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| Charles Bridge |
I just got back from a long weekend in Prague: one of the many benefits of living in London and being so close to a myriad of great European destinations. I decided to stay at the Mandarin Oriental, which was included in the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List for 2011 this year. The Mandarin Oriental Prague is located in a quiet and secluded section of Mala Strana, literally a two minute walk from the famous Charles Bridge. The hotel occupies the site of a 14th century monastery and many of the original artifacts are on display in glass cases in the hallway.
I have to say, the staff and the service at the Mandarin are exceptional. From the moment you check in, they walk you through the entire hotel and familiarize you with all of the amenities of both the building and your guest room. They are always on hand to make suggestions for dinner and sightseeing and to book reservations. No request we made during our stay went unfulfilled.
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| Monastery Lounge |
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| Monastery Lounge |
Many of the rooms, including the Monastery Lounge, feature vaulted ceilings, oak wood parquet floors and limestone bathrooms. Bathrooms offer separate bathtubs and showers, televisions, phones, and bathrobes and slippers. In addition to daily maid service, there is a turndown service in the evening with complimentary bottled water and scented sleep spray to be spritzed on your pillow if you like.
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| View from the room |
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| Limestone bathroom with double sinks, separate shower and bathtub |
Full English breakfast was included in our room rate, which essentially meant that we could order anything at all off of the extensive breakfast menu. At no additional charge, you could have your breakfast delivered to you in your room, which is what we did each morning. I just loved eating breakfast in pyjamas in my room without having to get dressed to go down to the dining room: this for me is what it truly means to be on vacation!
The Spa at the Mandarin is the only one in the world located in a former Renaissance chapel, and indeed there is a glass floor through which you can see the remnants of the actual chapel. There are six treatment rooms as well as a tea lounge and relaxation area, and a shop selling all those amazing Aromatherapy products they use on you during treatments. I had a one hour Oriental Essence massage, and it was the perfect way to undo the damage of walking on cobblestone streets for two days. From my guest room, I could wear my bathrobe and descend directly to the spa by an elevator outside my door that connected to an underground passageway, without anyone ever seeing me.
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| The Spa with glass floor showing the ruins of the former chapel |
The hotel offers a few complimentary activities, which are both fun and educational. While we were there, they held an evening Czech beer tasting class in their cocktail bar called Barego, as well as a private tour of the property that highlighted the history of the building and the antique artefacts on display. We tasted different beers that had hints of chocolate, caramel and even banana, and another beer that had champagne in it and was served in a champagne flute! This was an enjoyable class and a great way to kick off the evening before heading out for dinner in the Old Town.
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| A complimentary Czech beer tasting at the hotel bar, Barego |
For location, service and sleep quality, you will not be disappointed at the Mandarin Oriental Prague.
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