Augustine, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Prague

Overview

You know how some hotels try really hard to feel historic but end up feeling like a theme park? Well, Augustine isn’t one of those places. This former monastery – and I mean actually former, like 13th century former – sits tucked into Malá Strana where most tourists never think to look, just a few minutes’ walk from the castle but worlds away from the crowds stumbling around Old Town Square.

The thing that hits you first isn’t the lobby (though it’s gorgeous) – it’s how quiet everything gets once you step through those massive wooden doors. I mean, you’re literally in the shadow of Prague Castle, but the courtyard feels like this secret pocket of calm. The rooms, honestly, are what you’d expect from a Luxury Collection property, but with these incredible details that remind you where you are. Stone walls that are genuinely old, not fake-old, and windows that look out onto either the monastery gardens or – if you’re lucky – toward the castle ramparts. The beds are ridiculously comfortable, which matters more than you think after a day of walking on Prague’s cobblestones.

What really sets Augustine apart, though, is the location expertise you get just by staying there. The staff actually knows the neighborhood – like, they’ll tell you to skip the touristy restaurants on Nerudova Street and point you toward that little wine bar on Všehrdova that locals actually go to. And here’s something practical: parking is handled (crucial in this part of Prague), and you can walk to Kampa Island in about three minutes, which gives you some of the best castle views in the city without fighting through tour groups. The hotel’s restaurant is solid – not groundbreaking, but they do this excellent Czech-influenced menu that feels appropriate without being gimmicky. Plus, and this might sound weird, but the acoustics throughout the building are just… peaceful. Those thick monastery walls really do something special. I stayed there in late September when Prague starts to empty out a bit, and honestly, sitting in that courtyard with a glass of Moravian wine while the evening light hit the castle walls – that’s the kind of moment that makes you understand why people fall in love with this city. It’s not cheap, obviously, but if you’re going to splurge somewhere in Prague, this feels like the right choice.

Visitors often choose Prague apartments over traditional hotels because they provide more space, kitchen facilities, and the opportunity to live like a local in this magnificent Bohemian capital.