A house in Masuria for 20 people: one large property or two houses?

In short: for most groups of 20, two houses side by side work better than one large property. Two kitchens and two living rooms mean fewer queues and more freedom, families with small children can sleep in the quieter house, and a shared garden, fire pit and lake shore still keep the group together. One large property wins when you need a single room for everyone under one roof: for a celebration dinner at one table, workshops or a catered party.

Twenty people is already a small reunion: several families, a family spanning several generations, two groups of friends or a team from work. Houses that really sleep that many are far fewer than small cottages, so the choice usually comes down to two routes: one large property or two houses next to each other. Below we compare both step by step, from bedrooms and bathrooms through meals to costs and rules.

One large property is a building where the whole group sleeps under one roof: a big house with many rooms, a former manor, a farmstead or a whole guesthouse rented exclusively. It usually has one large kitchen or dining room and a shared hall.

Two houses are two independent buildings next to each other, on one property or as neighbours. Each has its own bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living room, while the outdoor spaces are shared: the garden, the fire pit, the lake shore. The group lives apart but spends the day together.

One building makes sense when the key moments are those when everyone must be together indoors. Choose it if:

1. 01you are planning a celebration dinner for 20 at one table, whatever the weather
2. 02you need a room for workshops, training or a presentation
3. 03you are ordering catering or staff to prepare meals for the whole group
4. 04you are coming in winter and will spend most of the time indoors, all together
5. 05the group is one close-knit team that does everything together anyway

With a property like this, check carefully how many bathrooms there are per room, whether any rooms are walk-through and how far the bedrooms are from the hall where it will be noisy in the evening.

Two houses side by side work best when the group is made up of several smaller parts that want to be together, but not around the clock. Choose them if:

1. 01several families are coming with children of different ages and bedtimes
2. 02you are travelling as several generations and the grandparents need a quiet evening
3. 03the group has people who get up at dawn and people who stay up late
4. 04you have different diets or habits at the table and prefer to cook separately
5. 05you want every family to have its own place for a breather

In practice, two houses give a group what is hardest to provide in one building: choice. You can spend the whole day together, but you do not have to.

It is best to split the group by daily rhythm rather than by who has known whom the longest. A few layouts that work:

1. 01a quieter house for families with small children and the grandparents, an evening house for those who like to stay up longer
2. 02two families in each house, each with two bedrooms
3. 03ground-floor bedrooms for older guests or parents with a child who wakes at night
4. 04for a group of friends: couples in one house, those without a partner and teenagers in the other

Shared meals can be spread between the houses: everyone has breakfast in their own house, and on warm days the whole group eats dinner together outside. Before the trip, ask the owner how many seats there are at the tables on the terraces and in the garden, and bring a folding table if needed.

Twenty people means about 60 meals a day, and shopping for three days can fill the boots of several cars. So it is worth planning meals before the trip.

1. 01agree a rota: each family cooks one dinner for everyone
2. 02do the big shop on the way, in a larger town, and only top up with bread and small things on the spot
3. 03one evening, have a campfire instead of cooking: sausages, baked potatoes and a pot for the whole group
4. 04book a table for 20 at a restaurant in Mrągowo or Mikołajki for one evening, a few days ahead in high season

With 20 people, every shared activity needs booking. It also helps to have a plan for splitting up: the children with some of the adults one way, the rest another, and everyone meets by the fire in the evening.

A kayak trip on the Krutynia is a classic for large groups. The stretch from Krutyń to Ukta is about 13 km and usually takes 3-4 hours. Twenty people need ten double kayaks, so at PLN 120 per kayak, the price in one rental company's list for the 2026 season, that is PLN 1,200 in total. Book kayaks for a group this size in advance, especially in July and August.

A boat trip is something the whole group does together, from grandparents to the youngest. Żegluga Mazurska boats sail from May to September. In the 2026 season, the Wodne Trio cruise from Mikołajki cost PLN 55 for a standard ticket and PLN 40 for a reduced one, and the three-hour Król Jezior cruise PLN 110. For a large group, ask the operator about reserving seats.

For a day away from the water, Święta Lipka with its baroque basilica, the castle in Ryn or the wildlife park in Kadzidłowo, visited with a guide, all work well. For more ideas for a trip with the youngest, see Masuria with children.

Prices for large properties and for two houses are easiest to compare per person per night. Add the tourist tax, firewood, any final cleaning fee, and bed linen and towels if they are not included.

An example with our two houses: each house starts at PLN 999 a night in winter and PLN 1,199 in summer, so both houses cost from PLN 1,998 to PLN 2,398 a night. A summer weekend, two nights for 20 adults, comes to PLN 4,796 plus PLN 140 tourist tax (PLN 3.50 per person per night). That is PLN 4,936 in total, or about PLN 247 per person for the whole weekend.

With two houses the bill is also easy to split: each part of the group pays for its own house, and a shared kitty works best for food, fuel and activities. You will find a detailed weekend budget in What does a weekend in Masuria cost.

With a group of 20, it is best if one person is the contact with the owner: they book, pay the deposit and pass on the number of guests and arrival times. Before booking, agree with the owner:

1. 01the quiet hours and music outdoors, because 20 people around a fire carry a long way
2. 02whether a birthday, an anniversary or an evening of dancing needs consent
3. 03how many cars fit on the property
4. 04the deposit and the free cancellation deadline, because plans change more often with 20 people
5. 05how arrival works if part of the group comes later

1. 01Is it one building or two independent houses?
2. 02How many bedrooms and bathrooms does each building have?
3. 03How many kitchens are there, and does each have a dishwasher?
4. 04Where can 20 people eat together, indoors and outside?
5. 05What is shared by the whole group, and what is separate?
6. 06Are there other guests staying on the property?
7. 07How many cars fit by the houses?
8. 08When do quiet hours start, and does a party need consent?
9. 09How much does firewood cost, and are bed linen and towels included?
10. 10How much is the deposit, and what are the cancellation terms?

Our Modern and Loft houses are exactly this layout of two houses side by side. Each has 130 m², four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room with an open kitchen and a lakeside terrace. Together that makes eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens and two living rooms for up to 20 people.

The driveway with parking, the garden, the lake shore and the fire pit are shared. Modern stands closer to the water, Loft a little further back, on the meadow side. In both houses one bedroom and a bathroom are on the ground floor, which helps grandparents or parents with a small child.

1. 01kitchens with a hob, oven, fridge, dishwasher and a full set of tableware
2. 02bed linen and towels included, Wi-Fi, a Smart TV and gas heating all year round
3. 03the shore of Lake Krzywe about 10 metres from the houses, a beach with a jetty about 20 metres away, and the lake is a quiet zone with no combustion engines
4. 04a fire pit shared by both houses, with firewood ordered from us for PLN 200
5. 05check-in from 16:00, check-out by 11:00, quiet hours from 22:00 to 7:00
6. 06parties only by prior arrangement, no outdoor sound systems, no pets and no smoking in the houses

To be honest: we do not have one room for 20 people under one roof. Each living room is furnished for its own house's guests, so if you are planning a celebration dinner for everyone at one table indoors, it is worth booking a restaurant for that evening or asking us how best to arrange it. Mrągowo is 9 km away, Krutyń about 20 minutes and Mikołajki about 30 minutes.

You will find prices and free dates for both houses on our prices page. If there are 10 of you or fewer, see what to look for when choosing a house in Masuria for 10 people.

With 20 people, the best thing is that you can be together all day, and in the evening everyone goes back to their own place.