Overview

Crystal Suites chez Helena Apartments are located in the heart of Kazimierz – the old Jewish district in a fully refurbished historical residence which was once the childhood home of Helena Rubinstein, the founder of the HR cosmetic brand. There are several apartments, most are on the upper floors, with stair access only. However, I stayed in their one ground floor flat called "Rosa". It's a one bedroomed flat, with a private patio garden, which is for the sole use of the people staying in Rosa.

Transport & Parking

Crystal Suites that own the apartment pre-booked me a taxi from Krakow airport. The taxi driver was waiting for me at the arrival hall and I waited just outside when he went to get the taxi. It was a people carrier but there were grab rails to help me get in and out. Taxi drivers, both from and to the airport couldn't have been more helpful regarding parking and offering assistance. The journey to/ from airport by taxi took about 20 minutes. The road parallel to the accommodation is a main road which has trams running along. I didn't use the tram while I was there so unable to comment, apart from I noticed that the new trams had wheelchair signs by one of the doors. For me it was about a 20 - 30 minute walk to the Old Town, but I took a detour to view the castle. I came home by taxi, which I picked up from Krakow Station, which cost 30 Polish zloty, about £6. Please note that when I used street taxis they charged more than pre-booked and the drivers were always unhelpful, they just sat there and never offered help even when it was obvious I was struggling to get in/ get out. I would say please don't let this put you off going but just be aware of what to expect.

Access

The apartments are in Szeroka and stands in a row of buildings which mainly house restaurants. In the photo it is the green building. The pavements don't tend to have drop kerbs and can be quite high by UK standards. Then there is a single step from the pavement to the door into the apartment block. Inside the apartment block there is a short corridor and at the end are the stairs to go upstairs, the reception desk is under the stairs and next to it is the entrance to Rosa apartment, which involves a single step, see photo. Inside the apartment there was a short corridor, with the bathroom on the left and wardrobe on right with electronic safe. Then there was a small living room come kitchen. There was a free standing table and chairs, as well as a sofa bed type single chair. The kitchen was well supplied with dishwasher, small hob, microwave and fridge. There was a kettle and toaster. In the cupboards there were dishes and cutlery. This is also where the TV was, but I didn't bother to switch it on during my stay. Each apartment also has it's on wifi router, so reception was excellent. There was a single step into the bedroom. There were 2 single beds, plenty of wardrobe space, chest of draws, dressing table. The bedroom was also air conditioned. When I was there in June it was 35 degrees so the air con was a real benefit. From the bedroom there was a door out into the garden. There was a small path and 2 steps into the patio area. There was a table with umbrella and 2 chairs, all moveable. There were also some fairy lights. There was a wall so the view was limited, but it was a wonderful addition to the apartment as it was a lovely, quite space to sit out in.

Toilets

The bathroom in the apartment worked for me. There was a shower which you needed to step over the runner of the shower door to get in, see photo. I brought my own non slip bath mat, but I found it quite hard to get it to stick to the tiles, as I couldn't bend over and stick it down, so I ended up with my flip flops on in the shower and that was fine for me. There was a regular toilet but it was between the washing machine worktop and the door so I had something to grab onto both sides to help me with my transfers.

Staff

The apartments are staffed during the day, times are announced on the reception desk. All staff were very friendly and helpful. Everyone spoke English. On the day I arrived a member of staff waited after reception had closed to welcome me after my flight. Staff also booked taxis and would search for things on google so show me directions, etc. The reception booked my airport transfer taxis and trip to Auschwitz via email correspondence before I arrived. They also offer food start up pack, see their website for details.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I loved my apartment. It was beautifully decorated, spacious and having a garden was a real treat. I would go back in a second. Couldn't fault it just loved it, loved it, loved it. The apartments are in Szeroka in Kazimierz. This is one of the main streets in the Old Jewish Quarter, in many ways it looks more like a square. There are numerous restaurants which have indoor and outdoor seating, also is the Old Synagogue, which is now a museum and a small green. I will say more about this area and its restaurants in separate reviews for Kazimierz, but it made for an ideal location. In an evening I would go out to eat and then not worry about whether the restaurant had an accessible toilet or not, as I would just walk back to my apartment. 2 - 4 minutes from the apartment was a SPA corner shop, which was very handy.

Photos