MarOks Żółwia Apartment

Hotel Description

You know what? I wasn’t expecting much when I first booked MarOks Żółwia Apartment – honestly, the name alone had me scratching my head (żółwia means “turtle” in Polish, which I only learned after asking the owner). But this place actually turned out to be one of those hidden gems that makes you feel like you’ve discovered something special in Warsaw. It’s tucked away on this quiet residential street in Bielany, and I mean really quiet – the kind where you hear birds instead of traffic, which is pretty rare for a city this size. The apartment itself feels more like staying at a well-traveled friend’s place than a typical hotel room. Everything’s thoughtfully set up, from the little coffee station with actual good beans to the way they’ve arranged the furniture so you’re not constantly bumping into things. The owner clearly gets what travelers need – there’s plenty of outlets near the bed, the wifi actually works everywhere (tested it obsessively), and the shower has proper water pressure, which honestly can be hit or miss in older Warsaw buildings.

What really sold me on this place was how genuine everything felt. The building’s got that solid, pre-war character without being stuffy about it, and you can tell they’ve renovated thoughtfully rather than just slapping modern stuff everywhere. I loved that I could walk to the little market on the corner for groceries – the woman there doesn’t speak much English but she’s incredibly patient and helpful. The tram stop is maybe a seven-minute walk, which gets you into the city center in about twenty minutes, but here’s the thing – Bielany itself is actually worth exploring. There’s this great little park nearby where locals walk their dogs in the evening, and I stumbled across a fantastic pierogi place (Bar Żuławski) that definitely doesn’t cater to tourists but welcomed me anyway. The apartment stays surprisingly cool even in summer – something about the way the building’s positioned and those thick walls – though I’d definitely recommend bringing layers for winter since Polish heating can be, well, enthusiastic. Check-in was refreshingly straightforward; no hovering or lengthy explanations, just the keys and a genuine “let me know if you need anything.” The whole experience felt authentic in a way that’s getting harder to find, especially at this price point. Sure, it’s not in the absolute heart of the tourist zone, but that’s exactly what made it special – you get a real sense of how Warsaw actually lives and breathes.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $99. One-Bedroom Apartment with 1 queen bed and 1 sofa bed for Max. people: 4

Reviews

• Great apartment, cozy and well-equipped. – Kateryna from Ukraine – April 9, 2023 (10/10)

  Cozy and well-equipped apartment. An underground parking key was waiting for us inside the room which is convenient. Extra kitchen appliances available including coffee machine with all required staff, hot chocolate and complimentary water. Washing machine and even iron were provided. Pets friendly. Nice big balcony and view.
  
  What could be improved: There is local airport easily seen from the balcony with small aircrafts taking off and landing close by, though the noise is minor and you almost don’t hear it.

• It would be nearly perfect if little issues would be fixed – Robertas from Lithuania – August 8, 2024 (9/10)

  Great apartment, comfortable and cozy with a great balcony. We did enjoy staying.
  
  What could be improved: Could be a little more prepared, cleaned, because it wasn't really looked after for coming. Yes there were enough clean towels etc. But the floor (to say the least) wasn't even swept away, dust weren't even tried to clean. Staff was ok, but guys if you're reading please note – the code to enter territory worked fine but not for the entry door of the house. So if it weren't for neighbor who let us inside we wouldn't be able to get inside to get the keys. Because assistant didn't answer the phone, they did answer email but just repeated same code, which wasn't working. I don't know what we would have done if we came late in the evening. All the other stuff was fine

• Disappointing service. Pricing and deposit policy close to scam practices – Marcin from Poland – August 15, 2023 (1/10)

  Good location – quiet and green area around. Good for having a walk. Well equipped kitchen. Appartment well equipped as well.
  
  What could be improved: Misleading information about pets allowance, hidden costs, unexpected deposit and very poor service regarding paying deposit back. We have booked Appartment as it was pet friendly. When we have reached out property we got message that pets are not allowed. After our claim pets were allowed with extra payment 300 PLN and damage deposit 1000 PLN. We have agreed that deposit will be returned day after leaving Appartment. It was not returned. Service was ensuring that this is going to be returned soon but nothing concrete. After several contacts I’ve claimed to booking.com customer service and after their intervention deposit was returned immediately. Overall I do not recommend this Appartment due to very disappointing customer service not to say scam policy.

• Impossbile to live – Klaus from Switzerland – February 26, 2025 (1/10)

  The postion is very good, have garage underground
  
  What could be improved: From 2 day, starting working up in the apartament, we can't sleep from morning and we need to exist every day,
  contact with support from apartament was very busy, they cannot help us, and the apartament was very not clean was dust everywhere under bed and in the toilet and i comunicated i have allergy of dust, but support doesnt mean this

• Exceptional – Chijik from Poland – May 5, 2025 (10/10)

  Всё хорошо 👍

• Jeśli będzie dostępny, to na pewno wrócę 😉 – Joanna from Poland – April 21, 2025 (9/10)

  Lokalizacja – bardzo blisko lasu, okolica domów jednorodzinnych; cisza i spokój. Wygodny taras przydatny latem. Zmywarka czysta. Wszystkie dostępne naczynia kuchenne i dobre oświetlenie.
  
  What could be improved: Przydałby się opis jak znaleźć parking 😉

• Exceptional – Anna from Poland – March 23, 2025 (10/10)

  Mieszkaliśmy w apt 2 tygodnie ze względu na remont w naszym mieszkaniu. Mieszkanie wyposażone super, nawet na tak długi pobyt. Zmywarka, pralka, duży smart tv z aplikacjami do których można się zalogować mając własne konta. Miejsce parkingowe w garażu podziemnym, ale i na zewnątrz możliwość wygodnego parkowania. Cudowny widok z balkonu na lotnisko Bemowo, ale cicho boska przestrzeń. Polecam nawet na dłuższy pobyt taki jak nasz. Będziemy polecać znajomym na wypad do Waw. Dziękujemy, aż żal było wracać do własnego domu nieopodal 😄 👍
  
  What could be improved: Nie było takiej rzeczy 😊

• Замечательно. – Виктория from Ukraine – December 18, 2024 (10/10)

  Квартира в новом доме с хорошим ремонтом. Большой балкон, крытая индивидуальная парковка. Рядом находится много магазинов, хорошая инфраструктура, удобное расположение. Красивый вид из окна.

• Rewaluacyjne mieszkanie – Grzeniaz from Poland – October 6, 2024 (9/10)

  Lokalizacja. Parking w cenie mieszkania. Dobrze wyposażona kuchnia
  
  What could be improved: BRAK

• Всё хорошо – Oleksii from Poland – January 7, 2024 (10/10)

  Было всё чисто, всё понравилось, легко разобраться с поселением и парко местом👍
  
  What could be improved: В ванной плохой слив

SURROUNDINGS