Royal Hotel & SPA Białystok Guide and Review
The Royal Hotel & SPA Białystok, located in Białystok, Poland, is primarily designated as a casino, though the available user reviews focus predominantly on its hotel, spa, and dining facilities. This review synthesizes guest experiences to provide a comprehensive overview of what visitors can expect beyond the gambling floor.
General Impression & Ambiance
Opinions on the hotel's overall ambiance are somewhat divided. While some guests describe it as a "posh hotel" with an elegant feel and a pleasant scent throughout, others found it "quite outdated," suggesting it might not fully meet the standards of a modern 5-star establishment. One reviewer noted it felt "not more than 4* in reality," indicating areas where a refresh could be beneficial.
Guest Rooms & Comfort 🛏️
The accommodation generally receives high praise. Rooms are consistently described as excellent, well-appointed, clean, and very comfortable. Guests highlighted the "very comfortable" beds and "generous size" bathrooms. The furniture is noted for being "deliberate and functional, yet elegant." A singular negative comment mentioned a "strange smell" in the room, but this appears to be an isolated incident.
Dining: The Breakfast Debate 🍳
Breakfast at the Royal Hotel & SPA is perhaps the most polarising aspect of guest feedback:
- Highly Positive Experiences: Many guests lauded the breakfast buffet as "AMAZING" and "one of a kind." Specific highlights include:
- Express-prepared eggs or omelettes made to order.
- An impressive selection of freshly squeezed juices, with the unique option to pick your own fruits and vegetables for custom blends.
- A wide variety of fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries), different pastries, "hearty creams," and other delicacies.
- A generous spread of local cold cuts and homemade bread.
- A Starkly Negative Experience: In contrast, one reviewer described the breakfast as "awful" with a "poor choice." This guest reported issues with food freshness, including "strange smell" sausages, "dry" cheese, vegetables that "seemed to be outside several days," and even "smb’s hair inside of the croissant," leading them to leave "hungry" despite paying a significant amount for their stay.
This sharp discrepancy suggests either inconsistencies in breakfast quality or a particularly unfortunate experience for one guest.
Spa & Wellness 🧖♀️
The hotel's SPA area is well-regarded by guests. It is characterized as "small but cosy," providing a tranquil escape. Visitors often found themselves "absolutely alone" during their visits, especially around 6 PM, which contributed to a very relaxing atmosphere. The spa also offers a "great view" and provides various treatments, with massage prices being noted by one guest.
Brewpub & Bar 🍺
For those interested in beverages, the hotel houses a "posh hotel brewpub." It features a "lovely shiny brewkit" and boasts a "bigger range of beer than I'd expected on tap." While the beer selection is described as "fairly safe," specific options like the bison grass pale and imperial stout were highlighted as "pretty good." The bar staff also received commendation for being "very good."
Location & Accessibility 📍
The hotel's location is consistently praised as "great." Situated "in the middle of the centre," it offers easy access to numerous surrounding restaurants, cafes, and their terraces, making it convenient for exploring Białystok. Its proximity to the main train station is also a significant advantage, being "max. 5 mins walk" by bus.
Parking Options 🅿️
Guests appreciate the flexibility of parking at the hotel:
- Free parking is available.
- A secured parking option is also offered for approximately €10 per day.
Staff & Service 👋
A consistent highlight across reviews is the hotel staff. They are repeatedly described as "super friendly," "very friendly," and "helpful." This high level of service significantly enhances the guest experience and contributes to the hotel's positive reputation.
Value for Money 💰
Value for money receives mixed signals due to the breakfast controversy. While one guest felt their €170 payment was poor value given the breakfast issues, others found the pricing (e.g., around €70 per night without breakfast) to be reasonable for the comfortable rooms, amenities, and excellent service. For most, the quality of stay justifies the cost, particularly if the breakfast experience aligns with the positive reviews.
Conclusion
The Royal Hotel & SPA Białystok, while primarily a casino (an aspect not covered in the provided reviews), offers a largely positive experience as a hotel and spa. It stands out for its comfortable and clean rooms, excellent staff, and convenient central location. The spa facilities, though small, provide a relaxing environment. The brewpub is an unexpected bonus for beer lovers. The main point of contention lies with breakfast quality, which appears to be inconsistent or subject to individual taste. Despite this, the overwhelming majority of feedback is positive, making it a hotel many would "warmly recommend" for both leisure and business stays in Białystok, and often express a desire to return.
In reality the hotel is not more than 4*, it is quite outdated. Room was clean but with the strange smell.The breakfast was awful - poor choice - I really don’t know who likes the salads with mayonnaise for breakfast.Anyway all food looked not so fresh - the sausages had strange smell, the cheese was dry on the borders, the vegetables seemed to be outside several days, it was smb’s hair inside of the croissant So we paid 170 euro and left hungry .
Typical posh hotel brewpub, mainly aimed at diners, with a lovely shiny brewkit. Bigger range of beer than I'd expected on tap, all fairly safe (as these places are) but the bison grass pale and imperial stout were pretty good. Barstaff were very good.
What a nice hotel indeed. There is free parking available but also a secured parking for about 10 EUR/day. The Spa area was small but cosy. When I visited around 6 pm I was absolutely alone. The rooms are well-appointed and the sleep is comfy. The breakfast is one of a kind with express-prepared eggs (or omelette) and freshly squeezed juice, plus tens of local cold cuts, homemade bread and so on. I would warmly recommend this hotel for business stay.
I wish I could give them 6 stars. Super friendly staff. Great room, nice spa area with a great view. More importantly the breakfast buffet was AMAZING 😍 Fresh blueberries, raspberries, different pastries, different hearty creams and delicacies AND freshly made juices according to your wish. You could pick whatever fruit/vegi available and they've made fresh juice for you. Really nice hotel. The restaurant was also great. I took a photo of massage prices 👍The location is also great 👍The hotel smells great too.Nice hotel and I'll be definitely staying with them whenever I go back to this city.
We booked 2 nights in this hotel, one on our way to Lithuania and one the way back to Germany. From the main train station by bus no. 2 or 4 it is max. 5 mins walk to the hotel. The rooms are excellent and offer all the amenities you need. The beds are very comfortable, the bathroom is of generous size and all together it is very clean and comfortable. The furniture is deliberate and functional, yet elegant. The staff is very friendly and helpful. All in all we spent 2 pleasant and relaxing nights for about 70€/ea without breakfast in this hotel, situated in the middle of the centre, surrounded by restaurants, cafés and their terraces. We highly recommend this hotel and now we know that the city Bialystok is worth a trip as well, not just for transit.