Having never been to Poland before, we weren't sure what to expect. However, nothing was too much trouble for the staff at the Pod Orlem. They directed us to the old town to have something to eat, they gave us directions to the company that we were visiting and they even allowed us to stay in our room (no extra charge) until 4pm the following day as we had a late flight. The hotel staff were courteous and even took time out to teach me a little Polish in readiness for our business meeting. We found an equally impressive restaurant "Gallery" in the Old Town, which had plenty of food for vegetarians - something that wasn't common in Bydgoszcz and also a friendly little bar "Bar Text" whose barmaid spoke pretty good English and the lager was 85p per pint! All highly recommended!

Just got back from 3 nights at Pod Orlem Hotel. Breakfast was excellent - lots of choice and very high quality. Bedroom was in the front of the hotel overlooking the main street. Bathrobe, slippers and chocolate on the pillow! Tea making facilities in the room. Only Sky News available in English on the TV. Terrible din from some club/disco nearby (thump thump thump at 4am each morning) Reception offered to move us but we decided to stay put. Staircase has o be one of the grandest experienced - lots of gilt. All in all a very nice experience.

We have just returned from a long weekend at the Pod Orlem. We visited with around 25 friends who were attending our friend's wedding to a local girl. Hence the location was Bydgoszcz. The airport is 5 mins from the hotel, but this may take 30 mins due to the roadworks near the airport. The hotel is very nice and is in a central part of the town. The rooms are nice and clean and the breakfast is usual "foreign" buffet style. However, despite this being a 4star hotel there are no tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms and the bar does not open til 7pm, so you have to leave the hotel if you want a coffee or a beer before 7pm. Even though we were stopping at the hotel "en mass", there were no exceptions to us residents. The reception staff are the only people who speak English, and even had to take our order in the restaurant. Bydgoszcz itself is exactly how I would descibe an old Eastern block city - there are shops, bars and restaurants - the majority in the square over the river - but it appears a tired old city with tower blocks sprawling all over it's outskirts and beggars on the streets. It is also very, very Polish i.e. no-one speaks English, we only found 2 restaurants with English translations, so unless you know Polish, you may struggle. It is a very cheap place to visit, and extremely cheap whilst you are there. We had a great time as there were a lot of us to entertain each other, but apart from cheap beer, Bydgoszcz offers very little to the tourist. There is a large park and zoo on the outshirts of town if you fancy a walk - although it is only accessible by taxi and this is a thrill ride in itself! We did find a very nice restaurant in the park, though we couldn't order even a drink as we were told there were no tables and we had to book. As mentioned, we had a great time, but don't expect too much from Bydgoszcz.

Ich buchte dieses Hotel für ein langes Wochenende Ende April diesen Jahres. Das Personal ist freundlich, einladend und sprich English - Housekeeping und Unterhalt in diesem gut geführten Hotel waren auf hohem Niveau. Zentral gelegen, nur ein paar Minuten vom Flughafen und der Haltestelle der wichtigsten Zugverbindung entfernt, ist dies ein schönes, historisches Gebäude, das wunderschön in ein Juwel von einem Hotel verwandelt worden ist. Während meines Aufenthaltes fanden hier zwei Hochzeiten statt. Dieses Reiseziel ist auf jeden Fall einen Besuch wert und die örtlichen Kneipen und Restaurants muss man einfach einmal besucht haben - ich war in der Zentrum Bar gegenüber vom Hotel und dem unglaublich preiswerten, benachbarte Restaurant Manekin. Das Hotel hat ein gutes Frühstücksbüfett am Morgen und eine Bar, die all die richtigen Biere anbietet, gezapft und aus der Flasche (aber die Bar könnte eine Generalüberholung und eine bessere Sitzeinteilung vertragen). Dennoch, das Aquarium hat eine beruhigende Wirkung. Ein Besuch an der Küste zu dem kaum bekannten Küstenresort von Sopot, Gdansk und schließlich Torum sind alle einen Besuch wert. Bydgoszcz wird bald das neue Prag werden. Sieh dir diesen Ort an und probier es aus.

Checked into the hotel for a long weekend at the end of April this year. Friendly and welcoming, English speaking staff and a good standard of housekeeping and maintenance in this well run hotel. Centrally located just a few minutes from the airport and mainline train station, this is a beautiful, historic building beautifully converted into a gem of a hotel. Two weddings were taking place in the hotel while I was there. This destination is well worth a visit and the local bars and restaurants must be sampled - I tried the Zentrum bar opposite the hotel and the amazingly well priced Manekin restaurant close by. The hotel has a good breakfast buffet in the mornings and bar which has all the right beers available on tap and in bottles (but the bar could do with a refit and better seating arrangement). Still the aquatic fish tank gives a soothing effect. A visit to the coast to the little know seaside resort of Sopot, Gdansk and finally Torun are all well worth a visit. Bydgoszcz will soon become the new Prague. Watch this space and give it a try.