Self-catering hen party weekends in south Poland

Come and have a good time in Poland for a hen party or girly weekend.

• Sip coffee at one of the smart pavement cafes in Cracow's main square, enjoy excellent meals with interesting food at great prices. Sample one of the 50 plus varieties of flavoured vodka.

• Take a horse-drawn tour around Cracow in an elegant horse-drawn carriage.

• Go shopping for beautiful glass, pottery, art work, clothes and shoes. Do visit the old cloth hall in the main square with its collection of arts and crafts stalls selling traditional Polish items like amber and silver jewellery, light catchers, angels, and painted glass.

• Pamper yourselves with manicures, pedicures and many other beauty treatments at amazingly low Polish prices.

• A trip to one of Highland nightspots where big brawny guys might just throw you over their shoulders is much recommended. It would be a night to remember.

Lots of trips to go on depending on the time of year you visit. There is a Christmas Market in Cracow in December, winter holidays with loads of snow, horse-drawn sleigh rides and skiing from January to March, warm sunny weather during the summer for lazy days or exciting activity breaks including 'white' water rafting on the Dunajec river.

Lots of places of interest to visit in south Poland to make sure that you have a fun-filled and memorable hen party or girly weekend.

• Pamper breaks in Poland - perfect for a girly weekend at Eastern European prices
• Holiday accommodation in Poland

Suggested itinerary for a 3 night break in Rabka-Zdroj - 1 hour south of Cracow:

Arrive Cracow airport Friday afternoon and hire a car, take a taxi or bus to Rabka. Stop at supermarket in Rabka for essential drinks and goodies. Enjoy a night in around the log fire and your own bar. Bring marshmallows to toast. Plenty of games to play, DVDs to watch and relax.

Saturday morning: take a drive in horse and cart or horse and sledge (depending on time of year) around centre of Rabka (collection from house can be arranged in advance). Take a look around the railway station area with statue of St. Nicholas, museum of local life in 16th century church, shops and park. Go for lunch and drinks at one of the restaurants.

Saturday afternoon; enjoy beauty treatments, aromatherapy massage (65 zloty per hour in 2010), solarium etc. (can be pre-booked). Return to house for afternoon drinks, or pay a visit to Termy Podhalanskie, 15 minutes drive away, where you will find four geothermal swimming pools, three of which are bath water temperature of 36 degrees with massage jets and bubbly jets. Two of the swimming pools are outdoor which is an interesting experience when it's snowy outside.

Saturday Evening: Go for a night out at the local karczma, which is a regional restaurant with live band and dancing until 3am.

Sunday morning: enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the balcony. Dress the 'bride to be' in her finery and take her for a walk up the hill, or into town and the large central park, to give the locals something to wonder at. If you go into town, stop for coffee at the restaurant in the park, admire the dark brown squirrels (they appreciate nuts - understand that as you will).

Lots of optional excursions:

• steam train rides available in Chabowka, 2 km away, at weekends only at various times of year.
• enjoy the permanent funfair of Rabkoland
• Go hillwalking up the hills behind the house - Maciejowa can take 1-2 hours to climb depending on how fit/hungoever or interested you are. Fantastic views from the top.
• During winter, go skiing at ski slopes in Rabka, ice skating in the outdoor ice skating rink, or just tobogganing on hill behind the house. It's great fun.
• Take a trip to the village of log cabins at Chocholow and see a woodcarver at work. Go for lunch at the lovely small regional hotel at the junction to the Dolina Chocholowska (valley Chocholowska) 7 km further. Walk or hire a bike to work off the luch and admire the scenery. Stop off at Termy Podhalanskie on the way back for a long pampering soak and relax in the geo thermal pools.

Lunch - have a barbeque on the balcony and chill out. The views are wonderful. OR go for lunch at one of the local restaurants.

Sunday Evening: various local restaurants to choose from or take a trip to Zakopane high street (by car or train) for a wide selection of places to eat, or for a really amusing experience, try the Chata Zbojnicka in Zakopane which is a mixture of theatre and Highland fare and music. Zakopane also offers several nightspots open until the early hours of morning.

Monday: pack and return home.

It's best if you have a hire car because it makes transfers efficient and enables you to get the most out of this holiday. It's a beautifully scenic area. With a car it is possible to go rafting on the Dunajec, visit the Salt Mines etc., otherwise, best to stay in Cracow. If you have to rely on taxis, the fare from Cracow costs about £50. It is possible to hire a mini bus to transport around 20 people for about £65. A taxi ride to anywhere in Rabka costs between £2-£4 per taxi. Please see travel page for details of taxi phone numbers and car hire.