Willa Joanna

HOTEL OVERVIEW

You know what caught me off guard about Willa Joanna? I honestly wasn’t expecting much from a 3-star place on Salwatoriańska – I mean, it’s not exactly the main drag in Zakopane – but this little guesthouse totally surprised me. The building itself has that classic Podhale mountain style, but without all the touristy kitsch you see everywhere else in town. When I first walked in, there was this warm pine smell mixed with something like fresh bread coming from somewhere, and the owner (I think it was Joanna herself, actually) greeted me like I was staying at her actual house.

The location is honestly perfect if you know Zakopane at all. You’re about a 10-minute walk from Krupówki – close enough that you can stumble back after trying too many oscypek samples and local beer, but far enough that you don’t hear the street musicians and party crowds at night. What I really loved was how easy it was to get to the Tatra trails from here. You can literally walk to some of the cable car stations, and there’s this little bakery just around the corner where locals actually go (not just tourists) for proper highland bread. The parking situation is… well, it’s Zakopane, so don’t expect miracles, but they do have a small lot and the owner helped me figure out the street parking situation without the usual tourist markup.

Here’s the thing though – this isn’t some fancy spa hotel with marble everything. The rooms are clean and comfortable, sure, but what makes Willa Joanna special is that it feels authentic. I stayed during shoulder season in late September, and honestly, it was perfect. The other guests were mostly Polish families and some German hikers, not the usual tour bus crowds. Breakfast was simple but really good – proper regional stuff, not the international buffet nonsense. The owner actually gave me tips about which trails to avoid because of weather (saved me a soggy day on Giewont), and when I mentioned I was interested in local woodworking, she connected me with her neighbor who has a workshop. You just don’t get that kind of personal touch at the big chain places down on Krupówki. The WiFi worked fine, the shower had good pressure, and – this might sound weird but it matters – the beds were actually comfortable, not those rock-hard things you sometimes get in mountain guesthouses. If you’re looking for a genuine Zakopane experience without the tourist trap markup, this is your spot.