Afternoon and evening in Prague
Prague is a wonderful city and I always enjoy coming back, especially in the summer or whenever the weather is warm and it is possible to sit at one of the many outdoor cafés in the inner city. One of my friend’s wife, who had joined us the first day at the golf had left for Prague early in the morning to visit the city for the first time.
After our 18 holes and the obligatory beer in the club house, we drove the 50 km to Prague to meet her in a cafe in the Jewish area, Josefov next to the old new synagogue. It turned out to be at the restaurant where we were going to eat later the same evening, Restaurant Pravda. We enjoyed a cold beer outside and were stunned by the car displayed in front of us; no doubt that Parizska is the place to be seen.
One shop we just had to visit before we went to our Hotel; was the Ice cream and cake shop just opposite the restaurant. They had great ice cream and I enjoy some great flavours. We drove towards the Golden Tulip Hotel Prague which is situated on the other side of the river behind the Prague Castle. The situation of the hotel is not situated ideally if you want to stroll around the inner city and just walk home but it gives you great quality for your money.
After a couple hours of relaxing at the hotel we went back the city taking one of the taxis in front of the hotel. We made him drive us to the Charles Bridge.
We followed Seminarska and walked towards U Radnice and Male Nam before entering Staromestska Nam where the upcoming football game between Russia and Holland had put its clear mark. There were numerous beer stands and a large TV screen for all the fans. We walked towards Josefov after having enjoyed the atmosphere of the square.
After walking the area we entered Restarant Pravda and had a wonderful dinner. 2½ hour later we went back to the square just in time to see the mood of the Dutch spectators change dramatically due to a late goal, making the game go into overtime. We tried to find a place with live music but ended in the front room of the blues house in Tynska. We enjoyed the game and then agreed upon going back the hotel for a goodnight drink. We found a taxi in Stupartska and that turned out to be stupid-ski because this guy cheated us, but he couldn’t spoil our evening and the last cold beer in the hotel bar.
|
|
|||
|
|
The interior is stylish without being too much; there is a clean touch to the design without moving away from the cosines. The restaurant has both inside and outside areas which all are nice. It is a place where they have good outdoor chairs, where you don’t get tired after sitting eating a +2 hour diner.
The waiter were very agile and were very professional in there up-selling of different drinks or small dishes; this was done with great skills and we were all amazed and impressed by their techniques and tactics. We had an extremely good and help some waiter named Igor guiding us and I must say that he did a very good job with us.
Our Igor was also backed up by his colleagues and the team was working more professional together than I have seen in much more expensive places.
I had a foie gras which were perfect as a starter. The foie gras was served with different orange flavours on toast. One of my friends had a fantatic spicy mussle dish with garlic. After my foie gras I had an Argentinean steak with spinach, which also was just perfect.
The meal was superb as the rest of the restaurant.
|
|
In Prague airport they have a good service, which is simular to the one I have praised in Budapest. You give your destination in a booth and they give you a price and a ticket which you hand to the driver. This is working perfectly.
If you take a taxi through the hotels it is usually also alright, since they usually use a company all the time. The troubles usually start when you pick them from the streets, and especially at night! I have had trips where they ask more than 3 times the same price going back to the hotel than coming from the same place.
A good advice is to ask the price before you enter and be ready to leave. This can be hard when you have been waiting a long time in the rain but at least you are deciding yourself if you want t be cheated or not.
Here are some tips that might save you nightmares and a few hundred Czech crowns:
Don't get into a taxi that is parked in front of the train station or at a tourist site. These are waiting for unsuspecting tourists and are known to charge rates several times higher than they should be.
If you need to catch a taxi on the street, make sure it is a real, registered taxi. The yellow roof lamp must be permanently installed and must say TAXI in black letters on both sides. The company name, license number and rates should be printed on both front doors.
Try to find out beforehand how much your ride should cost. If you're stopping a taxi on the street, you can ask the driver before getting in and even pay in advance if the amount sounds reasonable. If you're ordering a taxi by phone (always a good idea), you can get a price estimate from the dispatcher.
Once in the car, make sure that the rate on the taximeter corresponds to the price list posted in the car. If it doesn't, bring it to the driver's attention or have him stop the car and get off. • You have the right to request a printed receipt from the driver. If he refuses to give it to you, you can refuse to pay the taxi fare.
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
The hotel is well situated if you are visiting Prague Castle, which is within walking distance from the hotel. Otherwise the airport is easily reachable from here. If you are going home late in the night or in the evening, this is a hotel that can cost you massive in taxi fares by many of the more crooked taxi operators that drives around in this city.
The Diplomat Hotel is a fairly large hotel with 398 Standard/Superior rooms and Suites. The rooms were very nice and comfortable and I even enjoyed the bed.
One thing that needs to be stated about this hotel is that they have a fantastic breakfast. Here is almost everything that you can imagine. The breakfast opens a 6.30 am and is open to at least 10 am. I am sure that if you really hit the tables you don’t need to eat more that day.
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
