THE FACTS ABOUT MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Czech_Republic Prague

Prague has weathered many indignities most recently its popularity as a stag-weekend destination but is now swiftly emerging as an international city. And what better way to assert this new-found sophistication than with a hotel from the Mandarin Oriental group, housed in an exquisite 14th-century monastery built around a central courtyard in the city's leafy, cobbled and very central Malá Strana district. The hotel has 99 bedrooms, all of which are decorated in a classic-contemporary style with muted colours, crisp linens and parquet floors, but few are alike: one may be cloistered, the next will incorporate an ancient archway while a third may be fashioned from a number of rooms. Roman objects found during excavations for building are on display, and the remains of a Renaissance chapel can be viewed beneath glass floors in the spa. Service is friendly and attentive and the restaurant offers Asian and Modern European cuisine in a series of small, low-lit dining rooms. The fashionable Barego bar serves excellent Bloody Marys, and the Monastery Lounge, a double-height corridor space with comfy armchairs, is a great place for tea and cakes after a day of sight-seeing. WHEN TO GO Late spring before the summer crowds descend. ROOM TO BOOK The long, cloistered Mandarin Deluxe Suite, which is like a private apartment CONTACT Nebodvidska 459/1, Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic (00 420 233 088 888; www.mandarinoriental.com). COST Doubles from 218 euros; Mandarin Deluxe Suite from 828 euros