Vorsicht: Apartment!

Wir hatten das "Apartment in separatem Gebäude" gebucht, um die erwähnte Geruchs- und Geräuschkulisse der Brauerei zu umgehen. Daß sich ein "Apartment" von einem einfachen (Doppel-)zimmer - so die in der Hotellerie allgemein übliche Definition - durch einen separaten Koch- und Wohnbereich unterscheidet, war der Rezeptionistin allerdings leider nicht zu vermitteln; sie rief stattdessen ungerührt die Geschäftsführerin, die uns ebenso lapidar mitteilte, daß man uns auch alternativ kein reguläres Zimmer anbieten könne.

Was wir erhielten war ein kahler, bilderloser ca. 9qm kleiner Raum im Hinterhof eines ca. 7 Gehminuten entfernten Hauses. Das Zimmer entsprach jedoch noch nicht einmal den Mindesstandards der Hotelzimmer: Kein Papierkorb, keine Kofferablage, nicht mal ein zweiter Stuhl, der alternativ geholfen hätte, kein Telefon, keine Ablagemöglichkeiten für Toilettenartikel im Bad, sodaß Necessaires auf dem Kachelboden gestapelt werden mußten. Dafür allerdings leckte die Dusche, die nach jeder Benutzung eine große Lache auf dem Boden hinterließ. Die "Kochmöglichkeit" war eine auf den Schreibtisch gestellte Microwelle sowie ein Wasserkocher und jeweils 2 Teller, Messer, Gabeln in der Schublade. Leider war auch die Hinterhoftür nicht vom Zimmer aus zu öffnen, so daß man Besuch nach erfolgter Einkleidung einen Stock tiefer persönlich auf dem Hof in Empfang nehmen mußte. Der morgendliche Spaziergang über die belebte Hauptstraße zum (vergleichsweise akzeptablen) Frühstücksbüffet war dafür keine wirkliche Entschädigung.

Und wo bleibt das Positive? Mir bleibt nur zu sagen: "sehr sauber"... Wer für die bezahlten "4 Sterne" einen ebensolchen Komfort oder Service erwartet, wird herb enttäuscht werden. Für Liebhaber von Jugendherbergen oder Studentenwohnheimen mit funktional-modernen Holzfurnier-Einrichtungen in allen Farbschattierungen zwischen "Cappuccino" bis "Mocca" (und was IKEA dazwischen derzeit anbietet) sind diese Unterkünfte ein absolutes Muß!

Veramente un Ottimo Albergo

Siamo tornati da pochissimo da Praga che già di per se è una città stupenda e sicuramente la Boutique hotel ha contribuito a rendere il nostro soggiorno ancora più piacevole. Le stanze sebbene non molto grandi sono nuovissime, ben arredate e pulite. Le asciugamani vengono cambiate tutti i giorni e per di più vi è un ottimo televisore al palsma (che non guasta mai, anche se a dire vero stando a Praga, guardare la Tv è l'utima cosa che passa per la testa...) in ogni stanza. Alla reception sono molto disponibili, parlano l'inglese, ma la cosa probabilmente che più di ogni altra si nota è la colazione che è ricchissima, qualunque cosa di cui si abbia voglia al risveglio, può essere trovata nell'immenso buffet che questo albergo offre.

La posizione è buona, dista un paio di kilometri dal centro e si trova in una zona collegatissima e in cui c'è molta vita anche di notte, dal momento che vi sono cinema, ristoranti e centri commerciali aperti fino a tardi. Insomam un albergo che consigliamo veramente a chiunque.

Very pleasantly surprised

We've just returned from a 3-night stay at La Boutique and were as pleasantly surprised with the hotel as we were with Prague as a whole. I say surprised because from some of the comments in the earlier reviews (esp Jan 06) we were starting to dread the prospect! However, what I would say is this:

- our room (no 42 - facing onto the main street) was excellent in both standard of fit-out and cleanliness

- the breakfasts were superb - we packed in sufficient nourishing, appetising, varied fare to keep us going the whole day!

- the location, far from being reminiscent of a downtown crime scene, is excellent (1) for access to all ares of the city due to its proximity to the Andel metro station, and (2) for its closeness to some great value and quality bars and restaurants. You should try an unprepossessing bar/restaurant called "The Thirsty Deer" (don't ask me the name in Czech!), which serves mouthwatering main courses at £2 (yes £2!) a throw!!

- the reception staff were unerringly friendly, accommmodating and couldn't do enough to help with any query we had (a mere 'prosim' ('please') before or after your request makes a world of difference.

So all in all, in spite of admittedly being roused by the odd clatter of bottles (close the double glazed windows and whack the air con on!) this was a thorouhly enjoyable stay and I'll be recommending La Boutique to my mates.

Oh, one last closing remark: yes, the fridge was a small unit discreetly tucked away in a corner, filled with beer, wine, spirits, chocolate, etc; then again, I thought that's what a minibar was. I'm clearly not sufficiently well-travelled. Oh, yeah, and it is real Dove/Lux in the dispensers.

Nice buget hotel

A nice little hotel with clean rooms and lovely breakfast. Slightly outside of the town but with good links. Unfortunately I did pay extra to upgrade my room on my booking website but was told at the hotel that all the rooms were the same. Also, there was no air con in the rooms and as I was on the groung floor couldn't open the windows. Prague itself was top notch though :).

Kaye J London

Very few complaints

I'll have to start this by saying, on the day my boyfriend and I were due to leave for Prague, I stumbled across this website, which had 2 very bad reviews of the hotel and 1 distinctly unremarkable one. Needless to say... I was slightly worried that our trip would turn into the sort of nightmarish ones you see on television. Nevertheless, upon arriving at the hotel we were very pleasantly surprised. The staff were lovely, and we came to realise over the course of our stay that occasionally what may be perceived as rudeness is often simply the result of the language barrier - this may explain the very bad review.

We were staying in the 'junior suite' (room 25), which was more expensive than the 'superior room', the difference (I think) being that it had a sitting area and a desk. It then transpired that we had two single beds instead of a double... which was a bit of a downer, but this may have simply been down to our lack of research rather than the hotels incompetence. My only other complaint was, like in the previous review, that the airconditioning was either broken or absolutely USELESS, the corridor was cooler than our room so a lot of the time we just kept our door open. Like all the other reviews I would agree that in terms of cleanliness, the rooms were absolutely perfect, I could find no fault.

Some websites say that there is a dvd player, cd player and hairdryer in the rooms, but there are none of these. There were about 6 channels on our tv, but this shouldnt bother you as if you go to prague and end up staying in watching tv... well, theres something wrong isn't there.

The brewery... yes, it was literally right outside our window (we could see into it) but this didn't bother us at all... it wasn't it noisy and weren't woken by it once, we only very occasionally heard the chink of bottles, and yes, the double glazing removed this problem almost completely. On the contrary, we found that the enormous Staropramen sign acted as a brilliant landmark for our hotel on the first few days when we were beginning to orientate ourselves to our surroundings.

The roads in immediate vicinity of the hotel were a little shabby, but going a few metres in any direction took you right back into the archetectural haven of beautiful buildings. And come on... this is the real Czech Republic. Prague is one of the only vaguely rich places in the entire Czech Republic, which has only relateively recently escaped the clutches of communism, and is therefore not representative. Why visit a country and sample only a tiny, unrealistic portion of its culture.. the brewery (something which defines Prague's beer-loving culture) and the unrefined streets have roguish character.

Breakfast was amazing and the rooms were simple but attractive. The soap dispensers on the wall that 'looked like the ones you get in train station toilets' dispensed Dove Moisturising Soap, so I let them off. We thought that this hotel perhaps didn't quite make the 4* grade, it was more like an exceptional 3*.

Best Tip Ever - Buy a very good guidebook before you go - we had a lonely planet one which has general information, maps, metro maps, and lists every restaurant and sightseeing activity (with a short review for each) in the whole of prague. Godsend. If you felt hungry you could find where you were on the map and see what the nearest restaurant was, which one was cheapest and whether the food was nice.

Phew long review - but this was an amazing holiday and in conclusion - "hotel was fab". (should've just said that really)

Great hotel, shame about the en suite brewery!

Myself and my husband stayed here during the heatwave of July 2006 and found it to be a nice hotel, but rather noisy. We were given a room on the top floor, which was unfortunately very hot and opening the windows exposed us to the noise of the next door brewery! Saying that, the service was friendly and helpful and the breakfast selection was excellent. So all in all, pack your earplugs and enjoy!

What an excellent budget hotel

We had some concerns after reading the January revue. However, we suspect that reviewer stayed at a different hotel ....

The staff were most courteous and helpful, the place was clean and cleaned regularly, the room was well equipped and what a monster bed !!!

Breakfast was exceptional for a continental - with a wide choice of meats, breads, cereals and even scrambled egg and bacon.

It was so convenient for both the Metro and the tram - especially useful if you eat late in the town.

OK - so it is next to the brewery, but the double glazing took care of the 24 hour working, and the aircon kept the room cool (in the high 70's while we were there.)

Any return to Prague will see us at staying at La Boutique...............

Thanks staff - you were great.

Duncan and Chris

Deserves better reviews

My wife and I stayed at La Boutique Hotel, Prague, for two nights in June 2006. We had a pleasant stay. Yes, it is literally next to a brewery and, yes, it is on a street that lacks charm. But, we found the reception staff to be friendly and competent, not rude in any way. Our room was quiet. An earlier post said that room 25 was quiet, ours was 27, just down the hall. I predict that all the west rooms are quiet, the north rooms do face a street that is busy during the day but seems calm at night. It is the south and east rooms that must deal with the brewery. The hotel has been remodeled and was the nicest room we had in 5 hotels in Germany, Austria, and Prague. But the kicker was the breakfast! Scrambled eggs and fantastic bacon both days, plus all the fruit, cereal, yogurt, rolls and bread, juice, etc, you would want. The breakfast room is a lovely room to boot. If the brewery isn't a problem, then this is a fine hotel. Otherwise, you might lose lots of sleep, or, you could just drink a few beers and put yourself to sleep! Due to its recent name change, it's hard to get info on this hotel, in fact, the Orbitz map shows a wrong location. The former name was Hotel Berlin, that may help. La Boutique is at the dead end of Staropramenna, where the street runs right into the brewery (indeed the street is named after the brewery!), is 250 meters from the Andel metro station and 180 meters from a major tram stop. It is a very convenient location. We enjoyed our stay and La Boutique deserves better reviews.

Renamed "La Boutique Hotel" - still noisy

The hotel has been refurbished on the inside, and apparently also has been given a new name, namely "La Boutique Hotel Prague" - but the sign outside still says "Hotel Berlin" (or rather "Hotel Berli", with an "n" missing).

All in all, I must say it is not as bad as the reviews suggest (which I was only able to read afterwards due to the phony name change).

We were there on the first night (!) after they reopened and the staff was exceedingly friendly and helpful, maybe trying to make up for the bad reputation? They said we could drink everything in the minibar for free as a compensation for the hotel not yet being up to standard.

There was no room service, no restaurant, the TV was not working (not hooked up yet), and no real other amenities, either. We got a clean room with a bed, and an OK, average, breakfast.

The room was actually very nice and clean, with good quality furniture and a nice, stylish bathroom (no toiletry provided, though).

Otherwise: It is still next to Staropramen Brewery which actually does operate all night (even on Sunday early mornings!)! If you are bothered by noise, do NOT come here, as it is quite loud., with trucks arriving day and night and a constant noise of bottles scurrying around on conveyor belts. I can sleep at almost any noise level, so it did not bother me, but other people might have trouble getting to sleep.

All in all, not worth the prize.

And, again: BEWARE! This is the infamous Hotel Berlin, even though it has been renamed to "La Boutique", so look out when booking via an online service.

Rudeness beyond your wildest dreams!

Me and a friend had the pleasure of staying in Hotel BerBIN in January. The hotel is situated down an extremely grim side street whcih has an industrial criminal urban feel to it. We were greeted at reception but an exceptionally rude and unhelpful woman who looked at us like we had just asked her what came after A in the alphabet when we asked how to reach the metrostation. I would go as far to say that this woman was offensive and quite frankly p*ssed us off everytime we collected out key which put a downer on the whole hotel experience. Our room was extremely basic but very clean. The headboard to my bed and the TV remote were broken but everything else was in working order. The "mini bar" appeared to be a £20 fridge from argos with a couple of cans of Stella and a kitkat wacked in the corner of the room on the floor. The complimentry shampoo and hand soap came in a form reminiscent to that of a train stations toilet, a large dispensor screwed into the wall. On Thursday night we were woken up a number of times by the noisy brewry next door but also but racous shouting in the street (which went on for about an hour) and mysterious banging on our walls that were unrelated to the plant. Locationwise the hotel is a short walk from the metro and tram stop (which can get you anywhere). It is also near some pretty cool modern bars and reasonably priced cafes/restaurants.

It was clean, that is all I can say! Oh, and the other receoptionist was actually really nice and smiley and how a receptionist should be.

We still had a great hoilday and Prague is wonderful but I guess you wanna find that out for yourself hence your accomodation research (although alot of people are either rude or strange acting, one woman was eating an activa yoghurt out the pot with her tongue during one crowded metro trip, I think it was strawberry) ...well rule this Hotel WELL off your list. Rude, grim and noisy. Fabulous .