Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

One of the most popular attractions in the Prague Castle complex is being closed for a year-long renovation from the beginning of May.

The Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička) is a narrow alley lined with candy-coloured one-room houses from the 16th century.

Frantisek Kadlec, the Director of Prague Castle’s tourism department, said: “The houses are in poor technical condition and need heating and electricity upgrades, so there will be a full reconstruction of the entire lane.”

Named after the goldsmiths who once lived there, the Golden Lane is now home to souvenir and craft shops. But for many visitors the highlight is No. 22: the tiny home where Franz Kafka lived from 1916 to 1917 and wrote some of the short stories for his collection The Country Doctor.

After the lane’s renovation, nine houses will become part of an exhibition on life in the Golden Lane through the centuries.

Some shopkeepers, though, are unhappy. “There will be no compensation for us because every shop worker has a contract that expires in April,” said Pavel Kouba, who works at the lane’s Old Clock Store. Kouba said none of the shops had been consulted about the closure.

“It is a shock for all of us, and we will have to find new premises. We are dependent on tourists, and competition is high, especially in this time of economic crisis. Nobody consulted us.”

by Andy Moreton

If you’re destined for the Czech capital, take a look at Luxique’s city guide and great selection of luxury hotels in Prague.

Trust me, this is not a joke. A Czech travel agency is offering trips to Prague for your favourite teddy bear or other stuffed toy.

For the equivalent of £78 ($122), the agency will take pictures of the toy tourists at Prague’s major sights and put them on a CD so that you, the owner, can ‘boast to friends or on Facebook’.

The man behind it, Tomio Okamura, said:

“It is not a joke. We are four owners [including] me – the vice president of the Czech National Association of Travel Agencies – also Miss Dana Bérová, who is a former minister. So it’s proof that it’s a very serious business.”

But the sightseeing is just the half of it. For an extra £52 ($81), the toys can have massage or aromatherapy sessions. Mr Okamura again:

“Yes, we will make massage on the mat next to Charles Bridge, with Prague Castle in the background. So we will put teddy bear on the mat, put candles around him and take photos. So then his owner can say that his bear had a massage in Prague.”

Of course, the tour organisers need to know in advance if the guest is vegetarian because lunch is included …

Look, I can’t go on with this, it’s too ridiculous. If you have a teddy that’s shown an interest in broadening his horizons, go to www.sendyourdarling.com.

by Andy Moreton

Why send your teddy when you can go yourself? Here at Luxique, we describe the Czech capital as ‘a fairyland of pinnacles, towers and fabulously ornate castles and palaces.’ And we have a selection of 23 of the best luxury hotels in Prague.

One effect of the worldwide recession has brought mixed blessings for Prague.

For some years, the capital of the Czech Republic has been the favoured haunt for that final fling before marriage – the stag (bachelor) or hen party. It was a particularly British pre-nuptial tradition inspired by Prague’s cheap drinks and beautiful scenery.

But with people trying to cut down on the high costs of weddings, this seems to be changing. Tom Chesshyre, writing in the London Mail On Sunday, says some companies that organise stag parties in the city have gone bust and those that continue are reporting stagnant bookings.

That’s bad news for the city’s bar owners because takings are down by at least a third. But it’s good news for the residents as there’s been a marked reduction in the number of drunken Britons roaming the cobbled streets.

One man running a ‘stag-hen’ tour company in Prague said: “It’s amusing. We used to get hotels that said ‘we don’t want stag parties.’ Now they’re begging us for bookings.”

“So,” says Chesshyre, “I think, as I take in a Mozart and Dvorak concert at the wonderfully ornate St Climent Cathedral, this Prague Spring should be a bit different from recent years. A little more peace, calm and culture.”

by Andy Moreton

If you’re destined for the Czech capital and its rediscovered calmness, take a look at Luxique’s city guide and great selection of luxury hotels in Prague.