48 Hours at the Aria Hotel Prague

Our party was divided into two groups. One stayed at the new and ultra chic Emblem Hotel, while we decided to stay at the more casual and more luxurious Aria Hotel. Never did we regret this simply amazing choice. Upon arrival we were greeted with a smile and a welcoming "Welcome to the Aria Prague!". I wouldn't say that probably this is the most personal front desk staff if I hadn't stayed at so many luxury hotels. Honestly this is the secret formula for a successful hotel - a place where also I will return many times. 

Our rooms were situated on the fourth floor meaning that our rooms are designed in the Classical colour scheme - well, the rooms are not as chic as at the Emblem, but they definitely are twice as comfortable and welcoming with lots of warm colours. The bathroom was large and the tub was huge as well. I also loved the huge shower head - honestly it reminded me of The Savoy in London, probably because the toiletries are from London, by Molton Brown!

The Apple TV is really really cool and we could even connect our iPads to the TV and could hear our Music through the excellent loundspeakers! There is also a turn-down service with chocolate, which was done normally between 4 and 5 pm - guess it could be a bit too early for some people! In contrary to the Emblem, the do not have boxspring beds, but therefore enormous King beds with a size of approximately 2m x 2 m. A very nice gesture when we arrived: a bottle of red wine and a fruit plate!

One of the nicest touches at this musical themed hotel is the afternoon tea, held daily between 4 and 5pm - fully complimentary for hotel guests. With sweets, finger food, hot tea and wine (during christmas time), we were completely in the mood for the christmas markets at the Prague castle, Venceslas Square and Old Town Square - the most wonderful I have seen in Prague!

After all these excellent reviews on Tripadvsior (and of course because we were extremely tired of our 5 hours drive ;-) ) we decided to eat at the Coda Restaurant. Again, an excellent choice! Our menu consisted of three courses and an accompanying house wine, which was incredible! Beginning this excellent evening with an Amuse Bouche, a slice of tuna, followed by Foie Gras - it was truly magificent. I was quite insecure if it is a good idea to take the "Papardelle with Truffle" in December. As you might guess, all my believes were incorrect! These papardelle were simply extraordinary - never had such excellent truffle dish outside the Piedmont or Italy before! For dessert we had the famous Valhrona chocolate cake, another fabulous choice! Honestly all our expectations were exceeded on all ways! Congratulations to the chef David!

Of course we discovered some of Pragues best cocktail bars before we headed back to our worldclass accomodation. At breakfast we were greeted with a smile once again and started the day with some scrambled eggs and omlettes, together with a real Capuccino!

Finally I can just assure that you won't regret to forget the Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental and head therefore to this picturesque Boutique Hotel in the real heart of one of our Top favourite cities in the world. If you are looking for something really special, then book one of the few Suites overlooking the Vrtbovska Garden - one of the most wonderful baroque gardens in the world, accessible free of charge from the hotel. 

A special thanks to the team of the Aria for being so welcoming and kind!

Our stay at the Aria Hotel Prague was sponsored by Mr. Vostiar and we were guests of the hotel throughout the weekend. Our above written review is our personal opinion and hasn't been influenced.

Christmas Getaway

The last weekend before Christmas is coming soon and if you did not yet get the full feeling of Christmas mood, then this might be the places to be before the 24th December.

1. Head to a Christmas Market
Austria, North Italy, Germany and Switzerland as well as the Czech Republic boast some of the most beautiful christmas markets you can find. My top favourite christmas markets are the one in Kitzbühel, Vienna and Salzburg in Austria, Munich and Prague. I more prefer the small christmas markets instead of the oversized ones - they have a more charming style with good quality food and drinks.

2. Plan a relaxing trip to a wellness resort
Do like I do and find yourself again at a luxurious five-star property in the alps. Go swimming under the stars while the snow is falling and the air is fresher than ever. Some dazzling examples are the Arosa Grand-Spa Resort and the Grand Tirolia in the area of Kitzbühel, Schloss Fuschl near Salzburg, as well as the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa, Switzerland.

3. Stay at home and escape for New Year's Eve
Relax in a peaceful surrounding of your own home. Pack your bags on Christmas Day and reserve your seat for a long-haul flight bringing you to an exotic destination such as the Maldives, Seychelles, or the Caribbean. If you prefer to stay within Europe, head to Greece, Sicily or Portugal. My favourite place for an Italian Escape to the Aeolian Islands is the Therasia Resort on the island of Vulcano. Rooms start at 150 Euros including an excellent dinner and lavish buffet breakfast with stunning sea views.

Hotel Check - Kitzbühel Part I

Just returned back from a very relaxing stay at the Arosa Grand-Spa Kitzbühel.  The weather outside was perfect for a pre-Christmas getaway, lots of snow and a picture-perfect scenery. The arrival at the Arosa is more than stunning, driving through a tunnel until you arrive at the main entrance.

We were greeted very friendly with a hot welcome drink, before we were accompanied to our perfectly situated room.  Located on the 6^th floor of the “Mountain Wing”, our room boasted beautiful views over the resort to the city centre and the world-famous “Hahnenkamm”.

The room was clean and bright with a warming atmosphere. A very nice touch were the welcome amenities, which included homemade Christmas pastries, macarons and complimentary bottled water.

Behind the generous wardrobes, we found ourselves in a sleek bathroom with no-named toiletries, a separate toilet and large shower with three different kinds of shower experiences.  In general, the room came up to our expectations and we were really surprised by the beautiful welcome amenities.

The main reason for staying at the Arosa Kitzbühel is the Spa area, which boasts two floors of pure relaxation. I really loved the enormous indoor pool from which you could swim outside to the outdoor pool without leaving the pool. You can feel snowflakes falling into your face while swimming in hot water and exploring the beauty of the Austrian Alps and the surrounded winter wonderland scenery.

All staff members were very friendly and helpful and they even brought us drinks to the lounge bed on the pool.

We had the opportunity to have dinner at “Monte e Mare”, the restaurant on the hotel’s own golf course. This was a great possibility to have the best duck I’ve ever had.

A perfect day always starts with a heavenly breakfast! The buffet was varied and large, while the choice of bread was simply enormous. The service at breakfast was good and personal, too.

In total I was very satisfied with the service, the design and the provided facilities.