Apartament Maki

HOTEL OVERVIEW

Look, I’ll be honest – when I first pulled up to Apartament Maki on Generała Boruty-Spiechowicza street, I wasn’t expecting much from a 3-star place. But you know what? Sometimes the rating stars don’t tell the whole story, and this little gem proved that pretty quickly.

The location is actually brilliant if you know Zakopane at all. You’re tucked away on this residential street that’s quiet enough to sleep properly (trust me, after dealing with the party crowds near Krupówki, you’ll appreciate this), but you can still walk to the main strip in about ten minutes. The building itself is one of those typical Zakopane structures – nothing fancy from the outside, but once you get inside, there’s this cozy mountain vibe that just works. The apartment I stayed in was surprisingly spacious, and I mean genuinely spacious, not that “cozy” marketing speak that usually means you can touch both walls at once. The kitchen was actually functional too – I managed to cook a proper breakfast with local kielbasa from the market on Krupówki, which honestly made the whole stay feel more authentic than just another hotel room.

What really got me though was how thoughtful everything felt. The owners clearly know what travelers actually need – there were extra blankets (and you’ll want them, even in summer the mountains get chilly), decent WiFi that didn’t cut out every five minutes, and parking right there which… well, if you’ve ever tried to park near the center of Zakopane during ski season, you’ll know that’s worth its weight in gold. The place stays pretty quiet even when it’s busy, probably because it attracts people who actually want to explore the Tatras rather than just party all night. I could hear the occasional conversation from the hallway, but nothing that kept me awake – which is more than I can say for some of the flashier places I’ve stayed in town. The whole setup just feels like someone’s paying attention to the details that matter, you know? Like having a proper shower with decent water pressure (surprisingly rare in some of these mountain apartments) and windows that actually open wide enough to let in that crisp Tatra air in the morning. It’s the kind of place where you can base yourself for hiking trips to Morskie Oko or day trips up the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch, then come back and actually relax instead of dealing with tourist trap chaos.