The Nicholas Hotel Residence Prague – A Review By Punam Mohandas
Quite apart from the fact that the building The Nicholas is housed in dates back to 1786 – which alone raises it a respectful notch in my opinion – the other thing going for it is location, bang in the heart of Prague’s Mala Strana, which makes it an unbeatable choice for your stay in the city. The building is an EU as well as UN protected heritage site and has all the marvellous, ancient teak woodwork still intact.
The location is absolutely spot on! The only drawback is that since this is a heritage building, the city council in its wisdom does not allow it to be signposted! Moreover, as the city officials have also thought it fit to allow a café to set up its tables right outside the entrance to The Nicholas and whose umbrellas therefore dwarf the hotel name board (!) it can be quite a challenge getting here – one knows generally where it ought to be, one just goes around in circles finding it! Nonetheless, after all that aimless wandering around Nicholas Square, once you’re there you realise what a blessedly central location it is.
The Reception area is a very small room, more like that of a pensione, but whatever it may lack in terms of fitments, it makes up for in the friendly staff. There is someone on duty all the time, round the clock. There are only nine rooms at The Nicholas and all are on the third floor (yes, there is a very modern lift!) There are private offices on the other floors but visitors have to check in with the hotel reception and so there is a modicum of assured security.
The rooms have come up in what was the attic of the building, cleverly incorporating the wooden beams into the design and maintaining the centuries old wooden flooring. There is no air conditioning at The Nicholas as it is deemed to be a potential fire hazard to all the woodwork. As Prague does get rather hot in June and July, this could be a drawback for some, however, if you want to stay in a heritage building, you have to compromise somewhat! The hotel has tried to circumvent this problem by installing pedestal fans and coolers in the rooms, which are plainly furnished but nonetheless, have a charming, intimate, country feel to them.
The room categories are classified as Duplex (30sqm) Junior Suite (60sqm) and Apartments (80sqm.) The apartments have a cozy seating arrangement of sofa and armchairs in fawn and red. This room type can sleep six people. There are two bedrooms with king sized beds downstairs (although only one room has the wardrobes and electronic safe) and kitchenette, while the upper floor has two single beds. The apartments come with bathtubs in the bathrooms, a shower head above the tub, as also bidets and washing machines.
The Junior Suites appear more roomy and have bigger kitchenettes. Bathtubs and washing machines are provided here as well. This room type can accommodate four people, with a king sized bed downstairs and a similar one upstairs.
The duplex rooms have different layouts, as they follow the contours of the building. One room type has the kitchenette adjacent to the sofa; the seating space here is smaller, albeit still with a dining table for two people. There is a king size bed as also a single bed upstairs.
I stayed in a duplex room that was quite spacious, with a well-planned layout. The little kitchenette was to the right as I entered, beside which was a small dining table for two and a sitting space with sofa and chairs, with similar splashes of deep red. A small, wooden staircase led to the loft upstairs, with a bed directly under the eaves. Behind the bed was a long shelf with the reading lamp and where one could place a book, phone, etc. There was a small skylight set into the roof which flooded the room with natural light, making it look cosy and cheery. There was a standing cooler provided in the bedroom, while the sitting room had a fan. The bathroom area was small but well-planned out too and therefore, not cramped.
All amenities such as tea/coffee makers, mini refrigerators, electronic safes and small television sets have been provided in the rooms, as well as toiletries and hair dryers in the bathrooms. Moreover, the rooms are also equipped with electric cooking hobs, making it extremely convenient as Prague can be an expensive place to dine out in! The Nicholas goes that extra mile by providing complimentary hampers in each room, consisting of a bottle of wine and snacks like crisps and peanuts and, in a personalized touch, a handwritten note of welcome! There is free wifi across the hotel.
Breakfast at this hotel is a really novel concept! Since there are only nine rooms, a cold spread comprising boiled eggs, cheese, bread, fruits, jam, honey, assortment of cereals, juice and milk is laid out on the landing, with a coffee machine. Through the day, a platter of doughnuts is available for guests to munch on. The hotel does not serve lunch or dinner, but it is hardly required, given the plethora of cafes on the square.
The Nicholas boasts of a very effective boiler system, while the housekeeping is efficient and clean. Pest control could perhaps be improved on. All in all and without a doubt, this is one of the best heritage properties I have ever stayed at, outstanding due to its sheer simplicity and the care with which the ancient wooden structure has been preserved. Although there are no fripperies and it is bare bones, there is no lack of anything for a guest. As already mentioned, the front office team is extremely friendly and helpful and go out of their way to assist guests with queries; I must make special mention of Ammar, Ektarina and Mariano.
The Nicholas is in the Mala Strana area and it’s all very Bohemian – ha, nice play on the word, as the Czech Republic is renowned for its Bohemian crystal! The hotel is on Nicholas square, just around the corner from St Nicholas church. A straight walk down from the hotel takes you to the Chapel of the Infant Jesus of Prague; an absolutely beautiful chapel, richly adorned and yet incredibly peaceful. A steep, uphill ten minute walk behind the hotel will get you to Prague Castle, within whose grounds is the famed St Vitus Cathedral; an imposing structure in black that has witnessed many coronations through the centuries.
As you exit the hotel and turn left now, past Nicholas Square, it is a 5-6 minutes walk down to the 700-year old Charles Bridge that took 50-years to build, past many souvenier and Bohemian glass stores and a Manufaktura outlet. The bridge has these lovely, if somewhat dark and brooding statues, scattered along it….very scenic panorama of the river and the red-roofed buildings of Prague. At the beginning of the bridge, take a flight of steps down which will lead to the John Lennon wall. Cross the bridge and you enter the Old Town area, where the astronomical clock is, hanging statue of Sigmund Freud and many cafes as well as more souvenier outlets are. A 10- minute walk from Old Town will take you to Wenceslas Square which is the main shopping avenue and also has the glittering, rotating sculpture of Franz Kafka’s head. Prague is an incredibly beautiful city and a photographer’s delight, with almost every building façade being a work of art….it is worthwhile walking around rather than taking any form of transport.
Food: beer, beer and beer! Apart from which, the Trdelnik or chimney cake, filled with a variety of cream flavours, ice creams or even – macaroni and cheese! The potato soup and fried cheese are other traditional specialities. Those who eat all kinds of meat will enjoy the goulash soup and Chlebicky or open sandwiches; pork and duck based dishes are also extremely popular in Prague. Food is definitely priced on the higher side compared to many other European cities, especially as almost everything is a tourist trap.
Note: Tap water is completely safe to drink in Prague.
Shopping: Apart from the exquisitely cut Bohemian crystal which the Czech Republic is justly famed for, you should definitely check out the all-natural face and body products from Manufaktura, many of which are beer-based. Wooden puppets are another traditional Czech handicraft.
The biggest jolt was to find that Prague, despite being part of the Schengen and European Union, firmly continues to use the local Czech koruna for transactions! Many stores, hotels and restaurants also accept the euro, but you will be given any change in koruna only. To sidestep this issue, most merchants accept credit and debit cards. At the time of publishing this, 1 euro = 25 koruna, although shops were making an exchange rate of 24.50 or even, 24.
To get to Nicholas Hotel from the airport, it may be better to take a taxi if you have luggage (approximately 650 koruna) or else, ask the hotel to organise one for you (approximately 600 koruna,) If you are coming in by bus or train, take tram no 22 for 24 koruna and get off at Narodni Trida stop, not Mala Strana. Narodni Trida tram stop is across the Starbucks in Nicholas Square. Cross the square and take the road immediately curving from the Starbucks. You will see a money exchange centre; the hotel entrance is right beside it. There will usually be a couple of the vintage car taxis parked outside the café, making it easier to spot. The hotel has now made a video with the correct directions, which will be emailed to guests in future along with the booking confirmation.
Many major airlines fly into Prague. If you’d like to take a train journey from another European city, try and use RegioJet as far as possible, which is cheap and efficient. If you’d like to travel by bus, FlixBus has more frequent service than EuroLines, although please be aware that it is much cheaper to buy the tickets in advance; I paid 70 euros for an overnight trip from Paris to Prague, which three weeks earlier had shown a price of 50 euros.
THE NICHOLAS HOTEL RESIDENCE PRAGUE
TEL: +420 210 011 500
FAX: +420 210 011 510
E-MAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.thenicholashotel.com
Punam Mohandas asserts her right to be identified as the author of this work. Any views or opinions expressed in this review is that of the author.
