Detailed Review
An historic 17th-century Residence which is located on a small quiet cobblestone street in Mala Strana, just two minutes from the famous Charles Bridge. In walking distance from the Residence Nosticova are about 20 foreign embassies (British, French, German, Italian, Japanese among them), the Czech Parliament and the Senate, several ministries, prominent galleries and concert halls as well as leading restaurants serving national and international cuisine. Nearby are the National theatre and Saint Nicholas cathedral. The elegance and enchantment of this building was recently renewed thanks to a complete reconstruction.
A number of celebrated conservators of Czech churches and castles, as well as skilled carpenters, plasterers, ceramists, decorators and fresco painters worked two years with attention to details and with respect for beauty.
We offer you 16 rooms/suites: 2 Gothic deluxe rooms, 2 Deluxe rooms, 8 Junior suites, 4 Royal suites and also remembered the families and small groups with possibility of "room connections". Each room/suite is equipped with antique furniture, bathroom with bathtub and a shower, air-conditioning, minibar, satellite TV, radio, direct dial telephone and safe.
Independent Reviews
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"A romantic boutique hotel near Mala Strana, of 17th-century origin, that’s beloved of high-profile guests for its quiet discretion."
Prague’s not short of charming hotels but the Residence Nosticova gets our vote as most charming’. It doesn’t drip with luxury but it has a low-key elegance and an insider sense of being a secret bolthole which we find irresistible.
Residence Nosticova
By Angela Moore
This is a wonderful little hotel: discreet, romantic and characterful with suites of elegant, high-ceilinged apartments, much-booked by big Hollywood names filming here. It is tucked away on a hidden street a few minutes’ walk from the Mala Strana side of Charles Bridge. The area breathes discretion - surrounded by embassies, near a leafy park leading down to the riverside.
The building dates back to the 17th century, as the ancient stone staircase will testify. This winds upwards through the house, punctuated by charming little antiques and oddities – here an old suit of armour, there a kitsch ceramic figure of Christ. Walls are painted in umbers and pistachios and decorated with delicate murals of laurels and grape vines. There is also a lift, which will take you up to all rooms but the Hradcany Suite at the top of the house.
As it’s a residence, there’s not a lot of public space, just one small drawing room to the left of the reception. There is, though, a restaurant and bar attached to the hotel: the fabulous, fantastical Alchymist. In contrast to the elegance of the rest of the hotel, this is a fantasia of red velvet, painted vaulted ceilings, gilded baroque chairs and zebra stripes. There are tables inlaid with dragons or heavy with black marble, busts of coy vestal virgins and overly knowing cherubs, a room mosaic-ed in mirrored tiles – it’s outrageously, hilariously OTT and great fun for a decadent dinner in Prague.
Despite its size, the hotel offers a full range of services, from baby-sitting to free wifi. The staff are useful, charming and very good-looking; service is good and prompt though, with the emphasis on discretion, you are left to your own devices much of the time, so if you require hundreds of maids and full-time five-star cosseting, you’ll need to go elsewhere.
The rooms
Rooms are divided into five standard suites, two Royal suites, two Imperial suites and a Penthouse. Each room is different and each has its own charms. Of the standard suites, a favourite might be Arcimboldo, which has a canopied four-poster bed under a beautiful vaulted ceiling. Another choice suite is Smetana, with a beamed ceiling and its own cloakroom. All suites, though, have lots of space, their own kitchenettes and high-tech entertainment systems (flat screen TVs, DVDs, CDs). Décor is of the same high standard throughout; flowers are always fresh and art is original.
Hradcany is the Imperial Suite at the top of the house, suitably named for the noble area around Prague Castle. It’s under the high eaves, with solid beams running through the slanted ceilings and cutting through the rooms. Even this high in the house, the rooms are airy and generously proportioned. The dining room comes complete with a baby grand piano. Rugs are piled on rugs over the beautiful polished parquet floors. The bedroom is lit by skylights and little brass-and-crystal lamps; the pretty linen is delicately embroidered. The bathroom is enormous, with a shower over a shell-shaped bath.
Digging very deep, I can find one complaint – there was a very slight, persistent electrical hum from the second bathroom in our suite. Other than that, it’s hard to fault this little place as a romantic hideaway in Prague.
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