InterContinental Warszawa

The building that houses the InterContinental Warsaw is a landmark, but not — yet — for its historical significance. Rather, this jauntily cantilevered tower is remarkable for the way it towers over its mid-rise surroundings, and offers views from its upper floors that no other hotel in Poland — and few hotels in the world, frankly — can match. And inside, as you might expect, is a hotel that ranks, at least by some measures, among the finest in town.

If you’re familiar with the brand you know the InterContinental is not in direct competition with the avant-garde design experiments of its boutique-hotel counterparts. This is where you go to find straightforward luxury hospitality, and the InterContinental Warszawa’s 418 rooms and suites, despite their subtly contemporary gloss, are nothing if not traditionally luxurious: handsome, spacious, plush, conveniently laid out and thoroughly well-equipped.

The spa and wellness center occupy the 43rd and 44th floors, which makes for astonishing views from the indoor pool. And in a hotel like this you can count on an elevated culinary experience — figuratively, in the case of the fine-dining Platter by Karol Okrasa, and literally in the case of the somewhat more casual and versatile DownTown Restaurant, with its views of the Palace of Culture and Science.