Balthazar Design Hotel

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.

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.

We stayed for 2 nights to enjoy the Christmas market and for my husband’s birthday. The stay was fantastic. Highly recommend this hotel. The team are incredibly helpful and friendly. A nice touch was leaving a bottle a prosecco and a …