Aria Hotel: A symphony of hospitality excellence

On our last night in the Czech Republic, we stayed at the boutique Aria Hotel in Prague—and to our utter delight, had been upgraded to a suite. This extraordinarily extravagant hotel is but a stones throw from the Prague Castle and the famed Charles Bridge. In 2014 and 2015, Aria was voted the #1 Hotel in the Czech Republic by TripAdvisor, and was on the Top-25 list in all of Europe. After our stay, we can certainly attest to the worthy accolades!

The Aria is ensconced within a musical theme that is carried through every aspect of the property. Each floor of the hotel is themed in a different genre of music (jazz, opera, classical and contemporary), with each of its 51 lavish rooms and suites highlighting a different artist within the floors’ musical style. Guests will find artwork adorning the walls, books, symbolic references and other odes to musicians and composers such as: Smetana, Dvorák, Elvis Presley, Gershwin, Beethoven, to Billie Holiday and Mozart…the suite we stayed in.

The entrance and lobby of the hotel was brightened by a massive sky dome encased with an intricate system of windows, flooding the space with light. In the lobby was a bold red leather couch in the shape of a musical note. Beyond the lobby is a sophisticated lounge where live music can often be heard. Off the lounge area is a screening room with an 80 inch television and seating for up to 50. There is also a board room for business meetings and a music salon where shelves are lined with hundreds of books about music.

Each day at 4pm, complementary high tea is served in the lobby with various loose-leaf tea options, coffee, croissant sandwiches and tantalizing finger desserts. A very refined and thoughtful touch.

When we checked-in, the friendly and professional Aria staff welcomed us into the Mozart Suite, the largest suite in the hotel. We found it a rather pleasant coincidence we were staying in a room bearing the Mozart name, having recently toured the Estate Theatre where we had an opportunity to stand in the same spot as Mozart did when he conducted his famed opera, Don Giovanni, in the 18th century.

The Mozart accommodations were simply stunning. The suite had 2 bedrooms, 2.5-bathroom with a very large sitting room and a kitchenette…with all the amenities one could desire. Overlooking the gorgeous baroque Vrtbovska garden, this vast yet cozy suite was adorned in romantic shades of red, setting the ‘stage’ for love.

After the bellhop dropped our luggage and left, we quickly ran around the suite exploring every corner, like two children seeing Disneyland for the first time. WOW! The master king bed was like lying on a fluffy cloud hugged by 750 thread count sheets surrounded by plump feather down pillows… the best bed we’d slept on throughout our Czech travels. We were so exited about the bed we were tempted to jump on it, but decided to maintain our maturity and just flop down in delight. Each bathroom contained luxury shampoo, conditioner, lotion and a variety of bath gels to choose from. Should we have forgotten, a shave set, tooth-brush and toothpaste were also provided.

The towels and robes were fluffy, absorbent, and smelled like a spring day. The main sitting room, with couch, love seat, smart TV, Apple TV and stereo system felt more like home than a hotel room. Another impressive touch was the TV’s home channel, which contained an assortment of Mozart compositions…a perfect alignment with the theme of the room. We listened and sipped bubbly as the busyness of the day melted away. The experience truly felt “presidential” having learned that former President Bill Clinton and famed actress Helen Mirrin (from the movie “The Queen”) both stayed in the Mozart suite.

Before heading to dinner, we took a tour in the Vrtbovska garden with smart and friendly Sales and Marketing Executive, Zuzana Šelov, who walked us through the two levels of baroque gardens, which are open to guests until 9:30pm April-October. The gardens are so charming and romantic, they would make the perfect place for a wedding. In fact, there were several weddings throughout the gardens that day.

Zuzana informed us that there would be a quartet of live jazz music taking place in the lounge, so before we headed to dinner, we enjoyed a cocktail while listening to some outstanding music. Just as it was getting time for our dinner reservations, the music came to an end. Perfect timing.

We had our choice of dining inside, or on the rooftop terrace. It had been such a fantastic weather day, that we opted for the terrace… which overlooks all of Prague, including a view of the Prague Castle.

The hotel’s fine dining restaurant is called Coda, an impeccable experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. From the creative dishes to the service and the view. It was an experience that we will not soon forget. During our dinner on the terrace, we watched the sunset over Prague with a perfect view of the skyline…a scene straight out of a romantic movie. Sigh…

During our meal we tried the following dishes, each prepared to perfection.

• Seared Scallops with ragout of apricots, fresh vanilla with jalapeňos.
• Seared Medallions of Yellow Fin Tuna with organic quinoa a la tabouleh, lemon vinaigrette, baby pak choi with enoki and piperade sauce.
• Seared Tiger Prawns on a bed of Squid Ink Linguine in a garlic sauce with tomato relish.
• Delicately Layered White Chocolate Mille-feuille with black pepper, fresh raspberries and a raspberry emulsion.

We wish we could have stayed a month at the Aria, but alas our short stay in paradise had to come to an end. Unfortunately, we were up at 4am the next morning to head to the airport and missed out on the complementary breakfast buffet. However, just to put the finishing touch on an amazing experience, the hotel staff prepared a breakfast for us to go, while also providing transportation in a luxurious Mercedes sedan to the airport. We felt like royalty for the day! Thank you Aria Hotel for an amazing experience… if only we could give you a 6 star rating, we would.

If you’ve ever stayed at the Aria Hotel in Prague, please leave a comment below and share your experience. Click the following link to see more photos of Aria Hotel Prague.

Aria Hotel Prague Information:

Phone: +420 225 334 111 | Toll Free (USA & CANADA): 1-888-644-7806
Address: 118 00 Prague 1 | Czech Republic
Website: Aria Hotel Prague
Email: [email protected]
Restaurant: Coda Restaurant
Rates: $250-$1500 (depending on accommodations and availability) Unlike many fine hotels, Aria includes the following within its room rate; breakfast, fitness center, high tea/afternoon snack, gardens, wi-fi, music/book library, and each room has an iPad.