Prague has a growing reputation of being a haven for UK party goers on their stag and hen parties, and whilst this is true, don’t let this put you off from visiting this beautiful city. I booked a return flight with Jet2.com which cost me £51 return – the booking process was easy, and to fly from Leeds & Bradford airport made it hassle free.

If you want to avoid the stag and hen parties then I suggest that you visit Prague during the week, as I understand the weekend can be exceptionally busy. For this reason I departed on Monday and returned on Thursday.

When I’m looking for a hotel I always search using Google and prefer hotel websites that let me search by price and location. I prepare a list of potential hotels, and then visit Trip Advisor.com to search for reviews on the hotels – the best reviews tagged along with the best price is what helps me make a decision.

You could visit a travel agent to book your flights and hotel, but you are speaking with people who potentially have probably never visited Prague, and of course you want first hand experience from people who have visited the hotel and city.

In the end I booked to stay for three nights on the Botel Albatross which was basically a 3 star floating boat hotel on the River Vltava. The hotel cost me £28 per night, which included a continental breakfast that consisted of fresh meats, bread, and cereals.

The flight departed on time and I was very impressed in how organised both the airline and airport security staff were – it took around ten minutes to get through security, which was certainly not lapse. In total the flight took 1 hr 45 minutes, and the only delay I had was waiting for the luggage to come off the plane.

Once I picked up my luggage and made my way through the airport I was greeted by a Prague Airport Shuttle driver, who spoke perfect English (he was Canadian) and was very helpful in providing information about the hotel and the attractions. In total for a return airport transfer it cost me around £30 which was great value for money – and I would recommend these guys to anyone visiting Prague.

Now the Botel Albatross was situated literally 10 minutes walk to the Old Town Square , and was in a perfect position with beautiful views of the magnificent Prague Castle. I was very surprised about the quality of this hotel because it was literally a boat and the price to stay at the hotel was so cheap.

The hotel (sorry Botel) was very clean, and you could tell that it was well looked after – the reception area featured a fridge with cold drinks and also had a relaxing TV area where you could sit and relax and read a book. The reception staff were very helpful, and I had no complaints about any of the staff working there during my visit.

On the 2nd level was a bar which had beautiful views of the river, and I imagined in Summer it would be just the perfect place to relax in the sun after a long day sightseeing. The 2nd floor also featured a restaurant with nice views of the river.

The room was an average size, and I have been in smaller rooms in the UK, but when reading the reviews bear this in mind that traditionally Czech hotel rooms are much smaller than other European destinations.

My only complaint about the room was that the heating was on full and when you walked in the heat just knocked you back – luckily, I managed to turn the 1950’s looking heater down so that it was a reasonable room temperature.

The rooms featured a small portable TV, and a en-suite bathroom which included toilet, sink and shower, and the sink taps were strange to say the least – oh and I loved the lime green toilet! The room was a typical Czech room and it made a change from the mundane hotels you would stay in Western Europe – it made the trip unique and that’s what I loved about this Botel.

To be continued…

• Take a Break on a Boat with a Giraffe
• Planning a short break to Prague
• Choosing the right hotel
• Searching for Hotels the Easy way

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