Hotel Jalta, Prague

...the front door of the hotel and my first impressions were good. In a guide book I had seen it described as being drab and a throwback to the communist age. However, to me it looked modern and the restaurant looked very nice. Check in was quick and easy and the staff spoke impeccable English which was a huge help. It was also at this point that the hotels quality started to show through. My girlfriend suffers from coeliacs and as such, cannot eat ...
...you would expect from a hotel of this standard. Small touches such as a message on the TV welcoming us made the room straight away feel like it was 'ours'. The bed was very comfortable and was where we soon headed for a nap given we'd been up since 4am.

Over the course of the long weekend we never had any problems with our room and always found the staff friendly and attentive to our needs. It was however in the restaurant where they ... more

When my girlfriend and I decided that we were going to visit Prague, rather than go for the budget 2* hotels that we usually frequent, we would go for something a bit nicer. This was perfectly justified in our minds as not only were we celebrating our anniversary, but this was going to be our 1st holiday since we started our respective jobs so we had money to burn in comparison to our impoverished student days.

Thanks to a discount that I can get through my employers, I went onto hotelopia.com to find and book a nice 4* hotel. There were several hotels that were candidates but this one, the Jalta, stood out. For someone who had never visited Prague before it had several obvious benefits: it was central (being found on Wenceslas Square), it had its own restaurant serving a range of cuisines, it seemed very English friendly and most of all, it wasn't extortionate (about £83 a night without my discount). Hotelopia dealt with everything else and I was emailed a voucher with our confirmation.

Fast forward to the Friday morning and we had just arrived in Prague. I had arranged for a transfer through another company so we were dropped straight at the front door of the hotel and my first impressions were good. In a guide book I had seen it described as being drab and a throwback to the communist age. However, to me it looked modern and the restaurant looked very nice. Check in was quick and easy and the staff spoke impeccable English which was a huge help. It was also at this point that the hotels quality started to show through. My girlfriend suffers from coeliacs and as such, cannot eat gluten or wheat. With this being our first trip abroad since she was diagnosed we were a little wary of what we could eat, especially as the Czech diet is renowned for things such as dumplings and gravy, both of which are out. It was therefore a pleasant surprise when we were told that they had read the message that I had attached to the booking, and the restaurant staff were available for any questions.

We got up to our room and it had everything you would expect from a hotel of this standard. Small touches such as a message on the TV welcoming us made the room straight away feel like it was 'ours'. The bed was very comfortable and was where we soon headed for a nap given we'd been up since 4am.

Over the course of the long weekend we never had any problems with our room and always found the staff friendly and attentive to our needs. It was however in the restaurant where they excelled, leading to this positive review. The restaurant (named HOT) labels itself as 'Asia meets Europe', with a range of meal options from some traditional Czech cuisine to Italian pasta dishes and sushi. We were seated by the waiter and on explaining that we were the couple with dietary needs, he shot off to the kitchen to find the chef. Luckily we had been able to buy a phrase card in Czech explaining my girlfriend's condition but we needn't have worried as we were introduced to Jason the chef, from Cork in Ireland! He was great, showing us what we could have and suggesting what was nicest. He really earned his wage when he came back to the table, just as he was about to leave with his friends who had just arrived from Ireland, in order to help us with the dessert menu.

We ate in the hotel every night and the atmosphere was great. On Fridays and Saturdays there is a traditional feel with live music and the waiting staff wearing traditional dress. The rest of the week the restaurant has a very laid back, stylish feel with music being played at a very acceptable level. The staff were always overly friendly, willing to stop for a chat, even when slightly busy.

We also ate breakfast in the restaurant as part of our room deal and this saw a huge spread of different foods, again which we were taken through by the staff so my girlfriend knew what was/wasn't ok for her.

I would wholly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Prague and wanting somewhere a little more than merely a bed for the night. We would quickly return again if we could and it meant that none of our memories of the holiday were negative, as has been the case on a couple of occasions where the hotel let the rest of the trip down.

Hotel search engine - www.hotelopia.com
Hotel Website - www.jalta.cz
 

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