We stayed at the Hotel Ester for 2 nights in early March after reading some good reviews on this site. The hotel lived up to our expectations and we got exactly what we had hoped for.

The room was very large comfy with views of the square. The decor was in good order and the bathroom was nicely fitted out, cleand and in good condition. Just one word on caution if you book a room with a view of the square, our room was obviously a family room with a inter-connecting door to the next room. Bascially you can hear everything, and I mean everything in the next door room, ths is not a criticism as we requested a room with a view of the square , merely and observation. The staff at the hotel were very friendly and the food was of a good dtandard, we only had breakfast and we had no complaints!


The hotel itself is well situated in the Jewish quarter within minutes of several excellent restaurants and bars. The town centre is around a 15 -20 minute walk.

One tip for Aushwitz, please go independently and use the local bus services and leave early , around 8 am is a good time as you will have the place to yourself without having to fight your way around with 500 other people. The bus service is quick and cheap and you get it from underneath the train station. You can buy a guide book for around 1 or 2 punds at the site and walk your way around, all the signage is in English also and personally speaking you can absorb the whole place in your own time - what an emotional place it is. The second site Birkenau is about a 20 minute walk from the main site at Aushwitz, or you can take the shuttle bus which only seemed to run every hour, in MArch anyway. any questions please feel free to ask. Overall we had a great stay in Krakow and would recommend it highly.

Ester Hotel overlooks nice square in Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter. Loads of nice bars/restaurants round the square and adjacent area and easy 10 mins walk to Rynek Glowny past Wawel Castle. Hotel staff extremely friendly and helpful-providing maps/phoning taxis etc. First floor corner room was massive with windows onto square-decor was fresh, clean, stylishly minimal with comfy beds and flat screen tv. Bathroom was especially high spec and modern. Overall I'd definately recommend this hotel and location to stay in Krakow
P.S. Pimiento Argentino Grill on Ul. Jozefa(literally across the square)does brilliant steaks-definately worth a visit!

We have just returned from a four night stay in the Ester and would recommend it. It is located about 15 minutes walk from the Old Town in a quiet and very historic part of the city. The staff were very friendly and helpful and spoke excellent English. The room was smallish but clean, very warm and the beds were really comfy, which was brilliant as we were exhausted every evening after walking so much. There was an excellent Italian two minutes walk away, called Pizzy Fabriky - if you fancy a change from Polish food. Breakfast was ok. Cooked breakfasts are available on request. The only tiny niggle we had was that our room was directly above the dining room and even though we couldn't hear talking or music, every time somebody moved a chair it scraped along the floor and was very annoying. But that's not a big deal really. On the last day I booked a massage which was very reasonably priced and I would really recommend it.

Great location easy stroll to main sights aswell as all the bars / cafes of the Jewish quater. Very friendly helpful staff, imaculatly clean rooms with better than average decor throughout. Large selection at breakfast, all great will go back