Malá Strana

Mandarin Oriental Prague

★★★★★

The Mandarin Oriental is the hotel for travellers who want Prague's history wrapped around them and absolute calm at the end of the day. It occupies a former Dominican monastery on Nebovidská, a quiet street in the heart of Malá Strana, built on the site of a fourteenth-century monastery, and over the centuries its buildings served as a church, a chapel, a sugar warehouse, barracks, a military hospital and a printing press before falling derelict. Restored and opened as a hotel, it has 99 rooms, including 20 suites, arranged around courtyards and a central garden. The rooms mix contemporary comfort with the old structure, so many have vaulted ceilings, thick walls, deep windows and unexpected angles; some open onto the garden, and the grandest suites look out toward Petřín Hill and the castle. The spa is the hotel's signature. It is set in a former Renaissance chapel, the reception in the old nave, with the foundations of an even older Gothic church visible beneath a glass floor, and treatment rooms that feel like a retreat. Dining spans an Asian-influenced restaurant and bar, an all-day lounge with an outdoor terrace in good weather, and a vaulted wine cellar with a medieval well. Service is attentive and gracious in the Mandarin Oriental style, and the monastery setting gives the whole hotel a hushed, contemplative atmosphere that is rare in a capital city centre. It is perfect for couples, spa lovers and travellers who prefer a quieter, more romantic base on the castle side of the river.

Location: Nebovidská is a peaceful street between the Lesser Town Square and Kampa Island, so you are a few minutes on foot from Charles Bridge, the Lennon Wall and the Čertovka channel, and a short walk from the Újezd stop for the Petřín funicular. Prague Castle is a steep fifteen-minute walk up through Malá Strana, or a short tram ride. Old Town Square is across the river, around fifteen to twenty minutes away. In the evening, the lanes around the hotel are among the most atmospheric in Prague, with wine bars and cellar restaurants close by.

Living in it: the vaulted rooms and garden-facing rooms are the ones to book for character; ask about rooms with views toward Petřín or the castle if a view matters. The spa is a reason to stay in itself, especially in winter, when a treatment after a cold day of sightseeing is a joy; book treatments ahead. The garden and terrace are lovely in summer, and the quiet of the location is a gift after the Old Town crowds.

The trade-offs: Malá Strana's cobbles and hills are harder with heavy luggage, though cars can reach the hotel; and if you want to be in the middle of the Old Town nightlife, you are on the wrong side of the river. Rates are at the top of the market. For a romantic break, a honeymoon or a slow, restorative trip, it is one of the most beautiful hotels in Central Europe.