Help me narrow down a Prague hotel!
 

I have it narrowed down to three on the castle side of the river:

Hotel Neruda 4*
Hotel Julian 3*
Hotel U Zlute Boty 3*

and three central ones:

U Medvididku 3* - in a historical room
Casa Marcello 4*
U Tri Bubnu 3*

All are priced about the same, but Casa Marcello and Neruda are "special deals" and I feel I may get an inferior room.

We generally do a lot of walking, will we be able to do that from the castle side, or will we be forced to take transit?

Any comments or suggestions? I am looking for something with some character.

sockboy, is Hotel U Zlute Boty also called house with the yellow shoe? If so I stayed there a couple of years ago. It was very pleasant, we were on the middle floor and both nights it sounded as if someone was moving furniture around - 11.30pm above us. eg very thin floors!! otherwise it was very well placed, quiet area, pleasant staff, clean, warm, (we were there at easter) good breakfast etc. It is near the American Embassy, so at the time thee was a lot of security around. the taxi was searched upon arriving at the hotel which was a bit unnerving, until we realised why. Ask for a room on the top floor!! I much prefered the castle side of town, but then we weren't looking for "night life". It is a fabulous city. Take a tram ride to the end of the line - any line, and see a bit more of the city surrounds, only cost about 20cents from memory! Just checked some photos and yes, the U Zlute boty is the house with the yellow shoe - would recommend.

With the exception of the Julian, everything else has very good locations but, hugely differing styles. The Zlute Boty (Golden Boot) is about 50 metres from the American Consulate and is at the bottom of a set of steps (Jannsky Vrsek) that lead up to Nerudova and the hill to the castle. Hotel Neruda is on the hill itself. Personally I would go for one of the other three. U Medvidku has high wood-beamed rooms and also a beerhall attached but it is probably the noisiest of the choices. U Tri Bubnu is a 20 second walk from the Old Town Square and the Casa Marcelo is on the other side of the Jewish Quarter. If you want character then U Medvidku has "room character" but, Casa Marcello has "location character" as you'll be walking around a less touristy area than Mala Strana. There are no inferior rooms at Marcello.

Jason
www.livingprague.com

Thank you both for your comments!

I have now eliminated Neruda and Julian. Julian for location, and Neruda for character - it seems nice, but very modern, and not exactly what I am looking for in Prague.

Noise is a consideration, and makes me wonder about both U Medvidku and U Tri Bubnu. We won't be there over a weekend though, so I assume that things should be quieter?

I don't need "super" character, I just don't want a modern place. I rulled the popular Cloister out for this reason.

I am still torn about which side of the river to be on. Like schnauzer, we are not looking for night life, but I do like being central in a city.

All are about 130Euros/night, with the exception of Medvidku, which is 115Euros/night. I have had a very difficult time choosing a hotel in Prague. In other cities, I don't usually spend this much a night, but Prague seems to be expensive - so I want to be sure I'll be happy with my choice!

Hi
May I suggest another Hotel! We absolutely loved the Golden Wheel Hotel. I know it has it's own website but can't locate it right now.

For what it's worth, here are my notes from our visit to Prague last June.

A personal aside-- I wouldn't choose the business district, or Wenceslas Square (we didn't think that area was especially charming). You will be able to walk all over Prague and it's so much nicer to be in a central location from which you can easily come and go -- like in old town or Mala Strana, near the Charles Bridge. Although it will be crowded with tourists there, too, that's half the fun. If you stay by the castle, it's a an uphill climb to your hotel each evening, if that matters.
We stayed in a pension in Prague last June, called the U Lilie, that I wouldn't highly recommend simply because it's slightly shabby-- but it is clean, with a cold breakfast buffet included, and a bargain for a family 'suite'-- also a wonderful location right near the Bridge. It certainly has 'local flavor.'

One pension people here like is the Dientzenhofer. You might check it out, http://www.dientzenhofer.cz/ I know they have family rooms and were only slightly more expensive than the U Lilie.

I did collect brochures from three unique hotels I wanted to remember in case we returned: The Hotel Neruda, the Hotel U krale Karla, and the Grand Hotel Bohemia.

The Neruda is on the hill going up to Prague Castle. It has a nice cafe on its rooftop, for views of the city below. Its brochure calls it four-star, an historical building reconstructed. Lobby had a nice, contemporary feel, clean and well-done. Rack rate is 220 EUR in high season for a double. It's website is www.hotelneruda.cz

The U krale Karla is in a gothic building, rebuilt in 1639, renovated in 1993. It had more an old Prague feeling to it, old elegance. In Lesser Town, also near the Castle, only 16 double rooms and 3 suites, high season rates for double room deluxe is 6900CZK. Website: www.romantichotels.cz

The Grand Hotel Bohemia is a five-star, in Old Town next to the Powder Tower (also a good location), 78 rooms and suites. It's a classic, old, elegant-looking place that looked charming, too. (No rate sheet in their brochure.) Website: www.grandhotelbohemia.cz

Also, try the Living in Prague website-- http://www.livingprague.com/hotel.htm

Prague is wonderful. Have fun.

I have stayed at U Zlute Boty on two different occasions. It's small, comfortable, clean, charming, well located, and the staff is very friendly. It's true that the sound proofing isn't great, but we should all travel with ear plugs, right? If you do stay there, be sure to tell your taxi driver that it is just beyond the American Embassy..it can be a bit tricky for taxi drivers to find.
I haven't been there since Nov. '03, but as I was checking out, a Rick Steves group was checking in, so guess it's okay with them : -)
The location is great. The castle is just up the hill and if you go the other direction, you are only minutes away from a major tram stop and the Charles Bridge, too.
Enjoy your visit! Prague is a great city for walking.

Thanks for the extra notes. I am somehow drawn to the castle side of the river, and am glad to hear that it is also central and walkable. However, hearing MaureenB's comments about the Neruda makes me want to reconsider it again!

From the comments, it sounds like I can't go wrong if I pick any of these hotels! I will let you know what I choose.

Jason, I just wanted to thank you for your very helpful website! I notice that you list the Casa Marcello on there.

I don't know most of those, but was interested in where you got such a good price on the Casa Marcello? I might like to stay there next time, as I really like that area. I have stayed at the nearby Hotel Maximilian twice and loved it, but they redecorated to be very modern and I really don't like it now. Really too bad as I loved the hotel before. I've never seen real cheap rates for Casa Marcello except when they were having the flood problems, so would really like to know what your rate is and how you got it.

I'm just amazed it's the same as the Julian, which is just kind of a moderate-level B&B type place. So maybe Julian too high, but it never used to be. A friend of mine stayed there and liked it and did not find it an inconvenient location, but I do know where it is and would prefer somewhere else myself. I saw her photos of the room and it is not exactly what I'd call quaint myself. It was just kind of weird, but typical budget B&B decor.

Casa Marcello is actually 194 Euros/night, but they are offering a 3rd night free deal for the time I am there - so it works out to 130/night. They also have a couple of attractive packages, one of which includes a dinner, prague pass, airport pickup, etc for 490Euros for 3 nights which I am also considering. Contact the hotel directly.

Christina - what is it about the Casa Marcello area that you like so much? Have you been in the hotel? Your inquiry makes me think that it is a real value and I should give it a higher weight!

no, I haven't been in it, only seen it from the outside and their web site. I was very happy at the Maximilian until they did minimalist redecorating.

It's just a nice area for a lot of reasons. It's within easy walking distance of Old Town square, and a metro stop (Namesti Republicky) and trams running along Revolucni -- but it isn't nearly as touristy as the area right around the bridge and closer in to that area (on both sides of the river). So, it is quieter, less crowded, and has some more regular neighborhood places. It's an attractive area, also, and there are several good small shops and cafes/restaurants right around that square where the hotel is, just in case you get home late and don't want to go far, or come home late from the opera and want to eat nearby. Traveling as a single woman, I liked it that I could come home later than 10 pm, and have a place to eat within a door or two of the hotel, and not have to worry about walking around at night late, alone. Also, there are a lot of good cheap restaurants on some streets in-between that hotel and the main Old Town Square, so there is a wide choice of places to eat.

It's also near a large department store I like a lot (the one across from the metro stop), and a classical music sheet music store is right around the corner (I play piano) which I like to browse.

It's just a great location for lots of reasons. I really hate crowds and noise, though, I would never stay around the bridge myself.

Casa Marcello sounds like a nice area - as Jason puts it, a character area.

U Medvicku is offering a 15% discount for midweek stays, so is cheaper than the others. I'm either going to go with that - right in the thick of things, or splurge on Casa Marcello, depending on how my budget is holding up when I book the rest of my cities!

Previous posts have indicated that the Zlute Boty is close to the American Embassy. I would just point out that it is the American CONSULATE in this location. The American embassy is over in Prague 6. It is not uncommon for people wanting to go to this area of Mala Strana to ask for the American Embassy when in fact they wanted the Consulate and sometimes taxi drivers will take advantage of this error.

Jason
www.livingprague.com