Mandarin Oriental, Prague

10 Best Hotels in Prague

"There’s a portrait of a man called Leo Moser in the suite that bears his name. Balding, mustachioed, slightly bank-manager-like—but actually an artist in glass, etching delicate designs onto shell-thin crystal and creating rare, jewel-like colors. He designed wine glasses for Edward VII and founded the Giant Snifters Club—to join, you had to successfully swirl a shot of Bercherovka in a cartoonishly large glass (Sophia Loren and Louis Armstrong were both members). There are Moser bowls and a chandelier above; by the bed, a beautifully engraved lampshade casts patterns on the walls like a shadow theater. Similarly, the Mandarin is a place of light and almost sculptural space. Painstakingly formed from a Dominican monastery, it’s part hotel, part archaeological project—some of the finds unearthed during the process (medieval spoons and knives) are displayed in the corridor below the spa, set in the former chapel. The 14th-century brickwork lies below a glass floor; ghostly frescoes can be seen on the walls, illuminated by a halo-like light. I wonder if the Dalai Lama and Madonna, who both stayed here, appreciated the spiritual echoes. Portraits of Byronic monks line the corridors; an internal cloister of high arches is decorated with Latin text, almost an art installation; bedrooms have white vaulted ceilings. Compared to the rest of the hotel, the lobby and bar are constrained (dally for a Havel’s Schnauzer, made with Becherovka and elderflower); though the adjoining restaurant, where a new Czech-inspired menu has replaced the Asian one, spreads out onto a terrace. Set behind gates in the Mala Strana district, the Mandarin feels a world apart, yet the Kampa Park (and its brilliant art gallery, with its line of yellow penguins outside) and Charles Bridge are only minutes away, while Prague Hill slopes up behind." - Rick Jordan