Our hotel – Mandarin Oriental Prague

While in Prague, we stayed at a hotel called the Mandarin Oriental which is one of our favourite hotel chains offering elegant surroundings, outstanding service, in a luxurious environment. This particular hotel was newly opened for only 6 months and was previously an incredible building, on its own merit, that began its life as a monastery in the 14th Century. It is perfectly situated in the heart of Prague's historic centre and within walking distance of the city's sights of interest.

Above, I was just having some fun with with the camera and this ball on our table, filled with fruit & chocolate. It may not be evident in this shot, but the room was simply gorgeous.

Access to our hotel was via this tiny courtyard entrance. The Oriental designed this hotel around the existing architecture and left as much of the original structure as possible so as to maintain the historical integrity. End result is a special building that is a mix of elegance and historical significance. As you walk through, or rather get lost in the winding corridors, you can really feel the origins around you and the serenity. What we especially appreciated was that it was a 4 minute walk from the busy, noisy, ultra hectic (but still amazing) Charles Bridge and was so tranquil and peaceful.

This is the lobby which does not even come close to conveying the tranquil welcome which I will always remember. Our room was not ready upon our arrival so they offered us some lovely tea while we planned our weekend - LOTS of local sights and dining.

I added the above shot so you could see how quiet the area was in the streets surrounding our hotel ... where only minutes away the crowds were so thick you could barely walk (as you will see in the preceding posts).

Also in a small square in front of our hotel, we discovered a cozy cafe (as the ones in town were filled with noisy tourists). We sat here, with the festive locals from the neighbourhood, for a few hours enjoying (many) refreshing glasses of rose, snacked on some simple tapas and read about this history-rich city, reliving our explorations while reviewing our phenomenal photos. Each time we walked by or returned for another glass of rose, we were warmly greeted by our friendly waiter who was so inviting, hospitable and delightful. Sadly, I have forgotten his name as our visit was in July 2007 and my pea-sized memory is at a loss - cheers to you my friend.