Every year, we try to pick a new place to celebrate Christmas. This time, however, we decided to celebrate in Sopot, Poland. We had travelled a lot in the past 2 months, so we thought we could go somewhere closer by for Christmas. Besides, both my parents are from Poland, so I do feel a strong connection to the country. We did, however, not go to the city from where my parents are. My parents are from a city called Szczecin (where I will be going in 1 week!), but we decided to go to Sopot, which is one of our favorite places to be in Poland.
Sheraton Sopot Hotel
We went to Poland only for 4 days, and left in the morning on the 24th. From the airport in Gdansk, it took us around 25 minutes to get to the Sheraton hotel where we were staying. We have stayed at the Sheraton many times before, but never during Christmas. Sopot is a beach city, so we usually go there during the summer. Usually, however, we either stay at the Grand Sofitel next door or rent an apartment, but we picked the Sheraton this time because of the Christmas gala buffet organised at the hotel. We had around 1 hour to get ready from the time we arrived at the hotel until we went for the dinner. We put on our nicest dresses and proceeded to the ball room.
Gala buffet
We bought a Christmas package which included breakfast and gala buffet for to days at the hotel. The gala buffet was inside three big rooms. It was all very beautifully made. One room would only be for food. I really enjoyed the fact that everyone made an effort to dress up. All the girls looked beautiful in their glittery dresses, whereas the men were obviously all wearing suits. The first evening was very crowded, but the second evening was rather empty. I don’t know if it is because there were more outside guests coming for Christmas eve, or if people simply did not show up for the second day because they had eaten too much food the day before. Regardless, the hotel was still fully booked.
The food was really amazing on both of the days. Every dish was prepared to perfection. According to the Polish tradition, one should not eat meat on Christmas eve, however, there was no lack of meat dishes for those who preferred that over vegetarian dishes or seafood. There was everything you could imagine, from traditional Polish Christmas dishes (e.g. pierogi, barszcz), to duck in orange sauce, steaks, fish prepared in several ways, all kinds of cheeses, cakes… anything you could think of (except from Asian food). And the best part of it was the free flow of sparkling wine (and of course other drinks). Everything was included in the price (270 PLN for the Christmas eve buffet 210PLN for the 1st day of Christmas).
Now to the negatives. To be honest, I do not like to write anything negative about such events because I think that everyone’s preference is different. However, I celebrated Christmas in many countries and at many hotels, and one of the things that I missed the most was some entertainment. The only entertainment here was Santa Claus who arrived with presents for the kids, but I missed something like live music, or a choir singing Christmas carols. Because this was missing, it was all about eating yourself full and nothing more. I know that eating is a very big thing in Poland, especially during Christmas (just the fact that there has to be 12 dishes!), but to me it was a bit too much about food. This was especially the fact on day 2, when we started with a late breakfast, and shortly after, the dinner buffet opened. However, for someone who enjoys that, it would be heaven.
Spatif
The trip to Sopot would not be complete without a night out. There were not many options, however, the only place open during Christmas was a place called Spatif. Spatif is a very interesting place. It is in fact a very ugly place, with very old antique like furniture, but at the same time it is a place in which you can often spot some Polish celebrities. I must admit that I do not even know how they look, but my mom spots them every time. Another interesting fact about this place is that you have to walk up some very steep stairs and ring the door bell in order to get in. I guess they have some sort of selection, but at the same time I have seen the biggest variety of people in there. There is definitely no need to dress up here, but don’t let me discourage you, if you want to dress up, you certainly can (Polish women love to dress up).
Daytrip to Gdansk
If you go to Sopot, you should go for a daytrip to Gdansk. If you stay in Gdansk, you should go for a daytrip or an evening to Sopot! These two cities go hand in hand. Getting around the city by uber is really not that expensive, so there is no excuse in not visiting one or the other (there is also a much cheaper train going!). Gdansk is a beautiful city, and during Christmas, the city looked stunning with all the Christmas lights and other decorations. I get amazed by this city everything I come here. The Christmas market was outstanding; there were lots stalls selling food and christmas things. We were walking around the beautiful streets for hours. Now that I think of it, I think Gdansk might actually be a better option during Christmas time because it has many more options during that time of the year. There is lots of dining options, and as already mentioned, the city (the old town) in itself is just beautiful. Sopot is to many people more fun during the summer, but I personally love Sopot at any time of the year.
Hotel Sopot
We decided to stay at the Hotel Sopot on our last night. We wanted to check out this hotel for the future, and the rates were very low for that one night. The hotel has an outdoor pool which of course we did not use, and a nice restaurant inside the hotel. The hotel was actually very nice, I really enjoyed the modern wooden style. It is a bit far from the city centre, but it has a great location in the forest right in front of the beach. The only downside with this hotel is that the rooms are slightly too small, especially when comparing it to the hotel room we had at the Sheraton. We did not get to spend much time here, because we left for the airport at 4 am the next morning, but I m very glad we stayed here and got to se the place. It was indeed a very nice hotel and I think it might be a good option for the future if the prices won’t be too high.
Would I recommend celebrating Christmas in Sopot?
I think it all depends on what you are looking for. If you enjoy dressing up and looking your best, eating lots of good food and spending most of the time at the hotel, then this is the place to be. Except from that, there is not much to do in Sopot during Christmas. Of course, you can always spend a night out at the Spatif nightclub, go for a daytrip to Gdansk, or go for a long walk at the Sopot pier, so I am not implying that you will be bored, but it all depends on what you are looking for. If you would like some snow for Christmas then this is also not the right place, because of the mild weather. But overall, we had a great Christmas time in Poland, with some really amazing food. Will we celebrate Christmas here again? I do not think so, as we prefer going to warmer places for Christmas, but never say never!
Anyah Mroz 