it. However if Wisienka is the only place with rooms? FORGET IT.

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See Photos	User Rating 1.0 out of 5 See 2 reviews Willa Wisienka W Zakopanem Guest House Zakopane [] Ul. Broniewskiego 4B Zakopane, Poland
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