Grandeur all around

From the peace of Prague’s Smetana Hotel, the city’s attractions are a step away. By Gaby Soutar

We’re on the Vltava river, frantically pedalling a swan. If this is anything like being a real one, then it’s true what they say about them – they glide along smoothly, but there’s lots of tiresome leg work going on out of sight.

It’s not the most sophisticated of activities, granted, and we could have preserved our dignity by going for a plain looking pedalo (or shown that we were completely bonkers by doing the water zorbing).

Still, it was an irresistible draw on a mild evening in Prague, once we’d caught a glimpse of the boats from our bedroom window.

We’re staying at the five star Smetana Hotel, which is a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts L.V.X. Collection.

From the vantage point of our Deluxe River View room you can see the tourist hotspots of Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and Petrin Tower, as well as the green backdrop of Petrin Hill behind the Vltava.

There are trams and throngs of people outside, yet it’s silent in this oasis of a huge boudoir, with its honey coloured parquet floors, four poster bed and chandeliers.

They have rooms that are way more Baroque than this – one grand number even features vaulted ceilings and original frescoes across the walls and ceiling – but I’m happy with our relatively simple and chic space. It’s part of a 17th century building that was formerly known as Pachtuv Palace, once the residence of Earl Patcha.

Their logo is a piano, as one of the Earl’s regular guests was Mozart, who is said to have been “imprisoned”, not completely against his will, one presumes, in one of the rooms until he wrote pieces for his host’s orchestra.

He complied, though it doesn’t seem that the Earl’s other guests of note, Beethoven and Wagner, were put under the same pressure.

We’re not sure what these composers were served back in the day, but nowadays, there’s the highly regarded ground floor Bistro Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as their upmarket Restaurant Smetana, and the Chapel Cigar Club, which is located in the palace’s old chapel.

For meals beyond the hotel, walk outside, turn left, and cross over Most Legii (Legion Bridge) to find Cafe Savoy. It’s worth a visit just for the interior, which includes a Neorenaissance ceiling dating back to 1893.

I’m usually a three courses type, but it only took one portion of a traditional wild garlic soup with croutons and I was stuffed. Delicious,