Location Prague’s first five-star hotel, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, occupies a prime riverside spot about a minute’s walk from the landmark Charles Bridge and a few minutes from the Old Town Square. Its views of Prague Castle, perched on a hilltop on the opposite bank of the Vltava, are picture-postcard pretty. Taxis from the airport take 25 minutes and cost €25, or you could take a hotel limo (€80 one way, €145 round trip).

Style Few probably notice, but the hotel is actually four buildings in one. The Baroque, Classical and Renaissance wings – used as shops, offices, apartments and a factory over the centuries – have been sensitively converted to maintain their original architectural styles. The Modern wing, which binds them all together around a graceful, flower-filled entrance lobby, was built to order. Adjacent to the lobby, the Allegro, serving modern Italian cuisine (and a wide range of hearty American and Continental breakfasts), is the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the Czech Republic. The hotel itself is regularly cited by travellers as one of the best in Europe.

Guestrooms There are 161 rooms, including 20 suites, boasting supremely comfortable beds, voluminous wardrobes, flat-screen TVs, iPod connections and, in the more opulent rooms, sofas and chandeliers. But while the marble bathrooms are large, the deep-soaking tubs seem to have been truncated to fit in a glass shower at one end, making it impossible to stretch one’s legs. Toiletries are by L’Occitane, Asprey and Aqua di Palma, depending on the room rate. Spa services are available both in private treatment rooms and guestrooms, and there is a 150m2, round-the-clock health club featuring a gym, male and female saunas, a pair of massage rooms and a personal trainer on hand 18 hours a day.

Can I work here? Each guestroom has an old-fashioned writing desk with a phone, along with a CZK600 (€25) daily charge for using the Wi-Fi. A business centre offers computers, secretarial and language services, and there 10 function and pre-function areas taking up a total of 635m2. Three of these are in the Baroque building and include the spectacular, 151m2 Vltava Ballroom, one of the most renowned gathering spaces in Prague. The friendly staff can organise traditional Bohemian parties on request.