Our two flights were pleasant, connecting was easy, and the food had improved a lot. We liked also the new seats.
At Warsaw's Frederic Chopin Airport we collected our luggage and at the arrivals hall were approached by a man asking, if we needed a taxi or help. We refused. First common sense, second we knew our way around. There are still some taxi touts waiting at the Arrivals Hall. Don't take them. There are metered taxis waiting just outside. The best experience we have made with taxi drivers during our tour was in Warsaw. They are reliable and don't try to cheat you.
Our taxi ride took around half an hour and cost 42 Polish Zloty (PLN), ca. 10.50 Euro / ca. 13 USD).
The Westin is unusual. It is the only hotel in Europe designed by John Portman. The building is brown and has a rocket shaped glass atrium. The elevators are located there as well as JP's Cafe & Bar. The hotel also has a most beautiful staircase.
There is a gift shop in the atrium and Fusion Restaurant. The reception is to the left of the entrance. Our check in went quick. We were upgraded from a Classic room to a Deluxe. It was located on the 16th floor. We had views over the New Town and the Intercontinental Hotel. The room was medium in size. The color scheme was brown and beige. It contained a king sized bed, writing desk, chair with ottoman, flat screen TV with regional and international channels, a wardrobe and a cupboard with mini bar.
The bathroom was medium sized with separate bathtub and shower. We had one sink and enough storage space for our own cosmetics. The toilet was not in a separate room.
We loved the Heavenly Bed and Bath room. The shower head could be regulated and had different functions, i.e. rain shower or massage. The bed was really comfortable. Overall the whole stay was very relaxing and soothing. The colors in the whole hotel are on the one side bright and airy on the other side mellow.
Unfortunately the weather wasn't good. It snowed and rained. It was fascinating to see the skyscrapers at the horizon vanish in the snow and fog. We decided to stay in. The hotel has meeting facilities, a fitness center and spa. There is also an Executive Floor, but we didn't have access, because we don't have a high tier with SPG and didn't book an Executive Room.
We explored the hotel a bit and found out the Westin took part in the Earth Hour project. We had late lunch at the Fusion Restaurant, which included a large bottle of still water, alcohol free cocktails, i.e. Avocado Dream and Polish specialties. The fried pork schnitzel with potatoes and vegetables was excellent. It was very thin and melted in the mouth. I had pierogis (dumplings) with two types of filling, mushroom and meat. It was topped with bacon and onion and the flavor was very good. The total bill was 185 PLN (ca. 46.25 Euro / 58 USD) including tip.
Whatever we ate was very good. Our dinner was as the name of the restaurant suggests fusion cuisine, I had a pasta dish which seemed to be Italian, but had also a hint of Asia added. The fruit salad was exotic and refreshing. The Superfood RX breakfast comes highly recommended too. The blueberry pancakes with orange salad were a delight as was the smoked salmon, scrambled egg tortilla.
Unfortunately our stay of one night was too quick finished. Check out was a breeze. The bell captain also offered to organize a taxi for us. We refused, because we had only a short walk to the Hilton Warsaw.
Would we return to the Westin Warsaw? You bet we would!
©2012
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