A weekend in ... Prague

01-Aug-08

As one of the locations for the latest Narnia film, Prague has been able to showcase its picturesque appeal. Ben Lerwill reports on what's on offer for discerning visitors.

THE ROMANTIC FAN

FRIDAY: Couples can enjoy an intimate dinner a deux at the newly launched U Male Velryby (Little Whale) in Mala Strana. The restaurant has an open kitchen and specialises in gourmet twists on classic European dishes. Reservations essential in high season. www.umalevelryby.cz

SATURDAY: After waking up at the new Mandarin Oriental (www.mandarinoriental.com), indulge clients in a morning of luxurious treatments at the hotel spa. Two of its seven spa suites are ideal for couples. The five-star property is located in what was once a Dominican monastery.

Take a romantic walk across Charles Bridge, the city's most iconic sight, before finding out more about its history and construction at the adjacent Museum of Charles Bridge, which opened last year. www.muzeumkarlovamostu.cz

For high-end retail therapy, send clients to the Palladium Shopping Centre in the heart of town. Open since October, it plays host to a wide range of prestigious retailers, among them Estee Lauder, Benetton and Sephora. www.palladiumpraha.cz

SUNDAY: Book an opulent tea at the atmospheric Grand Cafe Orient, now reopened after 80 years. It offers pancakes and cakes in an Art Deco setting. If it's fine, take a seat on the balcony terrace. www.grandcafeorient.cz

THE HISTORY FAN

FRIDAY: After checking in at the refurbished Hilton Prague Old Town, clients can dine at Maze, the property's new Gordon Ramsay restaurant. The classic seven-course menu includes roasted quail and shellfish risotto, while a cocktail bar is also on site. www.gordonramsay.com/mazeprague

SATURDAY: Clients can take in a film at the remarkable Lucerna Palace, a period cinema and cultural centre. Expect marble staircases, statues and a truly beautiful interior. It sits just off Wenceslas Square, and there are also restaurants on site. www.lucerna.cz

Open again to the public, Martinic Palace showcases the lifestyles of yesteryear's Prague nobility, with elegant furniture and belongings displayed across four 16th-century wings. The palace is now open from 10am to 6pm every day.

Flambee is one of the Old Town's most upmarket restaurants, based in a cellar that stretches back 900 years. It has just released its seasonal Christmas menu for 2008, which includes saddle of venison covered in juniper and chocolate. www.flambee.cz

SUNDAY: Call in at the recently re-opened Prague Imperial Hotel for a morning coffee at its Art Nouveau cafe, an intricately preserved space dating back to the early 20th century. It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful coffee houses in the city. The hotel itself is located in the city centre and is a member of the Worldhotels Deluxe Collection. www.hotel-imperial.cz

THE MUSIC FAN

FRIDAY: Arrive at the five-star boutique Aria Hotel, "a truly musical haven for lovers of luxury and the arts". All four floors are themed according to musical genres, and rooms have impressive sound systems. Clients can currently book a free night's accommodation on stays of over three days. www.ariahotel.net

SATURDAY: While away the hours at the first Buddha-Bar Hotel, set to finally be unveiled in the autumn. Its Siddarta Cafe will offer live DJ sets, with Asian music and world beats forming a big part of the hotel's overall atmosphere. www.buddha-bar-hotel.cz

The Prague Spring International Music Festival will return in 2009, serving up a world-class line-up of orchestras and chamber musicians over a three-week run (www.festival.cz). If the client's trip doesn't coincide with the festival, the Prague State Opera is a superb bet, based in a stunning old building and staging year-round events.

For more contemporary entertainment, book tickets at the O2 Arena, renamed as such in March of this year. Coldplay and Queen are among those acts lined up for the second half of 2008. www.o2arena.cz

SUNDAY: There's live jazz on Sundays at the much-acclaimed Bellevue Restaurant, which offers great views over the Vltava river and the city's main sights. The two head chefs received Michelin recommendations in 2007. www.bellevuerestaurant.cz.

INSIDER'S GUIDE

Oliver Blacklay, senior reservations consultant, kirker holidays

- What are the highlights for visitors in 2008/9?

As well as the wealth of operas, concerts and ballets throughout the year in Prague, a key attraction are the Prague 'Proms' from mid-July to early August. The Christmas and Easter Markets in Wenceslas Square and the Old Town Square provide a bright, exciting environment where you can purchase traditional gifts.

- Which are your favourites haunts in the city?

Kampa Park, Na Kampe8b (Little Quarter), is a wonderful restaurant with tables beside the river - and a warm, candle-lit dining room with a pianist and a vaulted ceiling if the weather is cool. Reservations are absolutely essential. I would also recommend Chez Marcel, Hastalska 12 (Old Town), a charming French cafe in vaulted restored caverns. It serves simple home-made soups, fresh chicken with real chips as well as sumptuous steaks. The setting is relaxed and friendly, with backgammon and chess boards also available.

www.kirkerholidays.com

WHAT'S NEW IN PRAGUE

- High-end hotel construction in Prague is booming. Some 2,800 four- and five-star rooms are due to be finished within the next two years. Among them will be Rocco Forte's Augustine Hotel, a 101-room property near Prague Castle incorporating St Thomas's Monastery. Certain areas of the monastery, which dates back to the 1400s, will be retained for the practising Augustinian monks, who still inhabit part of this historical monument. (prague.roccofortecollection.com).

- A 165-room Le Royal Meridien is due to open in a listed townhouse in early 2009, while the five-star Sheraton Prague Charles Square is accepting bookings for March 2009 (both www.starwoodhotels.com).

- The Kempinski Hybernska, set to open this autumn, will offer high-class executive residences around a courtyard in central Prague (www.kempinski-residences.com). A 145-room Ritz-Carlton is also earmarked to be joining the city's hotel portfolio in the near future (www.ritzcarlton.com), while the Hotel Majestic Plaza opened near Wenceslas Square in August last year (www.bestwestern.cz).

- New shopping potential has come with last year's opening of the Mysak Gallery (www.gallerymysak.cz).

- In the past 18 months, the Mandarin Oriental (five-star deluxe hotel) has opened in Mala Strana - Prague's Baroque quarter - just five minutes from the Charles Bridge. Located in a quiet part of the historic 'Lesser Town', as it's also known, and converted from a 15th-century monastery, no expense has been spared in the restoration, while every effort has been made to retain the original features of the building (www.mandarinoriental.com/prague).

- Kuoni is currently featuring Prague and its range of luxury hotels in its World Class Europe brochure, including the Four Seasons Prague, whose restaurant, Allegro, was the first in the Czech Republic to be awarded a Michelin star.