I last visited Prague 4 1/2 years ago and made site inspections of the Four Seasons and the Mandarin Oriental (as well as a couple of 4* properties). See that report here. I revisited these two hotels this week and additionally made a site inspection of The Augustine. Here are my impressions of these hotels. As always, these are my subjective opinions of the room product; others' aesthetic tastes may differ.


Four Seasons Prague

Four Seasons is the consummate luxury hotel in Prague. If you are a fan of Four Seasons, this is one of their very best properties. The lobby is large and impressive, guestrooms are comfortable with all the amenities you would associate with FS, the location is convenient to the Charles Bridge and to Prague's Old Town, and the views from Premier Rooms and Suites are astonishing, especially at night.

Four Seasons created the hotel by building a contemporary building to join together three traditional buildings — one Renaissance, one neoclassical, and one Baroque. While getting within the hotel from point A to point B may not be immediately be obviously, arriving guests are always escorted to their rooms, and guests can pretty quickly figure out how to get to where they want to go.

The hotel has undergone a soft goods renovation since my last visit, all to good effect. There are 161 total rooms, including 20 suites and rooms. Rooms in the Modern, Renaissance, Classical, and Baroque buildings now all reflect these styles in the interior design of their rooms. Modern Wing rooms are substantially improved. During my last visit in 2009, I felt these rooms were rather generic Four Seasons room product, but the renovated rooms are now quite visually interesting. The style is young and modern and comes in one of two color schemes: a more masculine black and white scheme or a more feminine red and white scheme. I would not hesitate to recommend the lead-in room product at the Four Seasons Prague.

I stayed in a renovated Renaissance room in 2009, and this continues to be my favorite wing at the hotel. High ceilinged with crystal chandeliers, the rooms are the largest in Prague with large windows, a lot of natural light, and views of historical buildings.

The WOW accommodations in the hotel are Premium River rooms and suites. These are available in either the Modern or Classical wings and offer some incredible nighttime river views of the Prague Castle lit up at night; the best panoramic views even offer a glimpse of the Charles Bridge. I prefer the fresh Modern design to the more formal Classical design, but others may have different preferences. There are only four Baroque rooms occupying the former 18th century Baroque villa — one Superior, one Deluxe, a Baroque Suite, and the Presidential Suite; Baroque rooms have a red velvet look.

We had a superb lunch at Four Seasons new restaurant, CottoCrudo, which replaces their Michelin one-star restaurant Allegro.


The Augustine

Formerly part of the Rocco Forte Collection, The Augustine is now an independent hotel, but it retains the design features of its Rocco Forte heritage — clean, contemporary interiors that harmonize well within the locally historical building in which they are housed. Housed in a 13th century monastery (and still adjacent to an active Augustinian monastery), this hotel opened 4 1/2 years ago in the "Lesser Town" of Prague (the castle side of the Charles Bridge). With just 101 rooms, every room of this boutique hotel is unique.

We loved this hotel and feel it is a quite successful adaptation of a monastery into a luxury hotel. Rooms are spacious, hallways are wide and attractive, and I loved the interior style of the guestrooms (hardwood floors and a color scheme using shades of green, olive, brown, and aubergine). We saw two Executive Rooms and liked them both. The bathroom in the first had a single vanity, step-in shower, and soaking tub ... while the other's bathroom had dual vanities and a shower in the tub ... so it's important to specify your preference when making reservations. The Classic Suite we saw was very large with its living room separated by closing doors from the bedroom; its bathroom had dual vanities, step-in shower, and soaking tub. With 28 lead-in Classic rooms and 42 second-category Executive Rooms, the chances of a Virtuoso upgrade would typically be very good at The Augustine.

We tried their restaurant, Elegantes, for dinner on Sunday night, and very much enjoyed our meal at this elegant, contemporary restaurant. Menu choices were healthy, beautifully prepared, and desserts were definitely worth the calories!


Mandarin Oriental Prague

We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental during this visit to Prague. This is a small hotel with only 99 rooms (including 20 suites), featuring the contemporary Asian styling that Mandarin Oriental is known for. The hotel is built in a former 14th century monastery with a very convenient location, just a two minute walk from the Charles Bridge.

I noted four years ago that only 75% of the bathrooms provide a separate step-in shower and neglected to read my own notes when making my own reservation. It is essential to make your preference known so that you can be blocked in the appropriate room. (I was blocked in a room with a shower in the tub that was difficult to use as the slope of the tub prevented one from standing directly beneath the rainshower).

I would not book a Superior or Deluxe room at the MO. These rooms are quite small. Our Deluxe had no sitting area. While our bathroom had dual vanities, the shower was in the tub and was not well designed. (All Deluxe rooms and up have dual vanities in the bathroom).

On the other hand, I can highly recommend the Deluxe Garden and Deluxe Terrace rooms categories. These rooms are in the new wing, 40 sqm in area, and have a lot of natural light with floor-to-ceiling windows. Bathrooms all have dual vanities, step-in showers, and soaking tub.

Here’s a tip for getting free internet at the MO Prague. The internet is free in the lobby, bar, and business center. Just ask for an access code... and enter it in your browser. With the code entered, you’ll also have free WiFi access in your room!