Prague, Czech Republic Hotels and Apartments

We are very sorry for experience of this client. But this attic suite is one of our most popular. There is no lift but the room offers charming atmosphere of 15th century. The suite (100m2) is equipped with 2TVs, 2 satelites receivers, DVD player, minibar. The HAIRDRYER is of course available at the front desk (as well as adapters, iron with ironing board, umbrellas... The guests can find this informations in each room. Our hotel is not to be presented as luxury but standard confortable 3stars hotel in absolutely best location in Prague.

We wish you all the best during your travels.
At The Three Drums Hotel

You could not wish for a better location for a Prague hotel than the U Tri Bubnu, but it is not for those who find stairs difficult. Sadly, the owners tell us, they were denied permission to make the necessary structural alterations to this protected 15th century building that would have allowed the installation of a lift. This is doubly unfortunate, as all the accommodation is on the 2nd floor or above. With a lift, the hotel would receive a high recommendation, and probably cost twice as much....

A 75 metre walk round the corner to the right from the front door and you are in the Old Town Square (Staroměstské Náměstí) at the St Nicholas church (Kostel sv Mikuláše) corner, having passed Franz Kafka\'s house on the way. Turn left as you pass St Nicholas and you will enter Parízská, the street of designer fashion, with Dior, Moschino, Lacoste and others.
Alternatively, turning left out of the hotel, 100 metres walk brings you to the corner of the square nearest to the famous Astronomical Clock.
The closest Metro station, Staroměstské, is only about 200 metres along Platnérská opposite, and the romantic Karlüv most (Charles Bridge) is only about 10 minutes walk away, past the Klementinum.
A 10 minute walk the other way, across the far side of the square, will take you to the 15th century Prašná Braná (Powder Tower) and the 1911 Art-Nouveau style Obecní dům (Municipal House), whilst Václavské Náměstí (Wenceslas Square), Prague\'s equivalent of Oxford Street, is only a 20 minute walk.

The hotel itself actually comprises two distinct, but attached, buildings with separate entrances. Most of the rooms are pretty large, and many are suitable for entire families. All the rooms have their own bathrooms with shower, basin & toilet. Each room also has TV with innumerable free-to-air digital channels from all over the Near East & Europe (mostly German), but only 4 English-speaking channels (CNN, CNBC, Sky News, and Travel). There is also a DVD player attached, and guests can borrow DVDs from reception.
There is radiator heating, a very large, powerful fan for cooling, a minibar, and a phone, but only the family rooms are equipped with safe boxes (returnable deposit).
The hotel windows have secondary double-glazing, and the whole place is very quiet. There is little sound from other rooms or from outside. Cleaning and maintenance are completely satisfactory.

The hotel has its own ground-floor restaurant with a Brazilian theme, and this is where the typical central/east European breakfast is served from 7am to 10am.
There is a small lounge opposite the reception, with an Internet-enabled PC for use by guests. It has a Czech keyboard, set to US configuration, so nothing is where you expect it (unless you are accustomed to a US keyboard), nor where it claims to be, as the Czech layout is quite different from US or UK.

I have no hesitation in recommending the U Tri Bubnu to those who can manage the stairs.

WARNING !!!
Be extremely cautious about changing money in Prague.
Never change money with a street dealer, as they mostly sell worthless outdated notes, forgeries, or blatant fakes.
Always change your money at the hotel, or at a proper bank such a Česká spořitelna, or Kreditbank, where you will get a decent rate and only pay a small commission (around Kr300 on Kr10,000).
If you HAVE to use a bureau de change, make sure you ask exactly how much they will give you BEFORE you hand over any money. Many, if not most, of the bureaux now advertise a high rate and 0% commission outside, but display a different rate in small print on the wall inside. The inside rate is typically 25-33% lower, and once you have parted with your money and only received three-quarters of what you expected, the only way you can get your money back is to buy it back at the higher rate, so you lose twice! This is a deliberate confusion of selling & buying rates, designed to mislead the public.
Above all, avoid the bureaux marked Chequepoint, especially those in the Old Town Square, and at the Malá Strana end of the Charles Bridge. Not only are they dishonest cheats, they are also extremely aggressive and belligerent if you challenge them.
You can, instead, use your UK bank cash card in the cash machines in Prague. The exchange rate is fair, and the commission reasonable, for example, in May 2006, Kr10,000 from a Česká spořitelna ATM cost £255 at Barclays.