This famous building has certainly been through a lot. It's seen Warsaw's pre-war splendour, being the highest building in the city at the time, and experienced near destruction during World War II. Built using 1,250,000 bricks, the building was completed in 1933 at a height of 61 metres. The Polish capital's first building to surpass 15 floors, this New York-style structure - then known as the Prudential Insurance building, became the city’s first skyscraper. During WWII its height lent it immense strategic importance. When the 1944 Warsaw Uprising broke out the tower became a primary target for Poland’s Home Army, and was captured on the first day of battle – for the first time in five years the Polish flag flew over the city. The Germans launched a series of fierce strikes to win it back, and although shells gutted the building, its steel skeleton refused to topple. After the war the tower was given a thinner look, and until 2002 operated as the Hotel Warszawa, before its closure due to the poor state the building was in overall.

Fast-forward to 2018 and Hotel Warszawa has been reborn, and my oh my, the transformation is stunning. The change is immediately apparent even before you enter as the exterior has been cleaned up to its original colour. Entering, the huge metal doors do well to impress, and from here on in, the interior is a supremely elegant blend of marble and wood, classic Art Deco and modernity. The service is of the highest of standards, and besides the accommodation, what's on offer to guests is designed to pleasantly raise eyebrows. Two hotel restaurants (Warszawska and Szóstka), a well-stocked bar, cigar room for aficionados, swimming pool with spa and gym facilities, a hairdresser, boutique shopping gallery, and, oddly enough, a florist! The rooms vary in price, but even the standard option is a cut above other similar offerings in the city - as if that wasn't enough, from inside the rooms, the views of the city alone are enough to take your breathe away.