The InterContinental Hotel in Prague sits on the banks of the Vltava River in the city’s Jewish Quarter.
This is important because it offers a great view of the city and the Prague Castle and the river’s activities, but it also is convenient to the historical center, as well as transportation. The high-end shopping area called Parizska Street is a few steps outside the door.
I didn’t realize all this when I first spotted the hotel, but soon I realized that location sometimes can be everything. But for his hotel, it goes beyond that. It’s a luxury accommodation on the inside, as well as being centrally located.
OFFERS 372 ROOMS The hotel offers 372 rooms and suites and another important feature, especially for the business traveler—the Club InterContinental (concierge service, a library, free internet access, copy machine, newspapers and refreshments).
The hotel’s rooms feature goose-down duvets, blackout curtains, Italian marble bathrooms, mini-bar, in-room safe, color television with 47 channels, telephone, voice mail, coffee machine, iron and ironing board and individually-controlled air conditioning.
I found plush towels in my room, fluffy pillows, chocolates at turn down time, bright, cheerful rooms with two comfy chairs and 3.4 ounce bottles of shampoo, lotion, conditioner and shower gel. The bathroom had two hand towels, two face towels and two shower towels. There was plenty of closet space, a storage cabinet and nice plush carpeting. The flat screen television was of the newest model, and the swimming pool was nice.
BREAKFAST: GOOD VARIETY Breakfast, an important meal for business and leisure travelers alike, featured a large variety of meats and sausages, cheeses, cereals, potatoes, hot plates such as waffles or scrambled or fried eggs made to order, breads and rolls, juices, coffee and tea, and fruit, as well as whole fruit. The breakfast was delicious and there was plenty of it. The wait staff was pleasant and efficient.
The hotel’s staff is multilingual–good when you can’t understand the local language.
The Zlata Praha Restaurant in the hotel serves a wide variety of dishes, including Czech and international cuisine. A Sunday brunch is also offered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. A second restaurant on the first floor, the Primator, offers excellent views of the river. Duke’s Bar & Cafe offers a pleasant setting for a quiet drink or two, with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings.
A Health club and spa are part of the hotel offerings, with whirlpool, saunas and solariums, as well as five treatment rooms.
To make a reservation, go to www.intercontinental.com/prague or www.icprague.com. The five-star InterContinental hotel is located at Curieovych 43/5, Prague 1, 110 00, Czech Republic. E-mail is prague@ihg.com.
By Don Heimburger Photos by the author or as noted
“I am delighted to introduce the Hotel Amigo, which we restored to its rightful status as the best luxury hotel in Brussels,” said Rocco Forte when the hotel’s renovation was completed in 2002. Forte, owner of the Rocco Forte chain of 14 hotels (some currently under development), which are located in European capitals and in Marrakech, has assembled a group of upper-scale hotels that are designed to provide all the usual higher class amenities and then some.
Located at Rue de l’Amigo 1-3, only a block from the famous Grand Place, considered the center of Brussels and noted as likely the most beautiful square in Europe, the five-star Amigo is ideally situated near the key historical sites, shopping areas, restaurants and entertainment.
The doormen in their black top hats signal a welcome to the hotel; the lobby is small, but neat and classy with a dark-paneled reception counter and polite clerks.
The air-conditioned room was bright, very clean, with a small suite adjoining the bedroom and bathroom. Comfort was key. There was a modern feel to the room which featured furniture and pictures from the Blaton collection and influences from Brussels’ history. The bright bathroom featured a red mosaic vanity top and excellent toiletries.
The room contained Brussels linens, red silk curtains with embroidered velvet details and Flemish chairs and desks. The bed was firm and comfortable. The room was quiet and provided a cozy getaway from busy shopping or touristy activities. I did not try the restaurant for dinner, or the bar, being there only one evening.
A BIT OF HISTORY
The hotel has a bit of history. The original structure on the lot was built before 1522 by a wealthy merchant family and later purchased by the city council and turned into a prison. In 1957 the Hotel Amigo was built by the Blaton family on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1958. During the Rocco Forte renovation in 2000, it underwent a re-styling by Olga Polizzi, the hotel’s director of design. Canvases from artists such as Courtens, Dansaert and Wagemans, together with Flemish wall tapestries from the 18th century, give the hotel a pleasingly modern but still historic flavor.
The morning breakfast included all the necessary eggs, breads, meats and cheeses, juices, coffee, and fruits to satisfy many diverse tastes. The wait staff was pleasant and helpful.
Then hotel was won many awards, including being rated one of the top 100 hotels in the world by the Institutional Investor in 2007. Forbes Traveler rates it one of the top 400 hotels in the world.
European Traveler rates it extremely high as well. We liked virtually everything about it.
The lowdown:
• Member of the Leading Hotels of the World • 174 rooms, including 18 suites and the Blaton Suite (on the top floor with large terrace for excellent views of Brussels) • In-room telephones, voice messaging, internet connection, cable TV, marble bathroom, minibar, safe, trouser press • Ristorante Bocconi, with bar in the lobby • Ballroom for up to 200 guests • Fitness center • Transfers from the airport (at a charge) • 24-hour room service which “arrives on time” (the hotel guarantees this) • In 2007, room rates for a classic room single were 590e; 720e for an executive room single • General Manager: Ivan Artolli, since 2002 (fluent in French and English) • Reservations: amigo@roccofortehotels.com
When you think of cosmopolitan Brussels, you probably think of chocolates and beer and great food.
But it also has some very good hotels. Take the Conrad Brussels, at Avenue Louise 71, opened in 1993. Avenue Louise is a broad, highly fashionable thoroughfare, and the stately Conrad fits right in.
The hotel lobby area is wide and expansive, and it gives the feel of sophistication and luxury (the hotel is rated five stars; Expedia.com rates the hotel between Superior and Exceptional, or 4 1/2 stars). The exterior of the refurnished building has regained its 19th century elegance.
My quiet room, #519, was spacious (the hotel promotes the fact that it offers the most spacious rooms of any hotel in the city) and featured plush carpeting. It also overlooked the city. There was a large television, a Mr. Coffee machine with a couple of bags of coffee, a tray with a brush, laundry bag, shoe bag, shoe mitt, and an electrical outlet with both 115- and 220-volt sockets.
There was a marble bathroom, robe and slippers, a hi-end Bose Wave radio, and the largest fluffy towels I’ve ever been wrapped in, measuring 4′ x 6′. The room had classic decor and eco-friendly Halogen lightbulbs. A secure key card operated the elevator that featured dark wood paneling and lots of brass and glass.
There was an unbelievable amount of space in the closet for clothes, and a medicine cabinet in the bathroom. There was pull-down bed service in the evening. The bed was comfortable. The accompanying photo was taken in Room #519 while I was there.
The restaurant served a very fine all-inclusive breakfast in the morning with meats, eggs, rolls, fruits, yogurts, cereals, juices and fine Belgian coffee, and more. Friendly service and smiles were noted by the wait staff and the reservation clerks.
The hotel has 269 guestrooms including 39 suites, as well as rooms for the disabled, and of course, non-smoking rooms are available. In fact, there are three entire non-smoking floors in the hotel. For meetings and conferences, there are 15 meeting rooms covering 6,000 square feet.
On TripAdvisor.com one hotel guest wrote,”Classy hotel. Polite and professional front of house staff. Very Good! The bedrooms are very spacious and the king size beds are so comfortable. Only negative point is that some of the bedroom decor was a little tired, however, I did get a cheap deal for the standard of hotel! Worth every penny. “
DINING AND SPA AT THE CONRAD While I wasn’t able to dine at the Conrad, I can tell you there is Cafe Wiltcher’s with indoor and terrace dining; there’s the Loui Lounge & Bar that offers coffee and biscotti, a light lunch or tapas, and mezza or antipasti. There is also a lobby lounge and 24-hour room service.
There is the health club of the hotel, Aspria Avenue Louise, which features a 56-foot-long pool, a gym, sauna, jacuzzi and a spa offering more than 60 treatments. The health club fee is 25 EUR.
The location of the hotel is about a 20- to 25-minute walk from the Grand Place, which is said to be Europe’s most beautiful square. Unless it’s a pleasant day, I’d suggest a cab which will get you to this area of the city quickly. I did walk to the Royal Palace and the Palais de Justice which is a fairly easy walk from the hotel.
Pricing: Rates will vary depending on the rooms, but I found rates between 389 Eur (for a classic king bedroom or two queen beds) and 564 EUR (for a junior suite with two queen beds or one king size bed). The hotel also offers a Romantic Escape Package that includes early check-in, in-room sparkling wine and breakfast for two, either in-room or in the restaurant.
Overall I enjoyed my quick stay here. The Conrad chain is known for its upscale service, and their Brussels hotel meets these fine standards. Don Heimburger
By Don Heimburger Photos by the author and the Park Hotel Weggis
On the shores of beautiful, serene Lake Lucerne stands a tall, stately structure amid a lush garden of flowers and trees. I have passed it several times on a Lake Lucerne Navigation Company steam-powered paddlewheel boat, each time saying I would like to visit.
It is an intriguing complex of buildings, some hidden by the finely-appointed, trimmed mature greenery. At night, lights in the castle-like buildings, and outside on the grounds, twinkle a welcoming “hello.” The hotel is slightly elevated on the grounds, and thus it takes on an even more eloquent appearance.
The Park Hotel Weggis has been welcoming guests to Lake Lucerne since 1875.
This year, my time had come to finally “meet” this jewel on the lake. I made an appointment to visit the Park Hotel Weggis, located a 15-minute walk from downtown Weggis, Switzerland. A total of 50% of the clientele is from Switzerland, but I came all the way from the USA to visit, the hotel being that intriguing.
Weggis, home of the popular Rosenfest, a lavish July event in this town of 4,000, sits quietly and calmly on the shores of what author Mark Twain once said was the most beautiful spot on earth. While it may be bested by a few other spectacular sights around the globe, I have no doubt that most people would call Weggis a shining star when it comes to serenity and aesthetics.
The hotel looks out onto the lake and the Alps of central Switzerland, and thus this wish from Twain: “This is the charmingest place we have ever lived in for repose and restfulness, superb scenery whose beauty undergoes a perpetual change from one miracle to another, yet never runs short of fresh surprises and new inventions. We shall always come here for the summers if we can.” Twain lived for several summers in Weggis, traveling up to the nearby Rigi-Kulm, which is 6,000 feet above and to one side of the village. Three of the hotel’s rooms are called the Mark Twain suites.
With a warm breeze blowing across the lake, this area creates its own weather patterns which usually means warmer weather in the winter, and softer, gentler breezes during the summer. As a testament to this climate, palm trees and cactus grow alongside the beautiful roses the city is noted for.
BEACON ACROSS THE LAKE It’s in this peaceful setting that the 5 1/2-acre, five-star Park Hotel Weggis shines a beacon across the lake to everyone, that this is a place to rest and relax, to have some fun, to dine or just get away from it all for a while.
In fact, the hotel has been doing this for 135 years, as in 2010 it celebrates more than a century and a third of being hospitable in this unique place.
The annex portion of the hotel was built in 1899. The hotel, with just 53 rooms and suites in the main building and two adjacent structures, pampers its guests, offers several dining choices and is big on wellness. The hotel has seven categories of rooms, and underground tunnels allow guests to reach various parts of the complex without going outside. The hotel is 30 minutes by car from Lucerne, and 35 miles from Zurich.
The list of awards the hotel has garnered through the years includes its selection as one of the 10 best vacation hotels in Switzerland for the past eight years, and the Hotel of the Year Award by GaultMillau in 2001. Its spa and wine selections have also won awards.
A total of 43 rooms in the main building were renovated between 2007 and 2010, and 10 more new “Adara” suites with generously-sized rooms were also added with large balconies, electric curtains, large Treca de Paris beds, Christian Fischbacher satin bed linens and bathrobes, Bose sounds systems and Panasonic flat televisions.
The rooms also incorporate B&B Italia and Promemoria Italian furniture, accessories from the Thony Collection, and fabrics from JAB and Carlucci di Chivasso. Each suite features its own wine cabinet with rarities such as Premier Grand Cru Classe from Bordeaux and Chateau d’Yquem.
The showers, in Foster, KOS Italia and Form-Laufen designs, match the green-clad marble walls with marble from the Greek island of Tinos in the Aegean Sea.
In the last 13 years, the Park Hotel has poured $100 million (Swiss francs) into refurbishing the property.The Denz family of Switzerland are the owners.
WELLNESS AREA OF HOTEL The hotel prides itself with its extensive Wellness area for those who like to be especially pampered. With many upscale hotels and resorts paying more attention to this part of a guest’s visit, this is becoming a more prominent feature of hotel services. Under the leadership of Brigitte Bunder, body, soul and spirit are soothed as her team immerses guests in a peaceful, stress-free world for a few hours. The Park Hotel offers a 49 foot x 20 foot open-air heated pool which overlooks Lake Lucerne, and also traditional Tibetan massages (four employees of the hotel are from Tibet). A wide range of other treatments are available, such as body scrubs, hair and beauty sessions, and hot herb applications.
In addition, there are six Spa cottages which offer guests seclusion and privacy. These cottages are available for beauty treatments, fitness exercises, massages and a range of different therapies. The cottages, equipped with whirlpools, sauna or steam baths, solariums, showers and waterbeds, can be rented individually. Designer furniture from Colombostile and Moroso are featured in these rooms. In the Wellness area there is also a library with a matchless view of the surrounding mountains.
One aspect of the hotel is its welcoming Japanese gardens located at the entrance of the grounds, which was the first public-opened Bonsai garden in Europe. Large Burgenstock limestone pieces, some weighing seven tons, make up the garden, along with a 100-year-old juniper tree and other plants. The trees in the garden were imported from Japan, and some have been shaped and cared for four generations.
A HIGH POINT: FOOD Food is always an attention-getter at a luxury hotel, and the Park offers three inviting venues for dining, including the Annex with Chef Renee Rischmeyer. Being ushered into the Annex sets the mood for the evening, with windows that look out onto the lake and the Alps, or you can also sit outside on the terrace. In this restaurant, traditional French culinary delights with Mediterranean and Asian influences are prepared using fresh local market seasonal products. The wine steward is Christian Bock, who was awarded the Best Swiss Sommelier in 2005/2006 and Master Sommelier in 2009. His job is to offer selections from 2,600 in-house wines, a daunting task. (The hotel’s vinothek offers wine for purchase for guests.) The Annex has been awarded 16 GaultMillau points and one Michelin star.
I found dining in the Annex was “an experience” as much as having a meal. The lake, the low lights, the glow from the room, and the wait staff service, made the evening memorable. Later did I realize there was soft music playing in the background, loud enough just for me to recognize it was there. It set just the right mood. My “parting shot” for the evening were the three delicious Swiss chocolates that were set before me; they did not last long.
Restaurant Sparks, with a capacity for 60 guests, is unique for its venue as much as its food. This high-ceiling room with a large chandelier, large windows and comfortable chairs, lifts your mood just walking in. Large scale Luciano Castelli paintings depicting the four seasons adorn the walls. In the Sparks, Chef Florian Gilges presents modern and light cuisine, combining art and design in his natural dishes, which has been awarded 14 GaultMillau-points. The Sparks is where breakfast is served every morning for hotel guests; there are 25 seats also available on the fresh-air veranda.
One evening in the Sparks I started off with baked goat cheese with Mediterranean vegetables, beef paillard with Carnaroli risotto and glazed Trevisano, a skewer of fillet of beef on potato salad with clear gazpacho, apple strudel and vanilla custard, and nectarine and honey cream mille feuille on tonka bean ice cream. With the meal I enjoyed a Valais, Switzerland white wine from 2008 and a Figuero tinto (2004) from Spain, both delicious.
For even more hotel food delights, guests can stroll over to The Grape a short distance away, where the speciality is California cuisine. There guests–many of them locals–are offered a wide selection of California wines from the Napa Valley, and food selections from California include juicy grilled steaks. For kids, a space has been set aside in the restaurant to play Nintendo games.
For a nightcap, the Lalique Caviar Bar is perfectly located in the hotel for a great view of the lake. Caviar–of course–malt whiskies and cigars are on the menu, along with the great view. If you want a drink outdoors, you can go down to the water’s edge where the cozy Beach Bar Lounge stays open until late hours. Last, for special dining occasions where you want to make an impression, you can book dinner in the smart vaulted wine cellar. For large gatherings such as weddings, receptions or banquets, the hotel features the Aquarius Hall with frosted glass panels, dark parquet floors and special lighting effects.
OTHER FEATURES At this hotel you can arrive by boat, as the hotel has its own boat moorings, as well as a private lakefront area, bathing beach and sunbathing lawn. Sitting outside next to the lake with a good book and a cool drink could very well be the thing to top off an afternoon.
For kids, there’s a billiard room, and the suites have their own kid’s rooms, as well as a play station area with television and Nintendo games. The hotel also hosts occasional entertainment for kids.
With its own boat moorings (the hotel owns three boats itself), a number of cruise scenarios come to mind including renting a boat for yourself and guests and have it pick you up from from the hotel dock, or you can bring your own boat and dock it at the hotel. Canoes, mountain bikes, fitness and exercise equipment is available, as is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala convertible, sometimes parked out in front of the entrance. Nearby is the Rigi Railway (access is via a cable car in Weggis), and the Mt. Pilatus Railway is also close by. Lucerne is just a short car ride or boat ride away.
According to deputy director Marc Eichenberger, who is new at the property, guests often arrive stressed from their daily routine, but leave relaxed. Eichenberger knows a bit about getting away from it all himself. He has taken professional classes at Cornell University in the States, and likes to vacation in Asia. Sometimes you’ll find him trekking (and sleeping in a tent) in the desert.
He holds meetings with his staff on a daily basis, discussing the “arrivals,” and weekly and monthly “theme” meetings and even twice a year “broad goal” meetings with the staff. A personable man, he has a sharp eye for detail, and walks from one part of the large property to the other with purpose.
He calls the hotel “a hideaway” for guests who can wander from their room, to a hotel restaurant, to the spa area or to the beach within minutes.
With upwards of 65% of the hotel’s business repeat customers, you know the property is doing something right. My trip complete, I hope to return to this jewel on the lake soon, but perhaps I’ll stay longer next time. One visit just isn’t enough.
IF YOU GO… The Park Hotel Weggis is rated five stars superior. It is located 225 miles from Munich. The hotel’s address is Hertensteinstrasse 34, CH-6353, Weggis. Telephone is +41 (0)41 392 05 05; e-mail is info@phw.ch. To see the hotel’s rates, rooms and facilities from their internet site, go to www.phw.ch. The latest award issued the hotel was 1st place in 2010 by the Blilanz news magazine for the best hotel day spa.
The hotel is part of the Swiss Deluxe Hotels and the Relais & Chateaux collections.
By Don Heimburger Photos by Don Heimburger and courtesy Schweizerfhof Hotel
Especially if you’re traveling by train to Zurich, finding the famous five-star Schweizerhof Hotel isn’t hard. It’s right across the street from the ornate Neo-renaissance Hauptbahnhof, and a 12-minute ride from Zurich’s airport. A few steps out of the station, the hotel’s beckoning facade looms before you.
Not only is the Schweizerhof convenient, it’s highly rated. Trip Adviser, for example, shows it to be the third-rated hotel in Zurich, out of 124 hotels.
One Trip Advisor reviewer said, “I was very impressed with the outstanding service from all the staff, in particular the reception girls Carmen and Dominique, Michael (a porter) and Hans, who provided us with a private butler service and free champagne and chocolates! Okay, I did say we were on honeymoon, but it did not cut much ice anywhere else!”
He added, “This hotel is out to impress (you) and wants you to go back.”
CLOSE TO THE BAHNHOFSTRASSE The six-story stone-front hotel is also only a few steps away from the famous Bahnhofstrasse, that mile-long elegant street dating from 1864 that’s a combination of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, New York’s 5th Avenue and Los Angeles’s Rodeo Drive.
In good weather, locals gather early in the morning at the sidewalk cafe in front of the hotel to read their newspapers, talk about politics or the day’s happenings and order coffee and pastries.
With 114 rooms and suites, the Schweizerhof can provide an economy single room with a bath, a moderate single room with a shower or bath, or a standard-plus room, which affords a bit more space.
At a higher price, double rooms with a queen-size bed are offered, as are twin-bed rooms, corner rooms, a junior suite, and a premium deluxe suite. The rooms are decorated with Italian designer furniture, and bathrooms feature Italian granite.
The rooms are comfortable, with firm mattresses, plenty of lighting around the room, and the entire hotel is air conditioned. One great feature also is the triple-glazed windows: noise from the street below never was a problem when I was there.
The hotel offers high-speed internet service, flat screen televisions, beds are electrically adjustable and all rooms have a handy make-up and razor mirror. A mini-bar, hairdryers, trouser press, umbrella, safe, complimentary fruit plate, and pickup service from the railway station is also included.
In the morning, guests can enjoy a complimentary champagne breakfast buffet which includes a personal pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice, assorted juices,various breads, croissants, assorted jams and jellies, cold meats, fruits, yogurt, coffee to order, including expresso, and there is a menu card just for tea.
In addition, assorted cereals, crepes, Nutella, made-to-order eggs, including eggs benedict if desired, bacon and sausage are available. A special Japanese breakfast of miso soup, salmon, vegetables and fried potatoes is offered.
As an added touch of ambiance, little stools are available just to hold ladies’ handbags next to the table.
The staff is attentive to special requests and diets, and they make notes of special needs for the guest’s next stay. I was told that if I came back next year for breakfast, the staff would remember what my breakfast preferences were. Breakfast is served in a room on the mezzanine, with pleasant surroundings and a cheerful waitstaff.
While restaurants abound in Zurich, the hotel offers Restaurant La Soupiere, a traditional French-style restaurant serving seasonal, market-fresh cuisine and Swiss specialities. The Cafe Gourmet et sa Boutique du Caviar is a cozy, small cafe serving snacks, salads and caviar.
For meetings and business travelers, the hotel offers a number of meeting rooms and banquet facilities.
With style, this Zurich hotel serves a clientele that expects a little bit more, and they get it.
Jörg Rudolf von Rohr is the managing director of the hotel.
European Traveler 