Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa - Prague, Czech Republic     

Wonderful, delightful, surpassed our expectations in staying in a 5 star hotel & spa in an old communist country. My daughter and I really didn't know what to expect. 5 star service commenced when we stepped outside the cab taking us there. The hotel appears small from first glances but it isn't, it is set within a number of old buildings. It is quietly set up a cobbled street which it shares with the American and Irish Embassy. Don't be surprised for the cab to be stopped and under the bonnet and car examined by police based on the street as all vehicles are. It is reassuring. A warm welcome met us by the concierge. Booking in was all so personal by friendly, helpful staff. Not at all rushed and impersonal one normally finds. Being in the hotel was a bit like visiting a stately home. The chandaliers, the paintings on the walls and ceilings, the furniture, the character. The rooms are beautifully furnished as are the fixtures & fittings. Our only negative comment, no 24 hour room service as we would have expected. The hotel is just a short walk from the City Centre which is a great walk when one can admire so much of this great City which has retained it's history and historic buildings unlike Britain where the policy is often cheaper to demolish and rebuild something bland and boring. Well, outside London that is........A beautiful city.