Monday, 27 April 2026
The structure of Poland’s holiday property market is evolving, with demand increasingly shifting towards serviced apartments rather than traditional second homes. Market participants point to changing buyer expectations and lifestyle patterns as key drivers behind this trend.
According to Radosław Jodko of RRJ Group, the premium segment is being redefined around four main factors: maintenance-free ownership, access to hotel-style infrastructure, architectural quality and location.
“The new definition of luxury in vacation properties is based on four pillars: maintenance-free living, access to hotel infrastructure, architectural quality, and location,” Jodko said. “An apartment in a cozy complex with a year-round spa, swimming pool, gym, and concierge service is proving to be a more rational solution for a growing number of buyers than a traditional vacation home.”
This shift reflects broader changes in buyer profiles. Higher-income clients are typically more mobile and spend limited time in one location, while also expecting consistent service standards. Amenities such as wellness facilities, on-site restaurants and marina access are becoming standard in new developments, alongside operational models that allow owners to outsource maintenance and rental management.
“In the premium segment, buyers are increasingly asking not about square footage, but about what they get with the apartment,” Jodko added. “When we analyze our clients’ purchasing decisions over the last two years, we see very clearly that a spa area, a year-round pool, and a fully operational concierge can outweigh an additional fifty square meters of space. This is an experience, not real estate in the traditional sense.”
Proximity to protected natural areas is also emerging as a factor in project positioning, particularly in regions such as Masuria, where parts of the landscape fall within the Natura 2000 framework. While environmental protections can limit new development, they may also constrain supply and support the long-term positioning of existing schemes.
“We see this in the hard data,” Jodko said. “Projects located on the border of protected areas achieve higher average short-term rental rates and significantly higher guest retention. Natura 2000 is no longer perceived as a development barrier, but has begun to act as a bonus factor.”
The Masurian Lakes region remains one of the largest interconnected inland water systems in Central Europe, supporting a well-established tourism market. Locations along the main lakes and waterways benefit from developed marina infrastructure, hospitality services and seasonal accessibility, which together contribute to relatively stable visitor demand across different parts of the year.
From an investment perspective, pricing in the region remains below more established Western European holiday markets, while demand is supported by both domestic buyers and international visitors, particularly from Germany and Scandinavia.
“From a purely financial perspective, Masuria offers a rare combination today: a relatively low price base compared to Western European holiday markets, growing demand from Polish private clients, and growing German and Scandinavian demand,” Jodko said. “I currently consider Masurian premium apartments as an asset class in the early consolidation phase. It’s a market where the return on short-term rentals in well-managed projects fluctuates between 4 and 7 percent annually, and at the same time, there’s noticeable capital appreciation. For a client with a portfolio diversified across stocks, bonds, and Warsaw rental apartments, a Masurian premium apartment is beginning to serve as a third pillar – with additional utility value that no other portfolio component provides.”
At the same time, the segment remains relatively early-stage, with variations in development quality and operational standards across projects.
“When making a decision, it’s also important to consider that the Polish premium vacation rental market is still young, and the quality of projects can be inconsistent,” Jodko said. “Therefore, with this type of investment, it’s essential to thoroughly verify the operator, the rental management model, and the actual parameters of the common areas. Due diligence is a mandatory aspect of this type of premium investment. But certainly for the premium client seeking a place combining wilderness with a well-conceived apartment investment, Polish lakes offer a value proposition rarely matched anywhere else in Europe.”
