Sofitel Grand Sopot

Sofitel Grand Sopot has been the most glamorous address on the Polish coast since it opened in 1927, when Sopot was one of the smartest resorts on the Baltic, and it immediately became synonymous with class and luxury. The white, palace-like building stands at Powstańców Warszawy 12/14, directly on the seafront and about two hundred metres from the pier, Europe's longest wooden pier, with its own private beach and gardens in front. It has 126 rooms and suites, including the grand Charles de Gaulle Presidential Suite, named after one of the many famous guests in its long history. Grand Blue, the restaurant, serves modern Polish cooking with an emphasis on seafood; Le Bar is an art deco cocktail bar; and a breakfast buffet is served daily. For relaxation there is an outdoor pool in the garden, an indoor pool at Sofitel Fitness, saunas and a Dr Irena Eris beauty salon offering treatments.

Location and getting around: the hotel is in the centre of Sopot, a few minutes' walk from Monte Cassino Street, the spa park and the beach. Sopot station is about ten minutes on foot, and SKM commuter trains reach Gdańsk Główny, for the Main Town, in less than half an hour, so you can sightsee in Gdańsk by day and come back to the sea in the evening. Taxis to Gdańsk's Main Town and to the airport are straightforward too, and there is on-site parking for drivers.

The rooms: rooms and suites are classically elegant, in keeping with the historic building, and the best of them look straight out over the beach and Gdańsk Bay. If a sea view matters to you, book a room category that guarantees it, as some rooms face the town or the gardens. The suites are among the grandest on the Polish coast.

Who it suits and good to know: couples, special occasions and travellers who want the seaside and a sense of history rather than an Old Town base. In summer the private beach and the outdoor pool come into their own; in the off-season the indoor pool, saunas and the bar make it a cosy retreat, and the empty winter beach is beautiful. Pets are welcome. It is the most expensive hotel in this guide, but nowhere else on the coast combines a 1920s grand hotel with the sea at the door.