Keyser

glad to see such good reviews....still undecided on where to stay in bratislava for an upcoming vacation trip later this year....deciding between the doubletree, crowne plaza or the sheraton....i'll be using points so price is not a consideration....anyone here stay at the other 2 properties????would they be better in terms of location & service than the sheraton????

SanDiego1K

Who has traveled from here to Vienna? What mod of transportation did you use? I understand there is Uber now in Slovakia. Is it possible to take it to Vienna?

captain_starwood

we took the train from Bratislava to Vienna. Didn't take long, was inexpensive, and goes straight to the main train station. I would suspect Uber wouldn't be cheap.

beltway

Info on cheap, plentiful rail service: http://www.seat61.com/international-...Bratislava.htm

GUWonder

I've done this a bunch. I've sometimes even used the train and bus to do this. From the VIE airport, there are different options available, and hiring a car to go directly to Bratislava may make a lots of sense if planned in advance, more so if you're multiple people in the group and can fit in a car.

Just a word of warning about using the rail service: the main station in Bratislava has a rip-off taxi mafia outside the station -- even at the official taxi stand -- and it's bad enough that I would rather call up a radio taxi from one of the two reputable companies used previously, check the radio taxi waiting area, or just take the bus into town.

I prefer to use one of the Club Carlson properties here even as they are both not all that great in their own ways; but they are better situated (for my embassy visits and visiting the old town). The Sheraton is much nicer, of course than those.

beltway

I haven't been (yet), but the tram map also shows a route directly into town, with a stop directly adjacent to the Sheraton.

The Sheraton seems to be a tiny bit east (and slightly downhill?) from most of the center-city hotels, but the location directly on the river seems appealing.

GUWonder

The rooms on the back of the Park Inn look out at the river directly over the road.

The tram from the main station was closed sometime back, and then it was just the bus option if wanting to use mass transit to get into the center. The tram lines are certainly operating in the town center, but not sure they are currently back to full operation to/from the main train station.

Not sure how up-to-date Wikitravel is for this, but this may be useful still to some here: http://wikitravel.org/en/Bratislava

Keyser

we used the train....it was very convenient & cheap....

naparima

Hello everyone
So I've read through both the Sheraton and other SPG thread .. and I'm no where closer to making a decision

Sheraton : 14,000 points for two nights
Grand : 20,000 points for two nights
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...ratislava.html


The reviews are both quite decent .... questions
1. Locations : Do the SPG locations matter or are they relatively in the same area?
2. Safety : I'm a big brown guy... do I have to worry about any racism/safety issues - after 94 countries, I've never wondered about this before, but Europe is definitely a different place than 2 years ago.

All the rest ... entertainment, taxi, cash etc ... I can deal with once I'm there
Naparima

captain_starwood

Hello Naparima,

I think it's a good choice, where you won't go wrong, either way.

If you are points rich, do the Grand. If you want to save points, do the Sheraton.

Frankly, after the wonderful stay we had at the Sheraton, I will go back there next time I am in Bratislava. Grand is more central, but I didn't mind the walk from the Sheraton. Sheraton is one of the better Sheraton's I've encountered globally and they will treat you very well as a Platinum.

I can't comment on your second question: Bratislava struck me as extremely homogeneous, population-wise: you will stick out. That being said, I'd be very surprised if this posed a threat to your safety. Slovakia strikes me as a relatively safe country, even with rising right-wing nationalism in Europe.

Jaenks

Both times took the bus from VIE and return. Cash payments in euros if buying from driver,maybe now it is changed. One hour ride to Bratislava bus terminal, from there I walked to Sheraton,around 10 minutes. Had hand luggage only and considered it a short walk. Never used a train or taxi. You find timetables there:

http://www.slovaklines.sk/main-page.html

alltforsverige

We just finished a lovely stay here. I'd emailed ahead of time and asked about an upgrade to a suite since we were traveling with our baby. Everyone sleeps better if she can have her own space, and it's nice for my wife and me to be able to stay up and not have to be absolutely silent once she's sleeping. I would have been happy with a small suite. Instead, we got one of the massive ones on the 7th floor with a huge living room, bedroom, and bathroom. It had a large terrace too that would have been lovely in the summer. At -5 degrees, it wasn't so appealing to sit out and look at the city. Wife was really happy, so I was too :-)

It was easily walkable to old town for us. We never used transit or taxis while in town.

Breakfast was in the restaurant with pretty standard buffet offerings plus a live cooking station. The cook did an excellent job with our waffles and pancakes each morning. We did have one humorous interaction when my wife ordered both pancakes and a waffle, and then I went up to order my waffle a few minutes later. "Sir, your wife already ordered the waffle." Of course she had. That was her waffle. I wanted my waffle. "But she ordered pancakes too." Yes, those were also hers. Can I have a waffle? I got my waffle. It was delicious.

We used the lounge for a light, early dinner each night. That just worked better with a baby who wants to be getting ready for bed around 18:30. They had one warm option each night--rice and stir fry beef, pork and au gratin potatoes, chicken wings and croquettes, and I forget the fourth night. They also had wine available. It was pretty tasty for lounge food.

One final pro tip: Get donuts from La Donuteria, a short walk from the hotel. I love donuts even more than waffles, and these were the best I've had in Europe. They still weren't quite as good as the best you can find in the US, but it was surprisingly close.

All in all, a good stay that took excellent care of my family with my Platinum status and a fun city to explore.

Steve_19

My wife and I stayed at the Sheraton Bratislava for three nights at the end of April. We booked a standard room but were upgraded due to my wife's SPG Gold status from the Marriott merger. We have not stayed often at Sheraton's and I was a bit surprised (but happy) to be upgraded as I thought Gold was not worth so much in the SPG membership level hierarchy.

Room and general areas of the hotel were in good shape. Also the breakfast we enjoyed very much each morning. The Club Lounge was a bit mediocre (in our opinions), but since given from a free upgrade cannot complain much.

One downside is the location is a bit outside of the city center, but was only a 15 minute walk or so downtown. For us this was fine but if a person wants a very central hotel the Sheraton is probably not it.

Staff was friendly however we did not have too many interactions with them so not much to comment on. Some pictures from our stay: https://www.thetravelingexpats.com/r...on-bratislava/

est-gratuite

I've noticed that direct trains from Vienna arrive at either "Bratislava hlavná stanica" main train station which is north of the river....or also at "Bratislava Petrzalka" train station which is south of the river.

Which of the 2 train stations has better bus or tram links to the Sheraton ?

arlflyer

Tram #1 from hlavná stanica runs right down to the river by Eurovea and the Sheraton.