05 Jun2017
Unique Botel Pressburg Bratislava – quiet hotel in Bratislava
I was born in Slovakia, but not in the capital Bratislava. I do visit it quite often though to speak at conferences, teach about travel blogging and marketing, or simply to visit friends, go to wellness and have business meetings etc. Sometimes I crush on a friend’s couch but when staying for a week or more, I try to get a room at a hotel. It’s more convenient then.
The last time in the capital my local friends recommended me to stay at the Botel Pressburg Bratislava. Until then I’d never even thought of this alternative. What a great idea it was!
Do you know what a botel is?
Botel is a boat that serves as a hotel or hostel. It’s similar to a cruiseship but it is usually grounded most of the time so you will only see one destination.
What I liked at the Botel Pressburg Bratislava
- I got a nice room on the second floor. That’s the floor you enter to from the bridge where the reception is also located. My room was bigger than expected for a ship, with a double bed, TV, wardrobe, work table with chair, small table with sofa, and a fridge. I also had a bathroom with shower, toilet and sink. Warm shower, obviously.
- I appreciated that all rooms are newly renovated so you will get a bit of a luxurious feeling inside.
- At the hotel end of the second floor there are sofas with tables where I could get some work done. It’s possible just to hang out there with other guests or read a book when you don’t wish to be closed inside of your room.
- Peaceful – I would never say the botel is just a few minutes from the Bratislava Old City. I was excited to enjoy my peace and quiet, not to hear any noise except the seagulls outside of my windows or piano music on one of the nights. Opening a window to the Danube and forest views after waking up? Priceless :)
- Location – botel is situated approx. a 15 min walk from the Old City center. The River Park Gallery with restaurants and grocery shops is a 3-minute walk to the other direction. There’s a bus and a tram stop just a few metres from the botel if you wish to go outside of the city center.
- Free eco toiletries – shampoo & shower gel in the shower, and hand soap by the sink were packed in bigger bottles to save plastics. Thumbs up for that! Those toiletries contain less chemicals than the usual toiletries, which is something to appreciate, too.
- Breakfast – usually it is not included in the room price (depends on the booking type) but I do recommend you to get it at least once during your stay. The views of the UFO on the SNP bridge that is visible from the restaurant is worth it. There was fresh fruit for me, but the chef was nice enough to make me a different veggie salad every morning as well. Once I even got my favorite hummus and chickpeas with it. Yummy!
- Restaurant – there is a restaurant situated on the 3rd floor of the hotel which is open also to non-guests. It’s the same restaurant where breakfast is served. If you are not staying at the hotel, you can still go to the restaurant to enjoy a meal. The main menu doesn’t usually offer vegetarian nor vegan meals but if you ask the chef, he will be more than happy to prepare you a meal based on your food allergies/preferences. I didn’t taste any other meals but breakfast there because of lack of time, but just from how they made my salads I can presume other meals must be delicious, too. And very nicely presented. I truly appreciated sprouts in my salads which is not very common to see. A good thing is that the romantic atmosphere makes the restaurant a good place for different events, weddings and celebrations. Just the day when I left the botel there was a wedding. Shame I couldn’t have stayed for longer.
- Sundeck terrace – when the weather allows it, the sundeck on the 4th floor is open to both guests and non-guests in summer months. It’s open from 11 am to 11 pm for you to enjoy a meal or a drink. There’s two parts of the sundeck, one is under the roof and the other one is under the open skies where you could even sunbathe on a deckchair or watch sunsets. If you get lucky, you can even listen to live piano music in the evening. One of the evenings I had online work to do so I stayed in my room where I could work to the romantic piano music heard through my open window.
- Meeting room – the botel has a meeting room for smaller meetings, conferences or private celebrations which can accommodate up to 16 people.
- WiFi around the botel – sometimes it worked very well in my room, other times it was pretty slow but still ok to do usual things online, except uploading a big video. I was told they would double check the wifi for the future.
- the botel is non-smoking. Much appreciated!
Botel Pressburg Bratislava is an ideal place for tourists looking for a peaceful stay. You will be just a few minute walk from the Old City but still being able to enjoy nature views.
TIP: Ask for a room with the Danube river views. It will be more quiet and you won’t feel you are in the capital at all.
My favorite memories from the botel will be: very peaceful, it was not a problem to get vegan breakfast, and the views of the Danube in the morning and before going to sleep. Oh yes!
