Poland Adventures
Over the last few years we’ve had some adventures throughout Poland and many of you have asked about our experiences, so I thought I would put some details down.
"We” that is my lovely friend, Kristina and her two dogs Suzie and Vida, plus me, Ernie & Eevee.
We love exploring and giving our dogs the best life and experiences. For the last two years we’ve been to Poland four times, twice in the winter and twice in the summer.
Both seasons come with pro and cons, for us and the doggos, some days I think my favourite time to visit is winter because I love the quiet empty beaches and then I remember the fun lake swims and think maybe summer is better.
I guess anywhere is fun when you take your dogs.
This was the first summer we spent in Poland 2024, the little cottage was very sweet and the best thing about this place was the fenced in garden. Living in the city we always have to get dressed and leave our apartment so the dogs can pee, so being able to step outside in my pyjamas, drink my coffee and let the dogs play, pee and run around was such a treat and super relaxing. The inside of the cottage was “cosy” with one bedroom upstairs and a sofa bed downstairs. It was quite dark inside so we were very grateful for the garden and outside seating.
Vida enjoying the garden.
Trying to find a lake to swim in is always an adventure within itself, looking at google maps and reading the reviews doesn’t always help, so we tend to follow trails and see what happens. Once during this trip we had to battle our way through epic trees, branches and dense forest to find an opening to swim.
Probably should have taken a machete, that might have helped. Obviously the dogs didn’t care and treated it like one more outing. We did finally find a clearing so we could swim and eat our picnic.
In this kind of location Ernie always has to stay on the lead because his prey drive far outweighs common sense and he would just leave us if he saw a wild animal.
We always take our food with us to keep the costs down but sometimes its nice to find a restaurant or somewhere for a treat, this particular holiday we had seen on google maps a place for fish and chips. The brit in me was so excited by this, but we had to drive down a very spooky forest lane into the middle of nowhere. It was hilarious to find this little cafe deep in the forest serving freshly made fish and chips, although what type of fish it was dont ask me I have no idea, my Polish speaking is limited to hello and thank you, but it tasted delicious. Im not sure I could ever find this place again even if I tried.
Jump one year to August 2025, we opted for a new location. This experience, while just as fun wasn’t as good as the year before. Sadly for us with two dogs who love to hunt the garden wasn’t fenced in as we had expected. We also came across a lot of no go areas for people with dogs, less trails and lots of lakes where dogs were not allowed. So although we made the best of it, and the dogs didn’t even notice, it wasn’t as relaxing as the previous year.
Oh and with a family of stray kittens in our garden it certainly made for a few tense moments with the dogs.
When holidaying with four dogs, we have to be prepared for all eventualities and have a pretty chill approach to what happens. A lot of the places we had planned to visit, walk and swim on this holiday didn’t turn out as we had hoped and we found a way to laugh through this and try some where else. The little screen shot of the map was us walking the edge of the lake trying to find somewhere to sit but it sadly was covered in rubbish and human waste which was really sad.
The great thing about the dogs is they really don’t mind where they are, they just want to run around and eat snacks. Dogs make things much less complicated than humans and they remind me quite often not to stress about what we can’t control. Some people were rude to us and some people really didn’t like the dogs and that’s ok. We can’t presume everyone is the same as us and even though it’s sad, not everyone likes dogs and that has to be ok.
So we wouldn’t return to this particular location but I imagine a someone with a more chilled dog it would be perfect as there was a little lake at the end of the path next to the cottage and the water was perfect for swimming and relaxing. Our dogs demand slightly more than that!
WINTERS 2024/2025
Four Seasons Holiday Resort
This is where weve been the last two winters, its such a great dog friendly location and the joy of a totally empty beach covered in snow is the reason we come back.
Just two minutes walk from the cabin and we were on the beach and it stretched for miles. I guess because its winter and empty no one minded the off leash dogs and we did see others with their dogs off leash so felt very comfortable.
A walk up the road is Hotel Senator that has a public spa, we really appreciated a few hours there in the warm, while we left the dogs back in. the cabin sleeping off their epic beach day.
The nearest town is Kolobrzeg w
hich is super sweet to walk through, it has some nice cafes and obviously some good fish and chips. We were delighted to sit on the beach and share our food with the dogs and the seagulls.
We will definitely visit the winter beach again, its perfect for a few days away from the city, there’s plenty of space for the dogs and the cabins are cosy to snug up with four dogs and a wood burning fire.
Now we start a new search for summer 2026, this time with a fenced in garden!
TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH DOGS
We take loads of blankets and sheets with us to cover the beds and sofas, because obviously we like to snug with our dogs but the rentals dont want hairy furniture!
Never presume gardens are fenced in!
Always take more coffee than you think you need!
Not everyone loves your dogs.
Watch out for hidden costs, like firewood and wifi.
We’ve never been stopped but we always take the pet passports with us.
Travel with a sense of humour and embrace every trail.
