Hostel views at Mosaic House, St Christopher’s Prague
Walking into St. Christopher’s at the Mosaic House in Prague felt like walking into a music video.
Your soundtrack for this review…
A rock riff, a driving bass line, the crack and scatter of a break at the pool table. We were just there to check in after a long train ride from Olomouc, but I almost felt the need to adopt an MTV swagger.
The reception is shared with the entrance to Belushi’s bar – good music, sports on big screens around the room, well-appointed décor, and a 25% food discount and many drinks specials for guests. It was busy all afternoon and through the night… and for breakfast the next morning.
During check-in we got an invite to a bar crawl and given a custom-made map which, combined with advice from our local receptionist, helped us to plan the afternoon. After paying a 50Kc (US$2.50) deposit for each room key we headed to the lift and the sixth floor where the private rooms are, with terraces and views like this:
At first glance, the room was lovely: bath robes and slippers sat folded on a big queen- or king-sized bed, a tree-branch motif was painted on several places, and a real tree branch was used as a railing for our coat hangers.
There was a small fridge, an iPhone speaker dock, a flat-screen TV, and lights that could be dimmed. Wifi worked well throughout the whole hostel. The bathroom was spacious, with a neat little collection of toiletries, and a dual shower head set-up.
What impressed me even more was their commitment to the environment: a brochure claimed they were the first carbon-neutral hostel in Prague, and detailed their environmental program – from processing and re-using grey water to recycling and off-setting programs run by the hostel.
Wait, I said hostel, right? There are dorms — including a female-only dorm — but this private room felt more like a smaller room in a five-star hotel.
The only negative was that a room on our floor was being remodelled (and was looking great when we peered in nosily) and work started a little early for our tastes — though we had to get up at a reasonable hour to head down to breakfast.
Breakfast isn’t included, it’s an additional 150Kc (SU$8) per person, but it is big, all you can eat, and really tasty. Considering a coffee will set you back somewhere around 35-45Kc and we normally got a full lunch for ~120Kc, this is not good value for someone who wants a coffee, some yogurt and fruit… But if you’re ready for a meal that will keep you going all day, then it’s wonderful: a coffee, a juice, and cereals, yogurts, milk and chopped fruits to start; croissants and jam next; scrambled eggs, ham, salami, sausage, cheeses and spiced potatoes after that; a final coffee (and maybe another croissant to finish)… 150Kc starts to look like a very good price.
So, a music video, a flash hotel, a busy bar, a big breakfast… Book into St Christopher’s Mosaic House the next time you’re in Prague.
[box]Book your stay now with Hostelbookers.com[/box]
