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Tags: Hotel Openings / Prague Hotels / Rocco Forte Hotels / → All Tags

Make Friends With Monks at Prague's Augustine Hotel

Where: Letenská 12/33, Prague, Czech Republic, 11800

The Rocco Forte people are busy right now — if it wasn't enough to open their first resort with the Verdura Resort in Sicily, they're also hitting eastern Europe for the first time when the Augustine Hotel in Prague opens on May 14.

This place is a 101-room hotel overlooking the Wallenstein Gardens, and the hotel itself is made up of seven historical buildings, including the 13th century St. Thomas Monastery. The coolest part is there are still monks using parts of this monastery and hotel guests might glimpse them going about their monkly tasks.

The décor and furniture are all in the good taste you'd expect for such a respectable-sounding area; in fact, the whole hotel looks elegant and classy in a way that really seems right for a stay in Prague. It's also central and close to Charles Bridge and other sightseeing spots.

The Augustine seems to be starting out with a 3 for 2 package: this works out at €960 ($1,250) for three consecutive nights for a Classic Queen room including breakfast, but it's only valid from opening night until the end of May.

Tags: NewYorkology / Amy Langfield / Killer View / Anti-View / Prague Hotels / → All Tags

Kids Get the Better View From the Alchymist Hotel in Prague

A while back Amy Langfield from NewYorkology headed off to Prague and went through a little bit of drama pre-flight with Tablet Hotels about her lodging situation. But as we told you back then, everything worked out ok and Amy and family was sent to a nice suite at the Alchymist Grand Hotel & Spa.

Since today is Killer/Anti-View day, we thought it fitting to post these views from her suite.

The above view is the Killer View from the kids room. While it's mostly buidlings, you can see the castle jutting out in the far background. So what kind of view did the master bedroom aka the parents' room have? Click after the jump to see.

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Tags: Cubicle Dreamin' / Hotels in Prague / Mandarin Oriental Hotels / → All Tags

Cubicle Dreamin': Culture in the Mandarin Oriental Prague

Where: Nebovidska 459 , Prague , Czech Republic, 11800

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K picks out her first choice for culture in Prague. Enjoy.

Feeling in need of a bit of culture and history makes me feel like popping over to Prague, one of my favorite cities in the world, if only all those tourists would get the hell outta there. (I don't count, of course). And although the name itself sounds like a horrendous clash of cultures, my pick for this trip would be the Mandarin Oriental Prague. With special opening offers available until March 31, there's even some incentive to get there fast.

The big bonus for me about the Mandarin Oriental is that it's on the castle side of the Vltava River--taking you just one step (a Charles-Bridge-sized step) away from most of the tourist hordes who hang out in the Old Town. You can explore the castle district or stroll to the iconic Charles Bridge, or just simply stay at the hotel and admire the fact that you're living in a renovated fourteenth century monastery. Or if you just want some traditional luxury hotel kind of experiences, try these:

Each room has its own individual features; you will find high ceilings, some vaulted, some arched. Others have tall windows through which shafts of light pour through, spilling over the original parquet flooring polished over hundreds of years.
Limestone bathrooms, with heated floors are created as private spas and equipped with rejuvenating aromatherapy essential oils and balms.
All 99 guest rooms  including 22 suites are fitted with extremely sophisticated audio visual equipment, including two LCD high definition televisions, three in every suite, and high speed internet connections.

At least two TVs, heated bathroom floors and vaulted ceilings--maybe it's irrelevant that gorgeous Prague is just outside.

Related Stories:
· Mandarin Oriental Prague reviews [TripAdvisor]