Boleslawiec's trademark is beautiful ceramic products famous in Poland, but also far outside of its borders. Since the 17th century, when the city gained the status of an important pottery centre, it continuously amazes with magnificent artistry of its craftsmen, which can be admired live in August of every year during the Boleslawiec Pottery Festival.
The Protea is the best place to introduce us to the world of ceramic art - the interior decor and the hotel's shop are full of those hand-decorated wonders.
The hotel's vicinity is quiet; all rooms are comfortable and clean and two of them are apartments with a fireplace. Guests who have cars can use a car park free of charge.
We reluctantly leave the Hunting Cabin (Chata My¶liwska), where the chef pampers us with venison dishes, which would be difficult to find in many luxury restaurants. We'd like to spend some more time in this beautifully decorated wooden interior and watch the flames dancing in the fireplace.
We cannot fail to mention the price at which all of that is possible - it's impossibly low (double room starting at 60 EUR per night).
This popular hotel has hosted so many English-speaking guests, that the extremely pleasant front desk staff had hundreds of chances to polish its English.
Rooms
The number of rooms is low enough to avoid overcrowding and not to overlook any of the hospitality and cordial attention bestowed upon guests by the hotel's owners. All rooms are equipped with TV-SAT, a telephone and a bathroom. At the price we're paying, most of the rooms and their cleanliness give us 300% satisfaction. The interior décor features quite a few folk adornments, including of course pottery.
22 rooms are an offer from which it's easy to select what we need and depending on the number of persons traveling with us reserve a single, a double, a triple, a smaller and less expensive quadruple or an apartment with a fireplace, which is perfect for families with children.
There is one room for handicapped guests.
Good news for non-smokers - the Protea is a place, where they can feel well every step of the way. It has become customary to smoke outside.
Restaurant
Breakfast, which is included in the price of the room, is served in an unusual place. It's the 150 year old Hunting Cabin, decorated in such way, that we feel like we're participating in a cheerful country feast. Natural interior décor made of flowers, grasses and grains, wooden logs, figures of angels hanging from the ceiling create a unique, warm ambience.
The restaurant has a fireplace room, a billiards room and a covered terrace.
Sausage roasted over open flame in a stone fireplace accompanied by beer or better yet mead, is a great idea of spending a pleasant evening.
Specialty of the chef is venison dishes and that's an obligatory point of a stay at the hotel. The menu features quite a good selection of other typically Polish dishes; the kitchen staff also gladly fulfills unusual culinary requests.
The owners' hospitality is evident every step of the way, also here, where the service, the décor and the food are superb and not possible to convert to any sum of money, certainly not the one visible on our bill.
Conference rooms
For a meeting of a larger group, e.g. business training course, it's possible to use the lounge room, which is a part of the restaurant.
It can accommodate about 50 people and is equipped with a multimedia projector and a sound system.
Additional Services
There's no point in denying that a visit to Boleslawiec is a great chance to bring back something truly unusual. We can buy something in the little shop located in the hotel's lobby; it's also worth looking for ceramic treasures in larger shops in town.
The hotel has its own, lockable car park, where one can safely park a car free of charge.
Guests can use a computer with internet access on premises. It's also possible to play some billiards.
The owners' hospitality includes pets; we can take them with us, knowing that they'll be welcome here.
