I wasn't supposed to be here.
I booked my stay in Prague at Hotel Josef's sister boutique hotel, Hotel Maximilian, which was down-the-street. However, when I arrived at the Max, I was informed by the concierge that, due to "labor issues", I could not stay my first night there but was booked at the Josef for one night. I actually looked at Josef first when booking for hotels.
The concierge kindly guided me to the hotel. As a bit of compensation, I was offered free limo service to the airport or train station when I checked out of my eventual hotel, along with an upgrade to my hotel room. The room with a balcony was nice, though I did not get much use of it because of the rainy weather. The room itself looked a bit dated in terms of structure, but there's been a more recent superficial renovation. The bathroom is well-lighted and clean, with decent water pressure. The only gripe I had was that the door seemed a little more "loose" than chain hotels and while I felt safe throughout, it was an initial adjustment to see that the door wasn't quite the same as conventional hotel rooms. The thermostat was also dated and was a little difficult to understand at first.
Total plus points for having soft drinks included in the mini-bar. They had water, sparkling water, juices, and sodas. I don't recommend the locally-made banana soda. It tastes as bad as it sounds.
The breakfast buffet (included) was excellent and definitely worth going. There's a juicery, coffee bar, lots of cut fruit and vegetables (salad's your friend when you're in a meat-centric town), and a selection of baked goods (they make their own bread and pastries). They have hot items there, but the pro tip is skip the watery scrambled eggs and just have them make it for your a la carte. Not only are there various items you can get buffet-style, the breakfast includes a variety of things you can order. I usually went for some form of omelet, but they had shakskouka, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, and other breakfast dishes.
Service was excellent throughout, with thoughtful staff helping you with anything. The price is comparable with many hotels around and much lower than the chains. The location is also great, as it's far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Old Town Square, but close enough to walk there without any problems.
As a bonus, since I had to return to Prague for a night before flying out, I booked this hotel for one night at their mini-room, which wasn't really mini at all. read more