ALCHYMIST GRAND HOTEL
Bohemian baroque extravaganza in Prague’s historic heart
SET IN A ROW OF TALL BAROQUE HOUSES right at the cobblestone heart of Prague, the Alchymist Grand Hotel & Spa aims to cast its spell on guests arriving in this shamelessly romantic capital.
Set in a quiet street in Mala Strana – Prague’s swishest quarter – the Alchymist is made for extravagance. Oozing Bohemian opulence, this frescoed and frothy former palace is a feast of antiques, sculptures and ornate mirrors. Gilded cherubs, stuccoed ceilings, hand-painted silk wallpapers, carved four-posters, crystal chandeliers and polished parquet lend plenty of lavish Wow factor.
Honeymooners love the place. Movie stars have stayed (think Andie Macdowell and Penelope Cruz) and lofty and luxurious rooms may well tempt you to simply call room service and hang up the Do Not Disturb sign. This is Hapsburg Prague at its plushest.
Hit the spot
In a quiet corner of downtown Prague’s Mala Strana district.
Bedtime
The palatial Alchymist suite is a honeymooner’s hide-out. Also plush are the beamed Royal and junior suites.
Be savvy
Exuberant Bohemian baroque may not be to everyone’s taste.
Be smitten
Not to be Alchy-missed!
Balinese pamper zone
Spacious rooms come with huge beds, polished wood floors, crystal chandeliers and lashings of gold leaf, while generous bathrooms are tiled in Italian marble with rainfall showers and tubs. For the height of luxe, you can take the Alchymist suite with its four poster bed and bathtub set centre stage in a vast bathroom. Aircon, flatscreen TVs and CD players come as standard.
Ready for a drink? Sink into a red velvet chair in the plush bar for some wine tasting and canapes, or find a quiet corner in the plant-filled private courtyard terrace in summer.
Sooner detox? Step into the cellars, and Baroque turns Balinese at the Alchymist’s subterranean Ecsotica Spa – a grade A pamper zone with a range of top-of-the-line treatments. Decked with mirrors, candles and statues, it’s just the place to unwind after a day spent clocking up the sights.
There’s a dipping pool and whirlpool, a steam room and sauna, a special couples suite designed for side-by-side treatments, and a pillow-strewn Indonesian box bed for relaxing on afterwards..
Brilliantly located in a tranquil spot in the city centre (the American embassy is next door), the Alchymist is just minutes from Prague’s famous Charles Bridge and everything you’ll want to see. Impeccable service from welcoming, can’t-do-enough staff is the cherry on the cake.
The Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa was reviewed by Room for Romance
Set in a quiet street in Mala Strana – Prague’s swishest quarter – the Alchymist is made for extravagance. Oozing Bohemian opulence, this frescoed and frothy former palace is a feast of antiques, sculptures and ornate mirrors. Gilded cherubs, stuccoed ceilings, hand-painted silk wallpapers, carved four-posters, crystal chandeliers and polished parquet lend plenty of lavish Wow factor.
Honeymooners love the place. Movie stars have stayed (think Andie Macdowell and Penelope Cruz) and lofty and luxurious rooms may well tempt you to simply call room service and hang up the Do Not Disturb sign. This is Hapsburg Prague at its plushest.
Hit the spot
In a quiet corner of downtown Prague’s Mala Strana district.
Bedtime
The palatial Alchymist suite is a honeymooner’s hide-out. Also plush are the beamed Royal and junior suites.
Be savvy
Exuberant Bohemian baroque may not be to everyone’s taste.
Be smitten
Not to be Alchy-missed!
Balinese pamper zone
Spacious rooms come with huge beds, polished wood floors, crystal chandeliers and lashings of gold leaf, while generous bathrooms are tiled in Italian marble with rainfall showers and tubs. For the height of luxe, you can take the Alchymist suite with its four poster bed and bathtub set centre stage in a vast bathroom. Aircon, flatscreen TVs and CD players come as standard.
Ready for a drink? Sink into a red velvet chair in the plush bar for some wine tasting and canapes, or find a quiet corner in the plant-filled private courtyard terrace in summer.
Sooner detox? Step into the cellars, and Baroque turns Balinese at the Alchymist’s subterranean Ecsotica Spa – a grade A pamper zone with a range of top-of-the-line treatments. Decked with mirrors, candles and statues, it’s just the place to unwind after a day spent clocking up the sights.
There’s a dipping pool and whirlpool, a steam room and sauna, a special couples suite designed for side-by-side treatments, and a pillow-strewn Indonesian box bed for relaxing on afterwards..
Brilliantly located in a tranquil spot in the city centre (the American embassy is next door), the Alchymist is just minutes from Prague’s famous Charles Bridge and everything you’ll want to see. Impeccable service from welcoming, can’t-do-enough staff is the cherry on the cake.
The Alchymist Grand Hotel and Spa was reviewed by Room for Romance
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Dining in
Czech and international dishes are on the menu at the Alchymist’s Aquarius restaurant, with its neo-Baroque muralled walls, stripey chairs and chandeliers. Specialities include creamy Kulajda soup made with dill, mushrooms and a poached egg, thyme-crusted rack of lamb or Czech style roast beef with dumplings. The Veneziano cafe is a great spot for cakes and cappuccino.
Dining out
It’s hard to beat Kampa Park for fine dining and an intimate riverside terrace. You can listen to classical music at the more homely Restaurant David, or enjoy glimpses of Prague Castle from the Restaurant Bellevue.
Where?
Aquarius Restaurant at the Alchymist
What’s cooking?
Everything from fresh fish to hand-made pasta. Try the Czech roast beef served with Carlsbad dumplings and cranberries.
Top table?
Those with views of the Fountain courtyard.
See & Do
You’re right at the city centre here, and perfectly placed for seeing the big sights. Take a sunset stroll across Charles Bridge, watch the musical clock strike the hour on the Old Town Square, and climb the hill to Prague Castle. Take a guided walk around the historic Jewish quarter with its tumbledown cemetery, or a literary walk in the footsteps of Kafka.
Shop
Erpet Crystal, near the Old Town Square, is packed with Bohemian glassware.
Spa
The Alchymist’s huge Ecsotica spa is one of the top wellness tickets in town, with a team of Balinese masseuses to offer an array of Indonesian inspired pampering treatments. Opt for a relaxing Roman, Balinese or hot stone massage, or pick from a menu of body scrubs, wraps, aromatherapy and detox treatments.
There’s a sushi bar for healthy nibbles, and a special suite for couples designed for side-by-side pampering.
After dark
There are plenty of cosy bars and cellars in the old town, though for night views of the city you could try the Hilton’s ninth floor Cloud 9 bar.
Dates
May
Mozart, Verdi and a feast of other classical musical is staged at the Prague Spring festival.
June
It’s playtime for rock, jazz and Dvorak at the big United Islands of Prague festival – based around the riverbank.
Czech and international dishes are on the menu at the Alchymist’s Aquarius restaurant, with its neo-Baroque muralled walls, stripey chairs and chandeliers. Specialities include creamy Kulajda soup made with dill, mushrooms and a poached egg, thyme-crusted rack of lamb or Czech style roast beef with dumplings. The Veneziano cafe is a great spot for cakes and cappuccino.
Dining out
It’s hard to beat Kampa Park for fine dining and an intimate riverside terrace. You can listen to classical music at the more homely Restaurant David, or enjoy glimpses of Prague Castle from the Restaurant Bellevue.
Where?
Aquarius Restaurant at the Alchymist
What’s cooking?
Everything from fresh fish to hand-made pasta. Try the Czech roast beef served with Carlsbad dumplings and cranberries.
Top table?
Those with views of the Fountain courtyard.
See & Do
You’re right at the city centre here, and perfectly placed for seeing the big sights. Take a sunset stroll across Charles Bridge, watch the musical clock strike the hour on the Old Town Square, and climb the hill to Prague Castle. Take a guided walk around the historic Jewish quarter with its tumbledown cemetery, or a literary walk in the footsteps of Kafka.
Shop
Erpet Crystal, near the Old Town Square, is packed with Bohemian glassware.
Spa
The Alchymist’s huge Ecsotica spa is one of the top wellness tickets in town, with a team of Balinese masseuses to offer an array of Indonesian inspired pampering treatments. Opt for a relaxing Roman, Balinese or hot stone massage, or pick from a menu of body scrubs, wraps, aromatherapy and detox treatments.
There’s a sushi bar for healthy nibbles, and a special suite for couples designed for side-by-side pampering.
After dark
There are plenty of cosy bars and cellars in the old town, though for night views of the city you could try the Hilton’s ninth floor Cloud 9 bar.
Dates
May
Mozart, Verdi and a feast of other classical musical is staged at the Prague Spring festival.
June
It’s playtime for rock, jazz and Dvorak at the big United Islands of Prague festival – based around the riverbank.
GETTING THERE
Location
Trziste, 118 00 Praha 1
Parking
There is garage parking (chargeable) 50m away.
Trains
Prague central station (Hlavni nadrazi) – 4km
Taxis
Around CZK 800 from the airport, or CZK 460 from the station.
Airport
Prague Ruzyne Airport – 12km
Rooms and suites
30 rooms, 17 suites
Special features
All rooms have aircon, plasma cable TV , DVD and CD player, safe, minibar and high speed internet access. They also have marble bathrooms with a shower and tub. Some suites have beamed ceilings and a terrace.
Also…
Do make use of the downstairs health club and spa with its dipping pool, steam room, gym and treatments menu.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
From EUR 205 to 400 (rooms) or up to EUR 1300 for the top suites
Open/closed
Open all year
Check-in
2pm
Check-out
Midday
Minimum night stay?
No
Breakfast
A buffet breakfast is served until 10.30am.
Room service
Available morning and evening
Children
Welcome aged 12 and over
Pets
Small dogs are accepted at a small extra charge.
Air conditioning
Yes – all rooms
Wedding license?
No
Location
Trziste, 118 00 Praha 1
Parking
There is garage parking (chargeable) 50m away.
Trains
Prague central station (Hlavni nadrazi) – 4km
Taxis
Around CZK 800 from the airport, or CZK 460 from the station.
Airport
Prague Ruzyne Airport – 12km
Rooms and suites
30 rooms, 17 suites
Special features
All rooms have aircon, plasma cable TV , DVD and CD player, safe, minibar and high speed internet access. They also have marble bathrooms with a shower and tub. Some suites have beamed ceilings and a terrace.
Also…
Do make use of the downstairs health club and spa with its dipping pool, steam room, gym and treatments menu.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
From EUR 205 to 400 (rooms) or up to EUR 1300 for the top suites
Open/closed
Open all year
Check-in
2pm
Check-out
Midday
Minimum night stay?
No
Breakfast
A buffet breakfast is served until 10.30am.
Room service
Available morning and evening
Children
Welcome aged 12 and over
Pets
Small dogs are accepted at a small extra charge.
Air conditioning
Yes – all rooms
Wedding license?
No