Czech Republic Prague Movenpick Hotel West

[mkiwama]

Thought I would share my experience of a Priceline stay in Prague, Czech Republic, (have also added a review to another forum). :)

I just returned from a WONDERFUL 7 night stay at the Moevenpick Hotel in Prague. I was there for a conference which was situated in the Smichov Prague 5 area on the West bank of the Vltava River. Though the hotel was situated close to the conference venue, I want to say that this would be a great location for anyone wanting to spend an extended period of time sightseeing in Prague. On the map, it looks like it is away from the popular tourist destinations of old town, Wenceslas Square, Josefov (Jewish sector), Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle but it really isn't far at all. Prague is a compact city and has an excellent public transportation system. Within a 5 minute walk is the tram (Bertramka station), Rail Station, Metro (Andel station), and a gigantic new shopping complex that has a massive Carrefour store, called Novy Smichov. At Carrefour, I could get practically anything i needed at reasonable prices- stuff like Czech Beer, wines, bottled water, bread, cold meats and cheeses, and even hot take-out like Beef Goulash and other local delicacies. On the top floor is a food fair that serves everything from MacDonalds to fine Greek and Chinese food. Many of the eateries around the Andel station (including fastfood giants KFC and Macdonalds) are open til 2am. In other words, what i am saying is that the Movenpick Hotel is situated just far enough away from the tourist traps but close enough to good amenities and all of this beautiful city's main tourist attractions. 5 min.s walk to Metro, a short wait on the platform and then 5 minutes on the metro and you're at Wenceslas Square.

The hotel itself is a fairly new, well-staffed large complex at the foot of a hill, separating the bustle of the city and beautiful nature. The main hotel complex's two wings are situated at the bottom of the slope. There is a another hotel complex at the top of the hill accessed by a special funicular rail car that departs from the hotel lobby. Great views of the city from atop this hill. Right next to the hotel is the Beautiful Bertramka Villa, where Mozart reportedly stayed from time to time and finished composing Don Giovanni. One thing about this city is the incredible history and culture that is everywhere around you.

Rooms are spacious by European standards. I don't know whether it was because of Priceline or not but me and a friend were assigned 2 rooms on the 7th floor (non smoking floor; there are 8 floors- 8th flr is executive rooms) facing the rear of the hotel. This was great because the rooms facing front only had windows which looked over a new expressway overpass that was being built, wheras rooms facing the rear had verandas that looked toward Bertramka Villa. The veranda doors were great because they also swiveled vertically allowing cool air to enter below and the warm air to circulate out.

Rooms are equipped with all of the usual appointments and this being typically European, was designed with comfort and efficiency in mind. High ceilings. Beds had real down feather pillows and down duvets. Desk is built into wall but has lots of space and lots of space below to enable free movement of your legs. Lots of alternative lighting. Green carpet, rosewood closets and doors, burgundy coloured counters and tabletops.

Bathrooms had oversized deep soaker tubs, large toilets with built-in-wall plumbing push panels. Hair dryer on wall but no coffee making facilities in-suite. Also, they don't have in room irons and boards; you call housekeeping and they bring you one quickly. I found the rooms to be clean and functional, and an oasis to return to after a long day of walking.

The other thing worth mentioning is that the rooms are virtually soundproof. I couldn't hear my neighbor fill the bathtub, nor ever hear any toilets flushing.

To get to the Movenpick from the Airport, you can avoid the taxi mafia by taking the 179 bus to a tram stop called 'Motol', then taking the tram to Bertramka station. The hotel is within 2 blocks; whole trip took about 20 minutes. FRom Hotel to Airport, I could have just taken the tram and bus but decided to splurge and take one of the hotel cars (brand new black Audi sedans) for a cost of 580 Czech Crowns.

The downside? internet is dial-up and although they can provide you with an account, you still pay for each unit of telephone time. Also, the restaurants are kind of pricey. Most guests are on a buffet breakfast plan but as you guessed, Priceline guests don't get a breakafst plan included. Not an issue as everyone else is paying at least double of what Priceline guests pay (60-65/night).

The Padova restaurant next door is a great little place for italian meals at reasonable prices. I had a beer, greek salad, pasta, espresso and a tartufo layered cake, all for about $10.

I would recommend this as an excellent value and location;

an absolute steal for $65/night :)

[zbenye]

Great review, mkiwama.

Just so y'all know, right outside the baggage claim area there's a couple of booths that sell long-term transportation passes. They're dirt cheap, and are good on the busses (including the rides to/from the airport), trams and subway. Why spend $20-30 on a taxi to the city? A 3-day pass is 200 crowns, less than $7. A two-week pass is just a couple of bucks more! Bus 119, right outside the terminal, gets you to the subway.

Poster above mentioned KFC -- you've gotta try it! It's nothing like in the U.S. The meat is much leaner and tastes far better - natural juices rather than fat. I loved it.

Also be sure to try the pounded chicken breast sandwiches (schnitzel in a bun, sort of) they sell at kiosks in the street near Mustek station and at the train station Hlavni Nadrazi (spelling?). These things are huge - the meat is about 3 times the size of the bun, so you use the bun as a handle... and the price is ridiculous - 45 crowns - about $1.50...

Speaking of the train station - you can store your bags in the self-service lockers for 10 crowns ($0.35) per 24 hours. Compare that to $6 at U.S. airports.

Go up the tall antenna tower for a great view of the entire metro area. And eat there too. You'd think it'd be expensive, but I got a whole fish with potatoes and a beer for just about $6.

Great city to visit.

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Czechs: correct my spelling and tell me what this means (announced repeatedly on the subway): "uconchete prosim vistup anastup dvezhese zaviray".

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[LoneStar]

While I didn't particularly enjoy my time in Prague (the relentless tourist hordes sap the charm from the city these days), I liked the Movenpick Hotel. Very stylish and well maintained, with a pleasant and very accomodating stafff. To my surprise, they upgraded me to the Executive Wing, which is located on top of a hill, connected to the rest of the property by private cable car (very cool, albeit not terribly convenient). While as a priceline customer I didn't get the free buffet breakfast, they did leave out free fruit, juices and croissants in the Executive Lobby, and there was an adjacent business lounge with free internet access. My room faced out to a quiet courtyard, with my own little deck (with table and chairs) to sit out on. The only disappointment with the room is that I was travelling with two of my children and asked, in advance, for a room with two beds. The hotel happily complied, but they turned out to be single beds, so one kid slept on the floor on some cushions (upon request, the hotel brought an extra pillow and linens).

While some travellers might dislike being 3 metro stops away from the city center, I enjoyed it. It is only a 5 minute or so walk to the Andel station, and the station is in a safe "real" (aka no tourists) neighborhood. Indeed, the station is next to a huge shopping center. Another 5 minutes by train and you're in tourist central (just watch for pickpockets on the train -- I saw one).

For folks arriving by air, I would encourage folks to follow the directions on the hotel's website to use the public transportation from the airport. I did it and it was very easy (as long as you can pull your luggage the 5 minutes to the hotel).