m_kingdom2: Prague
Sep 2nd, 2004, 03:08 AM
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m_kingdom2: Prague
I?ll present my trip report in two separate posts, one for Antwerp, and one for Prague, after all the two are rarely combined, and as such represent two distinct holiday experiences.
PRAGUE:
THE CITY:
The central areas of Prague are centred around the river, it is very easy to walk from one side (new city) to the other (old city), I didn?t need to use any taxis, trains or other form of public transport to explore the city. The city itself is steeped in history, and still retains the faded grandeur of the once very impressive public buildings. As for specific places I saw the castle/cathedral/palace on top of the hill in the old town. Sadly, no furniture remains so it is little more than walking around empty rooms. The Cathedral whilst no doubt impressive leaves me totally cold, but then such places always do (see later note on paying for places of worship). Walking up the tower attached was a nightmare, having to stop every few steps to allow people travelling in the opposite direction to pass, not recommended for those of you who don?t like height and/or are claustrophobic. I also enjoyed the natural history museum at the top of Wencelas Square - very old fashioned displays of stuffed animals, and minerals/precious/semiprecious stones, a fascinating way to pass an hour or so. The old Synagogue off of Paris St. is very small, and I can?t stand having to pay to see a place of worship, I find it very mercenary, I wouldn?t bother seeing it again. On other days I simply walked by the river, and up and down Paris St. which was the equivalent of Bond St. in London. The shops were the old standards - Louis Vuitton, Alfred Dunhill, Ferragamo, Hugo Boss, and various Jewellers (not of a particularly high standard). I didn?t purchase a single thing! As others had said, one doesn?t go to Prague to do the shops! Restaurants were so reasonable and so impressive I will give them their own section.
On one evening I decided to go to a Gershwin recital at the Municipal Hall. I bought the best tickets at 30GBP each (which seemed steep). The concert was not in the main hall, but a much smaller room. The group comprised classically trained string players and a lead trumpeter. They murdered every single Gershwin song, not recognising his subtle nuances and timing which characterised his sensitive, thoughtful and well balanced works. The performances were so poor that I refused to applaud any of the pieces, if I hadn?t paid 30GBP per ticket (which is a lot for an hour long recital even in London) it would?ve been laughable. I made clear my views to the box office after, but no refund was offered. If you want to go to a concert make sure you buy the cheapest tickets! So amateur, so awful!
RESTAURANTS:
There are very few traditional restaurants serving local dishes - those that advertise as ?traditional Czech food? look like tourist traps, beware. There are lots of simple, but good Italian restaurants serving pizzas, pastas, the usual, the food looked good, and prices were around 20GBP for a three course meal for two.
A new restaurant ?HOT? on Wencelas Square serves European/Asian fusion cuisine. As the weather wasn?t too cool, I dined on the covered terrace which afforded one the opportunity to peruse the passers-by. Food included dishes such as: a chicken, coconut, lemongrass soup garnished with wild mushrooms, and parsley - a wonderfully exotic flavour and served in a large square bowl; asparagus perfectly steamed with a glossy basil béarnaise sauce; a salad of pomello with shrimps, and a lemony/sesame dressing; a tender chicken breast on a julienne of vegetables served with potato purée and a cucumber salad (the former was not required, but was made well). The desserts were even more exceptional: banana tempura with a cardamon scented ice-cream; a chocolate and ginger soufflé, but the most interesting was a creme brulée made with mango purée and served with a green mango salad in a lime dressing, all garnished with a pink/purple (edible) orchid. A four course meal for two (excluding wine) was under 50GBP, with such incredible value I returned there for my last dinner.
A more traditional restaurant equidistant between Hotel Carlo IV (where I stayed) and Wencelas Square was located in a clock tower. On floors 7-9 the views over the city were a pleasant backdrop for what was to be a 70s experience. The décor wasn?t seventies, it featured lots of old timbers, and tables well spaced apart. Starters included a delicious traditional potato soup, served with lots of fresh bread and a whipped garlic butter. Main courses were a little elaborate - turkey stuffed with vodka marinated plums served with tagliatelle in a sweet chilli dressing nestled in a spiced pastry shell; walnut and blue cheese stuffed chicken breast on a potato dauphinoise (which was absolutely perfect with ultra thin sliced potatoes) with fresh market vegetables. Everything was well cooked, just a little rich and heavy, and reminiscent of the seventies. Desserts were a little naff too - all included the customary spun sugar basket! Czech style pancakes with wild berries and whipped cream were nice, but the portion size was too big; a selection of ice creams was lighter and nicely presented. A three course meal for two (excluding wines) was just over 50GBP which given the quality of the food was very reasonable.
In Paris St. for a light lunch I tried Pravda (sister restaurant to HOT) - again I chose to sit outside, a well made Borscht (beetroot soup) with a contemporary take was washed down with a nice glass of red wine. The other items on the menu looked appealing, with main courses from around 11GBP. Soup for two with wine and bread (all restaurants had a cover charge which is such an outdated practise) came to just over 20GBP - I?d imagine dinner comprising three courses would be around 60GBP just for the food.
Also on Paris St. is a wonderfully old fashioned Italian style ice-cream parlour, for under 1GBP per scoop i enjoyed a fabulously creamy banana ice-cream, and a fresh melon sorbet (on separate occasions) served in a small martini glass.
Prague offers one the opportunity for fine dining with chain restaurant prices - just make sure you avoid the typical tourist traps as they?re not particularly cheap, and the food won?t be anything special.
HOTELS:
I had lots of ?free? time in Prague which afforded me the opportunity to explore other hotels in the city.
THE FOUR SEASONS - décor was very international with pale woods and green hues with deep pile carpets, the building also incorporated a large (and always empty) Brioni store on the corner. Service appeared to be attentive. Place was stuffed full of American businessmen and Brass buttoned blazered Americans who thought they were something special - the property lacked a stylish clientele.
THE INTERCONTINENTAL - a large seventies pile located by the riverside (one would imagine river view rooms to be available at a supplement) with a very corporate feel. Service seemed to be much more impersonal than at The Four Seasons. Some hanging silk curtains had been added to the lobby to give it a more modern feel. Nothing special.
PALACE HOTEL - old fashioned, and peeling paint work on the outside aren?t what one expects from a ?Leading Hotel Of The World? (a brand that has gone downhill markedly). There were backpackers in the lobby, and the décor was once again stuck in the seventies. Certainly not a luxury property.
Both of these hotels were very centrally located just off of Paris Street.
HOTEL CARLO IV - I had selected this hotel as I believed it offered excellent service coupled with grand designs. I was greeted by a short (I?m not very tall, but was taller than him) doorman in an enormously high top hat and grey coat wearing sunglasses. The entrance is up a long flight of stairs surrounded by mirrors. There is a red carpet going up the stairs, but it is stained and full of dirt, it was never changed. If they must have carpet, it should be cleaned every other morning at the very least. At check-in, despite their having my address and other details, they insisted that I fill in a lengthy form (I?ve never had to do this before). After doing so I was informed my room was not ready for another half hour, I was not offered any drink and decided to go for a little walk. The room I was shown to was small - there was an armchair, long desk and beds in the bedroom, and floor to ceiling windows a few feet from a brick wall which had been covered up with ivy print perspex panels. One double wardrobe comprised the storage space. The bathroom was very small, and unusually had a plastic bath, no separate shower. The air conditioning fan was very noisy, and if I opened a window I had the noise of more air conditioning, so requested a change of room. I was shown to a similar room which had exactly the same problem. Again, this wasn?t good enough. The manager dealing with my problem was patronising ?if you are a light sleeper we are furnished with an excellent bar?, and then he asked ?are you from America? in a condescending manner. I remembered how patient and polite the manager at Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens had been in making sure I was happy with the room - he offered me suites and junior suites at no extra cost. Here, I realised that he had no intention of offering me an upgrade, ?we are 99.9 per cent full?, with invisible guests perhaps. Finally I was shown to a larger room on the top floor, again with a small bathroom, and only skylights set into the high ceiling so there were no views of anything other than the sky. Despite having no way to look out of the windows I decided to settle for this room. The bathroom had a bidet which took up unnecessary space, and without going into details, is now rather redundant with hand showers and suchlike. Toiletries were by Etro, very Italian, like the rest of the design of the hotel, incidentally the shampoo was absolutely hopeless at removing hairspray, I had to go to a chemist nearby to find something stronger. Carpet was very deep pile and patterned - so seventies (yet it was only a year old). The lobby is grand, but with no atmosphere, and awful piped pop music. The cigar bar was a small room that seemed to always be empty, and could?ve been combined with the well designed main bar which served well made and reasonably priced drinks. I didn?t dine at the hotel, with so many excellent (and cheaper) restaurants nearby, I had no inclination to eat there. Breakfast buffet often had ?leftovers? from the night before, e.g. a red currant pannacotta. Fresh fruit wasn?t replaced often enough, and there was no fresh orange juice on offer! Cheese selection was equally poor, and comprised mainly smoked cheese which seems a little strange for breakfast time. Service was clumsy with the waitress continually leaning across me to clear the table, also their standard of English was not particularly high. The basement ?spa? was dismal. Large changing rooms with the doors always left open (not very nice from a privacy aspect) felt cold and uninviting. The pool is surrounded by a few loungers, and some chairs and tables, very few towels are provided. Those that were, were very small bath towels, and on one occasion there were only face towels available! One day there were no towels out, so I walked into the storeroom and took my own, upon my exit I was confronted by the employee shouting at me waving a broom, not the way you address a guest. The pool itself was beautifully tiled, but the water was so cold it seemed as if they didn?t want you using it - there are various jacuzzi style sections, but in cold water it?s not much fun! A massage room comprised a corner by the pool screened off with wooden screens - again very little privacy. There is a large sauna which was pleasant, and a steam room which would?ve benefited from some form of scent.
The hotel looks good, but isn?t very functional and lacks high standards of service. Out of curiosity I asked to see a deluxe room - these had very high ceilings and huge windows, but once again only a very small bathroom which seemed very strange indeed. If you can get this hotel at a price well below the rack rate then you won?t go far wrong - it has a central location being a leisurely ten minute walk from Wencelas Square.
All in all, I enjoyed Prague as it made a change from Western Europe. Highly recommended for a short break.
Details on Antwerp will follow shortly.
PRAGUE:
THE CITY:
The central areas of Prague are centred around the river, it is very easy to walk from one side (new city) to the other (old city), I didn?t need to use any taxis, trains or other form of public transport to explore the city. The city itself is steeped in history, and still retains the faded grandeur of the once very impressive public buildings. As for specific places I saw the castle/cathedral/palace on top of the hill in the old town. Sadly, no furniture remains so it is little more than walking around empty rooms. The Cathedral whilst no doubt impressive leaves me totally cold, but then such places always do (see later note on paying for places of worship). Walking up the tower attached was a nightmare, having to stop every few steps to allow people travelling in the opposite direction to pass, not recommended for those of you who don?t like height and/or are claustrophobic. I also enjoyed the natural history museum at the top of Wencelas Square - very old fashioned displays of stuffed animals, and minerals/precious/semiprecious stones, a fascinating way to pass an hour or so. The old Synagogue off of Paris St. is very small, and I can?t stand having to pay to see a place of worship, I find it very mercenary, I wouldn?t bother seeing it again. On other days I simply walked by the river, and up and down Paris St. which was the equivalent of Bond St. in London. The shops were the old standards - Louis Vuitton, Alfred Dunhill, Ferragamo, Hugo Boss, and various Jewellers (not of a particularly high standard). I didn?t purchase a single thing! As others had said, one doesn?t go to Prague to do the shops! Restaurants were so reasonable and so impressive I will give them their own section.
On one evening I decided to go to a Gershwin recital at the Municipal Hall. I bought the best tickets at 30GBP each (which seemed steep). The concert was not in the main hall, but a much smaller room. The group comprised classically trained string players and a lead trumpeter. They murdered every single Gershwin song, not recognising his subtle nuances and timing which characterised his sensitive, thoughtful and well balanced works. The performances were so poor that I refused to applaud any of the pieces, if I hadn?t paid 30GBP per ticket (which is a lot for an hour long recital even in London) it would?ve been laughable. I made clear my views to the box office after, but no refund was offered. If you want to go to a concert make sure you buy the cheapest tickets! So amateur, so awful!
RESTAURANTS:
There are very few traditional restaurants serving local dishes - those that advertise as ?traditional Czech food? look like tourist traps, beware. There are lots of simple, but good Italian restaurants serving pizzas, pastas, the usual, the food looked good, and prices were around 20GBP for a three course meal for two.
A new restaurant ?HOT? on Wencelas Square serves European/Asian fusion cuisine. As the weather wasn?t too cool, I dined on the covered terrace which afforded one the opportunity to peruse the passers-by. Food included dishes such as: a chicken, coconut, lemongrass soup garnished with wild mushrooms, and parsley - a wonderfully exotic flavour and served in a large square bowl; asparagus perfectly steamed with a glossy basil béarnaise sauce; a salad of pomello with shrimps, and a lemony/sesame dressing; a tender chicken breast on a julienne of vegetables served with potato purée and a cucumber salad (the former was not required, but was made well). The desserts were even more exceptional: banana tempura with a cardamon scented ice-cream; a chocolate and ginger soufflé, but the most interesting was a creme brulée made with mango purée and served with a green mango salad in a lime dressing, all garnished with a pink/purple (edible) orchid. A four course meal for two (excluding wine) was under 50GBP, with such incredible value I returned there for my last dinner.
A more traditional restaurant equidistant between Hotel Carlo IV (where I stayed) and Wencelas Square was located in a clock tower. On floors 7-9 the views over the city were a pleasant backdrop for what was to be a 70s experience. The décor wasn?t seventies, it featured lots of old timbers, and tables well spaced apart. Starters included a delicious traditional potato soup, served with lots of fresh bread and a whipped garlic butter. Main courses were a little elaborate - turkey stuffed with vodka marinated plums served with tagliatelle in a sweet chilli dressing nestled in a spiced pastry shell; walnut and blue cheese stuffed chicken breast on a potato dauphinoise (which was absolutely perfect with ultra thin sliced potatoes) with fresh market vegetables. Everything was well cooked, just a little rich and heavy, and reminiscent of the seventies. Desserts were a little naff too - all included the customary spun sugar basket! Czech style pancakes with wild berries and whipped cream were nice, but the portion size was too big; a selection of ice creams was lighter and nicely presented. A three course meal for two (excluding wines) was just over 50GBP which given the quality of the food was very reasonable.
In Paris St. for a light lunch I tried Pravda (sister restaurant to HOT) - again I chose to sit outside, a well made Borscht (beetroot soup) with a contemporary take was washed down with a nice glass of red wine. The other items on the menu looked appealing, with main courses from around 11GBP. Soup for two with wine and bread (all restaurants had a cover charge which is such an outdated practise) came to just over 20GBP - I?d imagine dinner comprising three courses would be around 60GBP just for the food.
Also on Paris St. is a wonderfully old fashioned Italian style ice-cream parlour, for under 1GBP per scoop i enjoyed a fabulously creamy banana ice-cream, and a fresh melon sorbet (on separate occasions) served in a small martini glass.
Prague offers one the opportunity for fine dining with chain restaurant prices - just make sure you avoid the typical tourist traps as they?re not particularly cheap, and the food won?t be anything special.
HOTELS:
I had lots of ?free? time in Prague which afforded me the opportunity to explore other hotels in the city.
THE FOUR SEASONS - décor was very international with pale woods and green hues with deep pile carpets, the building also incorporated a large (and always empty) Brioni store on the corner. Service appeared to be attentive. Place was stuffed full of American businessmen and Brass buttoned blazered Americans who thought they were something special - the property lacked a stylish clientele.
THE INTERCONTINENTAL - a large seventies pile located by the riverside (one would imagine river view rooms to be available at a supplement) with a very corporate feel. Service seemed to be much more impersonal than at The Four Seasons. Some hanging silk curtains had been added to the lobby to give it a more modern feel. Nothing special.
PALACE HOTEL - old fashioned, and peeling paint work on the outside aren?t what one expects from a ?Leading Hotel Of The World? (a brand that has gone downhill markedly). There were backpackers in the lobby, and the décor was once again stuck in the seventies. Certainly not a luxury property.
Both of these hotels were very centrally located just off of Paris Street.
HOTEL CARLO IV - I had selected this hotel as I believed it offered excellent service coupled with grand designs. I was greeted by a short (I?m not very tall, but was taller than him) doorman in an enormously high top hat and grey coat wearing sunglasses. The entrance is up a long flight of stairs surrounded by mirrors. There is a red carpet going up the stairs, but it is stained and full of dirt, it was never changed. If they must have carpet, it should be cleaned every other morning at the very least. At check-in, despite their having my address and other details, they insisted that I fill in a lengthy form (I?ve never had to do this before). After doing so I was informed my room was not ready for another half hour, I was not offered any drink and decided to go for a little walk. The room I was shown to was small - there was an armchair, long desk and beds in the bedroom, and floor to ceiling windows a few feet from a brick wall which had been covered up with ivy print perspex panels. One double wardrobe comprised the storage space. The bathroom was very small, and unusually had a plastic bath, no separate shower. The air conditioning fan was very noisy, and if I opened a window I had the noise of more air conditioning, so requested a change of room. I was shown to a similar room which had exactly the same problem. Again, this wasn?t good enough. The manager dealing with my problem was patronising ?if you are a light sleeper we are furnished with an excellent bar?, and then he asked ?are you from America? in a condescending manner. I remembered how patient and polite the manager at Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens had been in making sure I was happy with the room - he offered me suites and junior suites at no extra cost. Here, I realised that he had no intention of offering me an upgrade, ?we are 99.9 per cent full?, with invisible guests perhaps. Finally I was shown to a larger room on the top floor, again with a small bathroom, and only skylights set into the high ceiling so there were no views of anything other than the sky. Despite having no way to look out of the windows I decided to settle for this room. The bathroom had a bidet which took up unnecessary space, and without going into details, is now rather redundant with hand showers and suchlike. Toiletries were by Etro, very Italian, like the rest of the design of the hotel, incidentally the shampoo was absolutely hopeless at removing hairspray, I had to go to a chemist nearby to find something stronger. Carpet was very deep pile and patterned - so seventies (yet it was only a year old). The lobby is grand, but with no atmosphere, and awful piped pop music. The cigar bar was a small room that seemed to always be empty, and could?ve been combined with the well designed main bar which served well made and reasonably priced drinks. I didn?t dine at the hotel, with so many excellent (and cheaper) restaurants nearby, I had no inclination to eat there. Breakfast buffet often had ?leftovers? from the night before, e.g. a red currant pannacotta. Fresh fruit wasn?t replaced often enough, and there was no fresh orange juice on offer! Cheese selection was equally poor, and comprised mainly smoked cheese which seems a little strange for breakfast time. Service was clumsy with the waitress continually leaning across me to clear the table, also their standard of English was not particularly high. The basement ?spa? was dismal. Large changing rooms with the doors always left open (not very nice from a privacy aspect) felt cold and uninviting. The pool is surrounded by a few loungers, and some chairs and tables, very few towels are provided. Those that were, were very small bath towels, and on one occasion there were only face towels available! One day there were no towels out, so I walked into the storeroom and took my own, upon my exit I was confronted by the employee shouting at me waving a broom, not the way you address a guest. The pool itself was beautifully tiled, but the water was so cold it seemed as if they didn?t want you using it - there are various jacuzzi style sections, but in cold water it?s not much fun! A massage room comprised a corner by the pool screened off with wooden screens - again very little privacy. There is a large sauna which was pleasant, and a steam room which would?ve benefited from some form of scent.
The hotel looks good, but isn?t very functional and lacks high standards of service. Out of curiosity I asked to see a deluxe room - these had very high ceilings and huge windows, but once again only a very small bathroom which seemed very strange indeed. If you can get this hotel at a price well below the rack rate then you won?t go far wrong - it has a central location being a leisurely ten minute walk from Wencelas Square.
All in all, I enjoyed Prague as it made a change from Western Europe. Highly recommended for a short break.
Details on Antwerp will follow shortly.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 05:00 AM
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Re: The Savoy. I never came across it, so am I right in assuming it is a little way out of the centre?
As for Czech designers, their style isn't really all that contemporary, hence I can't think of any London buyers who would bother stocking their collections. Prague will never be a fashion capital, but that's part of its old fashioned charm. As for the glass, it's all personal taste, if I was presented with any of it, I'd smash it - absolutely hideous in my opinion.
As for Czech designers, their style isn't really all that contemporary, hence I can't think of any London buyers who would bother stocking their collections. Prague will never be a fashion capital, but that's part of its old fashioned charm. As for the glass, it's all personal taste, if I was presented with any of it, I'd smash it - absolutely hideous in my opinion.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 05:57 AM
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I'm sorry you didn't care for the Four Seasons and its clientele in your guise as a browser.
As a lucky guest last March, I was thrilled with the hotel, and though I don't claim to be on or care that much about the cutting edge of fashion, I don't recall seeing one brass-buttoned blazer, American or otherwise. When I was there, the guests appeared to be of an international mix, judging by overheard conversations. We did see one (American) couple in track suits and sneakers, and they didn't appear to be coming back from a run.
The fees the synagogues (there are several, each with a different history, and exhibition, including one with a very moving Holocaust memorial) and other houses of worship charge are meant to contribute to restorations and the general tramping through of tourists, especially after extensive damage caused by the serious floods of two years ago.
I enjoyed shopping in Prague too. The goods are not of the same ilk as what one finds in Paris, London, or Rome, but much more interesting shopping imo than, for example, Vienna, which had pricey shops offering nothing any of my party was interested in.
As a lucky guest last March, I was thrilled with the hotel, and though I don't claim to be on or care that much about the cutting edge of fashion, I don't recall seeing one brass-buttoned blazer, American or otherwise. When I was there, the guests appeared to be of an international mix, judging by overheard conversations. We did see one (American) couple in track suits and sneakers, and they didn't appear to be coming back from a run.
The fees the synagogues (there are several, each with a different history, and exhibition, including one with a very moving Holocaust memorial) and other houses of worship charge are meant to contribute to restorations and the general tramping through of tourists, especially after extensive damage caused by the serious floods of two years ago.
I enjoyed shopping in Prague too. The goods are not of the same ilk as what one finds in Paris, London, or Rome, but much more interesting shopping imo than, for example, Vienna, which had pricey shops offering nothing any of my party was interested in.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 07:35 AM
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Are you saying that the clientele at your hotel was stylish? If you had stayed at the Four Seasons I bet you wouldn't have had such a nasty experience.My experience with Four Seasons has always been first rate.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 08:01 AM
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I don't think m_kingdom could be happy at any hotel that actually allows Americans through the door. Maybe we could make a list of places that absolutely forbids Americans and provide it to him/her.
Isn't it funny that m_kingdom ALWAYS runs into "Americans who thought they were something special"? What's that old phrase -- pot calling the kettle black or something like that?
Isn't it funny that m_kingdom ALWAYS runs into "Americans who thought they were something special"? What's that old phrase -- pot calling the kettle black or something like that?
Sep 2nd, 2004, 08:05 AM
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There were quite a lot of Italians (after all it is an Italian chain - Boscolo) staying there done up in Gucci, and Dolce e Gabbana - the flashy sort, not more subtle Prada wearing types. I don't like American chain hotels per se, the standards are always high, but they lack a personal, sincere, welcoming element. That said, Carlo IV also lacked that, but the design and infrastructure was there to be a great hotel. However, the rear of the building which is all new build should have half the number of rooms to avoid the view of the wall syndrome - also they'd charge more for these much larger rooms, too late now!
Everyone visiting Prague must try HOT - an equivalent meal in London would come to well over 100GBP per couple (excluding wines).
I forgot to mention the daytrip I took:
I went on a coach (a minibus) trip to Karlovy Vary - a spectacular looking castle perched on atop an hill. Sadly, the interior is empty of the vast majority of orginal furniture, so walking around it conveys very little indeed. Unlike the UK, where historic building largely remain complete with their contents, Prague's historics homes/castles are distinctly lacking in atmosphere. I wouldn't waste our time with that daytrip.
Everyone visiting Prague must try HOT - an equivalent meal in London would come to well over 100GBP per couple (excluding wines).
I forgot to mention the daytrip I took:
I went on a coach (a minibus) trip to Karlovy Vary - a spectacular looking castle perched on atop an hill. Sadly, the interior is empty of the vast majority of orginal furniture, so walking around it conveys very little indeed. Unlike the UK, where historic building largely remain complete with their contents, Prague's historics homes/castles are distinctly lacking in atmosphere. I wouldn't waste our time with that daytrip.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 08:53 AM
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Sadly, your trip report only served to confirm one thing for me MK2, and that is that Prague is well on it's way to succumbing to mass commercialism and tourism. Not that that is news. In the interest of the locals however, this is a good thing for their economy, but I am wishing that I had visited Prague maybe 10 years ago when I may not have had ravishing food to eat, or European designer chains stores to shop at, or burgeoning hotels chains that aren't up to snuff, but might have had a better chance of experiencing exquisite music for lesser prices, or museums and castles to discover in a better context to the time. How now can one tell a good concert from that which your ears endured before purchasing one's ticket when there are so many concerts now to choose from ?
Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:22 AM
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Quite possibly, but their style and image is aimed at an American market - I always lump the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons brands together. I like properties which are unique to their location, not an hotel that could be anywhere in the world!
Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:37 AM
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m kingdom,
It sounds as if you were a victim of the same scam as I was at the Municipal Hall. I reported this in my trip report on Prague this May.
For others going to Prague- Make sure your music tickets are for the main hall not the Art Nouveau hall. It is a high priced scam with second rate performers.
Glad you had a good time, anyway.
It sounds as if you were a victim of the same scam as I was at the Municipal Hall. I reported this in my trip report on Prague this May.
For others going to Prague- Make sure your music tickets are for the main hall not the Art Nouveau hall. It is a high priced scam with second rate performers.
Glad you had a good time, anyway.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:45 AM
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I wish I'd read that, but I paid for it on credit card, and they used an old fashioned impression techique, so it probably won't appear on my statement for a little while.
That said, there were locals there too, I wouldn't have minded if the music had been good, but it really was awful.
That said, there were locals there too, I wouldn't have minded if the music had been good, but it really was awful.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 09:48 AM
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I did enjoy Prague. It was touristy, but not it was an honest city with no delusions of sophisticated modernism like Barcelona. The people were very honest too, and an airport transfer was 15GBP including a generous tip.
Sep 2nd, 2004, 10:04 AM
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Mk2-just had time to skim your report, but saw the part about the maid yelling and waving the broom at you and got a good laugh from that (I've done similar things myself!) so will look forward to reading the rest later!
Sep 2nd, 2004, 10:56 AM
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MK2, So sorry we managed to avoid you in Prague.
Wow we were also in Karlovy Vary too but its a spa town not just a castle on a hill.
Did you get one of those little drinking cups to try the spa water?
Muck
Wow we were also in Karlovy Vary too but its a spa town not just a castle on a hill.
Did you get one of those little drinking cups to try the spa water?
Muck
Sep 2nd, 2004, 01:21 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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oops! not surprisingly, a few deletions here! that's good, because you know how amusing I think it is when posters wildly speculate about what you do and where you go-and now, the prevailing view is that you're really an American! too funny! (yes, Mk2, I'm joking-no one on this board comes across more English than you!)
