Writing this up almost 12 months after the fact, things have begun to blur. Hopefully I can put on my best trip reporting glasses and regain focus as the one thing I remember more than anything else was the stunning view from our room.
Hotel: Intercontinental Warsaw
Room: King Classic Palace View High Floor – Room 3311 (3 Category Upgrade from Booked King Premium)
Status: Diamond Ambassador
Sometimes a room with a view is overrated, barely glanced at, a quick one for the ‘gram or Snap and on we go. Other times it contains the word “partial” which usually means 90% car park or air-conditioning unit and if you just about catch the right angle you can see a splash of blue sea, a twinkle of city light (sic), or perhaps a slither of temple. Over the years we’ve had some interesting ones, the now smashed fish tank in Berlin, the lights of Las Vegas, temples in India, a Sky Tree in Tokyo and a stunning bay view in Hiroshima. So, what did Intercontinental Warsaw have in store for us?
The Palace view in question was not a royal one, but the Palace of Culture & Science, a ‘gift of friendship’ from the Soviet Union completed in 1955 which was until very recently the tallest building in Poland. It is apparently also the most photographed and least loved by the locals.
Tired from a hard day of touristing, hotel hopping, and the wine we slept perfectly in our five star cocoon.
The day was in danger of getting away from us and as hard as it was to escape the hypnotic harp, comforting coffee, and the bountiful buffet we eventually made a break for it.
It was an absolutely glorious summers day and we made the slow walk through the new town towards Lazienki Park along with pretty much everybody else in Warsaw. However, the crowd had not gathered for the weather alone, they had also come for the music.
Restored in 2015 this former royal residence is now filled with art work and made for a very enjoyable hour or so of stepping back in time, marveling in the polished parquet flooring, chandeliers and moldings, imagining the discussions that took place between the walls across the ages.
We then visited the basement where we found the quite frightening Museum of Hunting and Horsemanship. Filled with an extensive collection of creatures great and small that had been stuffed and posed.
Anne-So hit the Gringo Bar for some Polish Tex Mex, it took a little while to arrive and cost very little but it was was well worth the wait (or perhaps weight). A huge salad with tortilla chips and all the toppings. Whilst this may have looked like a popular spot for the international crowd the lack of English translation and card payments kept it a more local affair, unlike the Time Out Market in Lisbon for example.
Having walked off our meal we returned to the hotel for what we thought might be a relaxing sunset swim in the pool. We were not the only ones… With the most famous view in Warsaw the Intercontinental hosts what can only be described as a Saturday night fashion shoot. Most didn’t brave the soup, having quickly dunked my head under and found zero visibility I can hardly blame them. Those lucky few who surrounded the prime spots on the water’s edge with just enough lycra to stay on the right side of decent whilst their well built other halves snapped away to the very last pout. Those less fortunate remained in the slop. After two attempts at swimming a lap we called it quits and did the only decent thing… Head for the decontamination chamber bar!
We rounded off our evening with a couple of cocktails from the hotel bar, +One.
If we had been less tired we probably could have stayed for another round, though the view from our room was better than that from the bar. Besides we had an early start the next day.
We particularly enjoyed watching the “biker gang” sat at an adjacent table who were the harpists number one fans. The joys of a luxury hotel breakfast buffet.
We got our stuff, went to check out only for their to be a snafu with the bill as our breakfast had been charged despite us handing over the card each morning stating it was complementary. I’m not sure what happened there but after some furious tapping and an apology we were on our way. For once I was glad I took the time to check on my bill. This brings the next instalment of our Polish adventure to an end as we had a train to catch!
Fly to Takeover the World 