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Get Musical at Mandarin Oriental Prague
The Mandarin Oriental Prague is already somewhere we've decided is a good place to stay. We're just a bit more tempted still when they offer interesting packages like the City of Music or Treasures of Prague packages available now.
Drawing on Prague's three opera houses and dozen orchestras as justification for dreaming up the City of Music package, the hotel is offering luxury accommodation, a bottle of wine, a selection of Czech classical music recordings to take home with you, a three-hour guided tour of "Musical Prague", two opera or symphony tickets and a few other goodies, all designed to keep music lovers happy.
This package is available for a minimum three night stay, with the second and third nights being cheaper; for a three night stay in the Superior room you'll pay €1,129 ($1,600). The Treasures of Prague packages follows a similar line and includes Prague Castle excursions plus a foot massage "to counter any potential cobblestone fatigue".
[Photo: ocGlobeTraveler]
Related Stories:
· Cubicle Dreamin': Culture in the Mandarin Oriental Prague [HotelChatter]
· Mandarin Oriental Prague Has Great Bathrooms [HotelChatter]
Tags: HotelChatter Flickr Pool / Prague Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
HotelChatter Flickr Pool: Hotel 'Three Ostriches' in Prague
You may not be able to pronounce it, but luckily that's not a prerequisite for staying at the Hotel U Tří Pštrosů in Prague. For the record, we can't pronounce it either (especially with that pesky "ř" sound that Czechs like to challenge visitors to pronounce when drunk), but if it's easier, think of the translation, which means "At the Three Ostriches". The story goes that many moons ago during the reign of Charles IV, a foreign delegation stayed here who'd brought three ostriches as a gift for the big guy. We don't really know why, but at least it makes for an interesting hotel name.
Anyways, thanks to tipster Kim who recently threw some pics into the HotelChatter Flickr Pool, we can tell you that there are now no ostriches in the rooms. Or at least not in Room 11 where Kim stayed. And she also mentioned that they have free Wifi, which we love. After the jump, you can see the view from her room, which makes it clear just how close this place is to the famous Charles Bridge.
Tags: HotelChatter Flickr Pool / Prague Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
HotelChatter Flickr Pool: Hotel Cerna Liska
This is the latest addition to the HotelChatter Flickr Pool.
Thanks to Biggest Mac, we have a mini-review of the Hotel Cerna Liska in Prague. And Biggest Mac made use of the Flickr notes where you can point out certain elements of your photos. Or as our contributor did, circle your hotel room.
The other note (which we couldn't screencap) mentioned that a daily market sets up in front of the hotel. Biggest Mac also writes:
Wonderful accommodation, great location (Old Town Square), super food! PLEASE COMMENT IF THIS INFO IS HELPFUL OR IF ANY QUERIES!
Judging by the all-caps, he means it too, so help a brother out.
Don't forget to add your own photos to the HotelChatter Flickr Pool. It's as easy as second stint in a celebrity rehab center!
Tags: Prague Hotel Reviews / Mandarin Oriental Hotels / Prague Hotels / → All Tags
Mandarin Oriental Prague Has Great Bathrooms
Looks like Prague may officially be over: The new-ish Mandarin Oriental is about as far from a youth hostel as you'll find from the sounds of a recent New York Times review.
Of course, we filled you in on the hotel's opening rates back in February, but writer Evan Rail has some details on the bathrooms:
Designed as if you will spend a lot of time there. Even the smallest include a flat-screen TV, heated limestone floors and black marble counters. The toiletries, from Aromatherapy Associates, include more lotions and body washes than most people could possibly use, to say nothing of soaps, shampoos, nail and skin care equipment, combs, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
We have to give credit to any hotel that will free us from packing toiletries--so we can skip the strip search at the airport. But all the creams and lotions in the world can't cover up the blemish of charging $26 for 24 hours of Internet access.
[Photo: Pavel Horejsi for The New York Times]
Related Stories:
· Cubicle Dreamin' [HotelChatter]
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Prague's Booming Hotel Market
Not only has Prague becoming a booming tourist market in the last decade, but the hotel world has also been smart enough to get hotels in Prague really happening. According to a recent report in Business Traveller, the hotel market in Prague is really taking off, with all the big multinational hotel chains either already there or having plans to open soon.
In the four and five star classes, the report talks about the Four Seasons Prague that got in early to the Prague market, and is still in a strong position thanks to its great location--perhaps the best spot in the whole of Prague. And even though it is already doing well, it has a rolling refurbishment planned over the next couple of years.
Other top hotels mentioned include the fairly new Mandarin Oriental Prague, which is stylish and atmospheric; and three hotels that are commonly used both for business and pleasure include the Hilton Prague, the Marriott Prague and the Renaissance Prague. Smaller and boutique hotels are also on the increase, and more choice can only be a good thing.
[Photo: Cliff]
Related Stories:
· Prague Hotels [Budget Traveller]
Tags: Hotel Deals / Prague Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
An Indian Summer Hotel Deal Abroad
The modern Andel's Hotel in Prague offers some autumn relief from a sagging dollar.
Once you get past Labor Day, airfares between Europe and North America take a welcome dive south and hotel prices follow. This can also be the most pleasant time to visit Prague. The summer hordes of package tourists are gone and there's just a little nip of cool in the air.
Many of Prague's famous hotels aren't playing along, however, and there's some serious sticker shock when you see rates of $450+ a night in a city that used to be a bargain. Thankfully if you dig around, you can uncover some deals. We like the Indian Summer Package at Andel's Hotel Prague. For $319 euros (roughly $400), you get two nights accommodation, a welcome cocktail, use of the gym, full buffet breakfast for two, and a DVD rental for your room. Rates are inclusive of all taxes, so no nasty surprises at the end. This deal is good through the end of October.
The sleek Andel's Hotel openend in 2002 and has been getting rave reviews from guests. While it's not right in the historic (and touristy) center, it's a pleasant long stroll to the Charles Bridge from here and there's a tram stop nearby.
Note that many hotels in Prague have a similar name (including a few named "Dum"), so don't confuse this one with the very different Hotel Andel.
Related Stories:
· Andel's Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
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Power Showers at Andel's Hotel
Andel's Hotel Prague is a modern yet affordable hotel in Prague's business district
Each room has a CD/DVD player, Sat-TV, "individually adjustable" air-conditioning, minibar, trouser press, "plug and play" high speed internet access, and two direct telephone lines.
One guest also has this to add about the smallish rooms:
For those of you who would want to watch TV - forget it, there is nothing in English except CNN news! However take some DVDs with you - the sound system in the bathroom is great! The suites have bath with shower. Shower with 2 shower heads! and enough power to blow you across the room!
Rates start at 235 Euros and include a full breakfast buffet.
In case you missed our other Prague stories this week, here they are:
·Prague Marriott May Give Your Room Away Before You Get There
·A different kind of Prague Hotel
·Relive the 80s at the Four Seasons Prague
·Hotel Le Palais: Great Hotel, Rough Bum Wipes
Related Stories:
· Kanuck's photostream [Flickr]
· Andel's Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotel Hell / Prague Hotel Reviews / Marriott Hotels / → All Tags
Prague Marriott May Give Your Room Away Before You Get There
The Prague Marriott seems to be borrowing a page from the airlines' playbook as one guest recently discovered that the hotel has a repeated problem overbooking rooms.
If this should ever happen to you, do exactly what this guest did.
We learned quickly that this hotel COMMONLY overbooks their rooms on a regular basis. If you arrive in the evening you will probably not get your room. They will try to send you to another Marriott owned less-valued hotel.
It happened to us, as well as others repeatedly during our stay. On several occasions we notified this hotel of our late arrival. We arrived at midnight after a 2 day non-stop journey trying to get to Prague from the US that was plagued with problems. When we arrived the Night Mgr (Martina) told us "Sorry, nothing I can do. I overbook and gave your room away".
She looked at me in the face and didn't answer when I asked if she would have charged my credit card if I didn't show up. Unlike most, I called back to the U.S. to Marriott Rewards Customer service using my cell at $2.79/min insisting they do something. 35 minutes later, we agreed on them to put us up in the Marriott Apartments (2 miles away) free, pay for roundtrip transportation when our room was avilable the next day, pay for a free dinner, AND upgraded us to the presidential suite for the remainder of our stay.
So be calm, rational, and PERSISTANT or you will get what others we spoke to at the hotel received: The Courtyard Marriot 5 miles away, you have to pay for the room, you pay for a taxi to/from the hotel until the Marriott has a room ready, no free dinner, and no free upgrade.
See, it pays to be a member of a hotel rewards group. Perhaps, you should want them to overbook your room if it means getting upgraded to the Presidential Suite for the rest of your stay.
As for the hotel, the original Prague Marriott you booked, the place is a modern building with a central location right outside Old Town, spacious rooms and bathrooms and free WiFii but in the bar area only.
Related Stories:
· Prague Marriott reviews [TripAdvisor]
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A Different Kind of Prague Hotel
Hotel Yasmin is a new design hotel in Prague that opened in March. Situated around the corner from the Wenceslas Square, the hotel has 198 "luxury designed rooms" which are very modern and minimalist and yes, a bit space age. Most rooms face the courtyard but a few face the street albeit with some noise. Yasmin is even in on the anti-smoking trend as 120 rooms are reserved for nonsmokers.
However being a design hotel you are bound to find some weird things there, like the orange "monsters" found throughout the hotel, tree "people" in the lobby and just in general, a whole lot of dizzying mint green and yellow decor. Also, the Yasmin flower is the hotel's logo and it is plastered all over the place from the floor to the walls.
Still guests enjoyed the spot, namely for the location, spacious rooms and breakfast at the restaurant Cafe Noodles, which is included in the room rate (about 260 Euros during the high season.) However, watch the extra charges at the hotel:
Dont use the hotel's taxi service as we found it was about 30% higher than other reputable firms; dont use the telephone in your bedroom - we were charged £4 for a two minute local, yes local, call.
Related Stories:
· Hotel Yasmin reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Prague Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Relive the 80s at the Four Seasons Prague
The Four Seasons Prague hotel on the banks of the Vitava river, has some of the largest rooms in the city. And with three historic buildings that make up the hotel itself - the Classical Building, the Renaissance Building and the Baroque Building - all united by the modern Main Building, the rooms have some of the choicest views as well.
You can choose rooms facing the river, the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle, the Monastery of the Knights of the Cross or the other surrounding historic buildings.
The location of the Four Seasons is pretty choice too--just one block from the Charles Bridge and like the Hotel Le Palais, the Four Seasons has a black Mercedes on hand to take you wherever you need to go. At the hotel, there's the restaurant Allegro which was voted top by Zagat for the entire country, a workout facility stocked with new equipment, and the concierge service gets some of the highest praises from reviewers.
Sadly, all this greatness seems to be marred by the uninspiring decor or as another guest called it, "the tacky 1980's American decor."
Walking through the hotel up to the room felt like you where on a TV set for Dallas in around 1986, a million miles away from Prague with its world famous architecure and rich local culture in 2006! Overall this hotel has great potential and could be a real gem, but lacks flair for a 5* joint and is marred by tired decor and furnishings reminiscent of a Marriott in the US 20 years ago.
Ouch. The Four Seasons better consider an extreme room makeover since a luxury chain should not be compared to a Marriott. This room picture above doesn't look too bad but if you want a closer look, the hotel website allows you to zoom in on the room pictures so you can inspect the bedspread and the curtains for yourself.
Rooms start at 330 Euros and a fourth night stay is free.
Related Stories:
· Four Seasons Prague reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Hotel Le Palais: Great Hotel, Rough Bum Wipes [HotelChatter]
Tags: Prague Hotel Reviews / Hotel Amenities / Tips / → All Tags
Hotel Le Palais: Great Hotel, Rough Bum Wipes
Since more and more Americans are traveling to Europe, we thought we would focus this week on a much-visited European city, Prague. Even though the city has a pretty bad pick-pocketing situation, the sights are hard to beat. We'll be looking at a few of the hotels worth checking out and at least one to avoid, but if you have any suggestions for us on what to hit up or to stay far far far away from, let us know.
Prague is, to say the least, a popular European destination and this time of the year the city is teeming with tourists. Which is perhaps why Hotel Le Palais, located just outside the city center, is so popular.
The hotel was the 2005 Trip Advisor's Traveler's choice winner for Prague with its first-class services and amenities and extremely helpful staff just some of the things that people rave about here. The hotel's building was constructed in 1841 as a private palace that was redone in Belle Epoque style in 1897. Then in 2002, the building was made into a five-star hotel with 72 rooms and suites. Today, it's a member of the Leading Small Hotels of the World.
Inside, the hotel has its own health club, a spa with massage services and hair and nail salon, a restaurant and bar (with a menu to view online) and a concierge service.
The rooms, some of which are on the small side, have large comfy beds, complimentary mini-bars and modern amenities including high-speed internet (but no free WiFi.) An added perk is that the marble floors in the bathroom are heated, (though it's doubtful you need them now.) Yet despite loving almost everything else about the hotel, one guest had a complaint about the linens
Firstly, the towelling was very rough. The towels had been laundered to the extent that they felt very rough to the touch. Then there was the toilet paper. Again it was not the smoothest piece of paper that my bottom has had the pleasure to feel.
While the hotel says they are a 15-minute walk to the famed National Museum and Wenceslas Square, reviewers say it's more like 20 minutes and that you should take advantage of the hotel's car service which is a black Mercedes. If the cars aren't available the hotel will call a taxi for you.
Room rates vary depending on the time of the year with single rooms going for about $430 in the summer and $375 in the winter. However, the hotel offers many special rates and promotion packages that are worth checking out.
So if you don't mind staying away from the major tourist spots and can handle some slight bum-chafing, Hotel Le Palais could be the choice for you.
Related Stories:
· Hotel Le Palais reviews [TripAdvisor]
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