Stayed here for 3 nights, leaving early on the fourth day. We had booked two rooms--one "Superior" room, which has a king-size bed, and one twin room, which has two separate twin beds that are pushed together. You can choose to move them further apart if you'd like!
The reception staff was great--they are very welcoming and most were helpful without us even asking. They set out a bowl of apples each morning for guests to take, as well as a thing of warm apple cider. The staircase spirals upwards, with two starting points (sort of like at the opera, or a fancy theater). The floors were polished and sparkled, making it feel very grand.
There's an ice machine in the middle of each floor, by the staircase. The elevator is activated by your keycard. You need to use your keycard to choose the floor--and you can only choose your own floor. Of course, no one is stopping anyone from going up the stairs to any floor, but it was a nice touch.
The rooms themselves all had high ceilings, making them feel much more spacious and open. The bathrooms had black and white checkered patterns, but done in a classy, non-kitsch way. The mattresses were comfy, the windows open out, and everything was pretty standard in terms of amenities. The maid service comes in to make your bed and vacuum, and will switch out your linen/towels if you put them on the floor. The hotel was home to Kafka's office, back when the building was an insurance agency. His office is now room 214. I'm not sure if guests actually stay there--it might be a special request with a different price? Again, not sure about that point. But, his picture is framed and hung up outside the room.
There are photographs of Kafka with various friends all over the hotel. The restaurant downstairs, which was Michelin recommended, is named after one of his paramours, Felice. We did not try the dinner there, but we did have breakfast--it was 16 euro a room for a help-yourself, all-you-can-eat buffet. The spread was simple--they had meats and cheeses, an omelette and egg station, breads, pastries, jams, orange, apple and pear juices, fruits, and some hot dishes (scrambled eggs, mushrooms, sausages, peppers, thick-cut bacon that was really just fried slices of ham..) They also have the Chapter Bar, which we did not try out, but has positive reviews.
The hotel's location is definitely one of its best features: it's less than a 10-minute walk from the Old Town Square, which has many of the big tourist attractions. Unlike Times Square, however, the area, even when overrun by tourists like ourselves, managed to feel calm and beautiful. The hotel is also right by the Municipal House, used for concerts, and the Divadlo Hybernia, a theater where we saw The Best of Swan Lake. It's a 1 minute walk away from Palladium, this mall with over 200 shops, many of which are global brands like Adidas and Sephora. There's a tram station and a metro station right there--Namasti Republicky is a huge hub.
We had our receptionist book us a taxi to the airport, and the driver was 20 minutes EARLY, which was great. Plus, they will post your postcards and letters for you as long as you have it all stamped and ready to mail out. I hope to return to Prague for a few more days (all you really need to get a good overview of the city is about three to four days), I would love to stay here again. read more
