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Your Own Private Prague
Where to chillout now in the Czech Republic.
How do you know that Prague’s hit the big time? The city just scored its first members-only club, LS — a swanky Old Town lounge catering to barons and billionaires (plus their guests, if you’re lucky). The club has also lured top chef Paul Day (of Michelin-starred Nobu London) to whip up some haute Asian cuisine. If you’re counting, that gives Prague two British phenoms — Ramsay was the first celeb-chef to crack Eastern European when he opened an outpost of Maze at the renovated Hilton Old Town last year.
But LS isn’t the only hipster hangout to introduce Asian flash to the capital. This month, Buddha-bar opens the first in a new line of eponymous hotels. East meets West in 39 stylish rooms, while spa facilities include a hammam steam room (though you can get a “buddhattitude” treatment right in your bedroom). Naturally, you’ll find their signature seated Buddha presiding over the restaurant and lounge — here, a bi-level underground space.
Still, this is Prague, not old Peking — and other luxury newcomers are looking to maintain a sense of place. Rocco Forte opens The Augustine in March, occupying a 13th-century, former Augustinian monastery with hand-painted wooden ceilings, cloister gardens and an early 16th-century beer cellar. The “tower suites” take in rooftop views of Mala Strana (pictured), where the hotel is situated, near Prague Castle and the Wallenstein Gardens. Perhaps the only vistas rivaling these are found at the new Kempinski Hybernska (atrium exterior pictured), a restored 17th-century palace. Here, the best suites boast rooftop terraces (pictured), outdoor Jacuzzis and views of the Powder Tower. This lofty gateway, where gunpowder was once stored, marked the start of the “Royal Route” used by Bohemian monarchs on their way to coronation.
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