Cloister Inn Hotel - Prague, Czech Republic     

I recently stayed here with my husband to celebrate a couple of special occasions and we were really pleased with the hotel. Our room was huge with all the furnishings required when staying in a hotel. Everything was so clean and tidy and the bathroom was lovely, the shower was really powerful with plenty of hot water. The breakfast was plentiful and tasty with lots of selection, basic but good. Could not fault it at all, although the staff did not talk at all, they weren't unfriendly but didn't make an effort to talk to you or make conversation, maybe they weren't morning people! The free Tea and Coffee in the lobby was a nice touch and it encouraged people to mingle and talk, sometimes we just sat there and read which was very relaxing. I would definately recommend this hotel, although I don't think it is very suitable for disabled people.

The Cloister Inn is well-located in Prague's Old Town area and comparatively close to the New Town (that is, the part of the town which is only about 600 years old). The first point about this location is that public transport - with which Prague is well-endowed - doesn't come overly close to the hotel. This isn't a negative on the hotel or the city, after all I don't think people would want trams or buses trundling through the beautiful old streets, but definitely something to remember. The place is very much a three-star hotel. While other reviewers have said it lacks atmosphere, I'd argue that it can't quite work out the right atmosphere to have. The building has, as the name suggests, served as a cloister for monks, as well as part of the Communist-era police barracks, and it's the former that the hotel is trying to get in touch with. That said, the rooms and the breakfast room (not a corridor at all, there's a large room next to the corridor) tend to come off as rather institutional rather than as welcoming as you'd perhaps expect. The hotel features a free internet terminal in the lobby, but only the one so it can be busy if the place is crowded. Still, there are thousands of internet cafes out there in Prague, so this need not be a problem. There's also a bar of sorts in the lobby, although I never used it. Our room was remarkably large, and featured a TV with the usual array of local and international channels. The bathroom was perhaps a bit tricky, and wasn't always cleaned well during the day, but even then it was perfectly usable. Breakfast, despite the feel of the room, was very nice indeed. The hotel prides itself on getting its breakfast ingredients fresh each day, and it shows. Above all, though, the attraction here is the location. You're within reach of everything the Old Town has to offer and within striking distance of most of the rest of the big attractions - either on foot or by public transport. Being in a side street, you're also well-placed just to wander around and soak up the ambience of what is truly one of Europe's great cities. Don't let the reviews calling Prague "charmless" fool you by any means. I honestly have no idea what city they were written about.