Poland & Berlin: Part 6 - Day 6: Thermal bath

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 6.

26/7 Day 6: Arrived in Zakopane. Took thermal bath. 

Costs
(A) Food
(1) Buffet breakfast in Hotel Zakopianskie - PLN40 per person / SEK104,56
(2) Lunch at Zakopianska restaurant - Salad with smoked trout PLN49, apple juice PLN12, cappucino PLN16, shared 10% service fee PLN28. Total PLN86,33 / SEK225,66
(3) Dinner at Gugu Park - Zurek soup PLN22, cabbage fried (similar to sauerkraut) with bacon PLN12, red currant juice PLN9, slice of cheesecake PLN19, espresso PLN9. Total PLN71 / SEK185,59

(B) Accommodation and activity 
(4) Thermal bath at Termie Zakopianskie - 2.5 hours for PLN65 per person / SEK169,90

(5) 1 night in Hotel Kwatera Górska 903mnpm (booked from Booking.com as there are not much Airbnb options in Zakopane) - SEK989 for 3 persons. SEK330 per person.

The Story

26072023: Yay, we arrived safely in Zakopane! The train ride was smooth and we were happy with it. The walk to town took about 30 minutes. There was not much activity yet in town as it was only 7am. It was difficult to find a cafe that suits my travel companions' palates. We stopped at two places but they were getting ready.

Finally, we decided a buffet breakfast in a hotel. A very simple breakfast. I was not very hungry as I was tired from the train ride but I ate sufficient.

We had a problem checking into our accommodation. First, it started to rain by 9am and the rain got very heavy. We went to our hotel (there are not much options for Airbnb in Zakopane) and the front door was locked. We walked around the area and saw a couple having breakfast who opened the door for us to let us wait inside. The husband messaged the owner about our arrival and she said she will contact us but she did not. I messaged her via Booking.com and her private number but no reply. So, an hour later, my boyfriend and I went out in the heavy rain to look for options to store our backpacks while we wait for the check-in time at 4pm. I had messaged the owner when I booked the accommodation if we could store our backpacks in the hotel as we will arrive early and she said yes. We had our raincoats with us so it was not very horrible in the rain. We visited the lodgings across the road and the lodgings were unmanned. I supposed everyone uses a code to enter. Finally, we went to the lodging next to our hotel, and guess what, the receptionist manages the hotel that we booked! Phew! So, she gave us the code and informed us that we could store our backpacks in the kitchen. 

Gosh, I was annoyed with the owner. I suppose the locals here are laid-back and don't care about the guests as the hotel owners are never short of tourists during summer and winter. Zakopane is a mountaineous area - famous for hiking during summer and skiing during winter. 

We left our backpacks in the kitchen and walked out in the downpour to town. We could not hike. We did not want to visit museums. So, we went to a thermal bath facility. It was HUGE! Someone must have seen this business opportunity when they realised that tourists needed to go somewhere when it is pouring. There was a very long queue to the counter. Everyone had the same idea to spend the day here. We booked a 2.5 hour pass and we had a good time with the thermal bath with the cold rain pouring over us but our bodies were soaked in hot water. The outdoor thermal pool was at 38 degrees and filled with minerals such as calcium, natrium, sulfur, magnesium, potassium and silicon. The skin felt so smooth. It was a huge difference when we dipped ourselves in a chlorine-filled hot pool. The skin felt very dry in the water. 

We went to a random restaurant to have lunch. The appetiser here is not free as we paid for 10% service fee which is stated on the receipt. 

Nice that our coffee comes with a cookie.

After lunch, we checked into our room. It was a room on the attic. Very spacious and we watched tv while we waited for dinner time. It was still raining so we were not keen to be outside. The toilet was small and it was quite cramp in the shower room. 

The drying rack did not work. I hung my socks there to dry but my socks were not dry.

One could have coffee or tea so I took tea while my travel companions took a nap.

For dinner, we planned to go to Bokowo Zohyllina Wyznio restaurant but it was fully booked. My travel companions wanted to eat in the restaurant as there was live folk music and the atmosphere was lovely. One could wait until a table is free but we were not keen to wait under the rain, hungry. So, we settled for the restaurant in Gugu Park which was 80 meters away. Gugu Park is a park filled with sports equipment and outdoor activities. Certainly a good place for families with kids who are not keen to hike Zakopane mountains. Once again, the locals here have thought well on the different categories of customers. 

Here, I had zurek soup and sauerkraut. For dessert, I had cheesecake and espresso. I thought the milk used in cheesecake is the milk from the goats in the area as Zakopane is famous for its goats' cheese. But it is not. It is cows' milk. 

The pierogi filled with meat was really delicious. My boyfriend had this.

During dinner, we saw two deers entered the restaurant compound and the diners got excited. Me too, included. Haha! Well, I have seen lots of deers in Sweden so I was not too excited. In Swedish, this is called hjort. There are many kinds of deers but I do not know the specific name for this type of deer. 

It stopped raining after dinner. Today, it had rained 25mm!