Apartament IVONA Grabiszynska

The location is what really sold me – and no, I don’t just mean “central.” It’s literally a five-minute walk to the Rynek, but here’s the thing: you’re actually on a proper street where people live, not crammed into some hotel corridor. There’s a brilliant little bakery called Piekarnia Chlebeka right around the corner that serves the most incredible rye bread sandwiches, and if you head toward the river, you’ll pass these gorgeous tenement buildings that most visitors never see. The apartment itself was spotless, which sounds basic but isn’t always guaranteed. The host met me there around 3 PM – super relaxed about timing, which I appreciated – and gave me one of those handwritten notes with wifi codes and restaurant recommendations, all in Polish and English.

Now, let’s be real for a second. It’s a third-floor place, and while the rating’s 8.9, that’s because a few people probably expected something more polished or whatever. This is Wrocław, not Zurich. The mattress was perfectly fine, though I did notice some street noise in the morning – mostly just the sound of the tram and people heading to work, nothing crazy. The kitchenette was actually way better than I expected, with real pans and not just those flimsy hotel ones. I ended up making coffee every morning while looking out at the street below, watching the neighborhood slowly come alive. There’s street parking available if you’re driving, but honestly, you’re better off just walking or taking the tram from wherever you park outside the city center. The whole vibe here is exactly what I look for when I travel – you know, that feeling of being somewhere authentic rather than just staying somewhere that feels designed for tourists.