Eco hotel review: Aparthotel Plantonia

Kraków is a popular city in Poland for citytrips, and rightfully so! The Old Town is full of historical buildings, museums and churches. If you want to stay close to the city centre but away from the main tourist hotspots, Aparthotel Plantonia has the perfect location. This fully vegan hotel is only a 15-minute walk from the Old Town and impressive Wawel Castle. In this eco hotel review, I will explain all of the sustainability measures Aparthotel Plantonia has taken to make your next citytrip a bit greener.

The apartments

‘Aparthotel’ refers to spacious rooms with fully equipped kitchens, making them perfect for longer stays. But even for just a few nights, it is nice to be able to cook fresh meals and really feel at home. In that sense, Plantonia encourages slow travel. But that is far from the only way the hotel ticks the boxes for sustainability. One of the main sustainability features can be found in the furniture. Plantonia only uses vegan (certified where possible) materials, such as wood and upcycled plastics. An example is the carpet in each room, which is made from 292 plastic bottles using a traditional weaving techniques. Throughout the rooms and corridors, you can see colourful prints that help promote local Polish artists. And of course, you won’t find any single-use plastics anywhere! For other waste, there are clearly labelled recycling bins in all rooms.

Focus on health

One of the things I loved most about Aparthotel Plantonia is how the hotel encourages a healthy lifestyle, which can be quite hard to maintain whilst travelling. Guests can use the gym, join yoga sessions, get a massage (at an additional cost) or relax in the salt room. All of these options made my stay feel quite luxurious, too. Another very important aspect of the day and of any hotel is the breakfast. At Plantonia, you can choose between a sweet, savory and granola option to start your day. A difficult choice, but I don’t regret going for the savoury platter. The food was super fresh, delicious and filling. If you need a quick snack or want to make your own breakfast, there is also a little shop next to the reception desk. Here, you can buy all kinds of long-lasting vegan ingredients.

The central location of Plantonia also invites you to walk instead of using public transport to get around the city centre. Right outside the door there is also a lovely canal route that’s perfect for walking, running and cycling. I recommend going around sunset for the best view of Wawel Castle. If you want, you can also rent a bike at the reception.

Energy and emissions

To minimise energy use, Plantonia is well-insulated to capture warmth in the colder seasons. In summer, energy comes from solar-panel window blinds. Furniture and other products are sourced from within Poland as much as possible to reduce emissions associated with transportation. To compensate any inevitable emissions, the hotel donates to a reforestation project in Spain. I like that they have chosen a project within Europe, because the Amazon is not the only green place that needs protecting! In terms of a more social impact, Aparthotel Plantonia also supports a clean water project in Rwanda. A side benefit of filtering water through boleholes and chemical desinfectants is that this also saves energy compared to boiling the water. As a result of these measures, Plantonia is now net zero.

Deals

The best price for a stay at Aparthotel Plantonia is found on their own website. You can save money by booking a non-refundable room or choosing one of the yoga weekend deals. I’d also recommend keeping an eye on the events page. And other thing to be aware of is that there is no daily room cleaning. Only after 3 nights, you can request cleaning. So keep things tidy and save energy!

In general, Plantonia is relatively affordable for a luxury hotel, especially when you consider all of the included amenities. Either way, it is definitely worth a stay! Opening the door to your room feels like coming home. And it’s reassuring to know none of the pans have been used to cook animal products. 😉