The Pachtuv Palace located on the Vltova River in Prague is a fabulous way to experience Praha. The buildings were a former palace and provide a very unusual look for a hotel. The hotel was being partially renovated so we were upgraded from junior suites to one bedroom apartments. Our apartment was much larger than some small houses in the US. The furnishings were luxurious and homelike with a huge dining table, a canopy king bed and tons of cupboard and closet space. We had a small fully-outfitted kitchen and a bathroom with separate tub and shower and double sinks. WC was in a separate room. The front desk staff were amazing, courteous and extremely helpful especially when a passport was stolen. Morning breakfast was delicious including a buffet as well as cook to order dishes. Great recommendations for dining in places actually frequented by the locals. It's located in the Old City and within easy walking distance of everything.

I stayed at the Pactuv Palace for 8 nights from September 4 – 12, 2007. It looks very nice on its website, but it is even better in person. I travel about 6+ times a year for combination of work and pleasure. I can’t remember ever saying that about a hotel. I had the room featured on the website with a view of the river and the castle, which looks beautiful all lit up at night. The location is perfect: you are steps away from the Charles Bridge without being in the middle of the crowd.

The room was the perfect combination of beauty and function with wonderful ambience. You could easily entertain a few friends in the living/dining area. The flat panel TV provides the CNN fix as needed but is not obtrusive; the couch and chaise were both very comfortable. The cook top and sink were compact and fully functional hidden by closing doors that look like an armoire. The spaces above and below them contain all the items (pots, pans, silverware, glasses, etc.) you could possibly need. The bedroom had a nice big, very comfortable bed and was really quite lovely. When staying in a hotel, the plumbing can be trying. Here, the 1 and 1/2 baths both worked perfectly and were quite chic which somehow went very well with the old feel of the place. And, everything was both beautiful and clean. The little touches really do add up. They leave a bottle of water by your bed at night (with a bottle opener) and the weather forecast for the next day.

Breakfast was included, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. As with the room, it exceeded by expectations. There is quite a nice spread of fruits, vegetable, meats, breads, eggs, etc. Pastries are brought to your table. Hot items can also be made up for you. They noticed that I every day I drank more than one pot of coffee, so they just started bringing me refills. I mostly ate the pastries, fruit and coffee all of which was delicious.

The staff is very cosmopolitan and unfailingly helpful. If it looks like rain, they will offer you an umbrella from their stash. I was a little worried about a couple staying at the hotel with adorable twin babies (they were in the room next to me, but I couldn’t hear a thing which is truly amazing because little children do cry). The couple planned to go up to see the castle with the twins and a very good-sized baby buggy (larger than most American models). I stopped to see if they would need help carrying anything since I wasn’t sure how they would manage, but in fact in consultation with the manager they arranged to hire a car to drop them off at the top of the hill. The staff will make sure everyone has a good stay at their hotel.

They will make sightseeing, restaurant and event reservations for you as well. It wasn’t mentioned to me at first, but if you put it on your bill they will charge you a fee (a percentage I think which only adds up if you charge a lot). This was mentioned to me the second time that they helped my purchase event tickets so I think it is a very minor point, but I raise it to try to sound balanced in my review. I do recommend the Cesky Krumlov all day tour as very worthwhile; I didn’t have time to go to Karlovy Vary but wish I had. The staff tend to recommend Bellevue and Zatishi restaurants both under the same ownership. I like each of the restaurants, but they are different. Bellevue does face the river for great views on a clear evening. I was there a bit early for dinner and there were mostly businessmen. Zatishi does not have the views but is more of a stylish dining experience. Great food at both and you will pay for it, but you will at the very least enjoy it.

With the help of the staff, I attended opening night of the Czech Philharmonic, which was a special treat for me because I had heard their recordings since I was a child and I went to the opera to see Dvorak’s Rusalka at the Narodni Divaldo. I had a wonderful stay at the hotel; I would definitely stay there again and highly recommend it.

We stayed at the Pachtuv Palace as a treat for my husbands 50th birthday and it was a very special experience.

We booked the cultural package and were picked up at the airport by a very smart driver in a Mercedes limo.
We were met at the hotel entrance by Hanna, the receptionist, who could not have been more friendly and helpful and explained the package we had booked to us including the various museum and transport tickets. She also advised on restaurants.

She then told us that we had been upgraded as it was a special occasion to a one bedroom deluxe suite. The suite was in the original palace across the courtyard and through the archway at the rear of the hotel. The suite was extremely spacious, comfortable and very quiet.

We found all members of staff to be very courteous and helpful.

The hotel is well situated for the sights and a couple of minutes walk from the Charles bridge.

Even though the weather was changeable on our visit, we loved Prague and will definitely visit again and stay at the Pachtuv.

My husband and I stayed at this hotel valentines weekend. We were lucky enough to get room 219. It had everything from a laundry room, kitchen/dining room, living room and even a four poster bed. The hotel is spotless and so quiet even though there is work going on fitting air condtioning to all the rooms, we never heard a thing. The room was so inviting to come back to after the cold outside. Take dvd's with you if you prefer a night in as there are only 2 channels, cnn and mtv that are not in checz.

Good local restaurant outside hotel turn to left and walk directly across the street its the one with the little board outside with live piano music nightly on it. The food is excellent and the place is lit by candles with comfy sofas. The charles bridge is directly to the right of the hotel and a 2 min walk, the astronomical clock is about 10 mins away at the back to the hotel and the castle is just across the bridge and 20 min uphill walk, but there are plenty of cosy pubs and restaurants to break the walk. Taxi from hotel is 500 czk if you use hotel merc it is 950 czk but it was great to use on the arrival as they are there at the airport and know exactly where to go so you have no stress when you arrive. We did use the local taxi on the return journey. The hotel is as good as all the other reviews said it was.