Hotel U Rytíře

The location is fantastic, with the confluence of Vlatva and Labe just a few metres away. Our apartment was spotlessly clean, and the breakfast deserves a special mention. We had a fabulous stay, and our bikes were kept secure overnight, then lined up for us in the morning, ready for the ride back down the hill.

There are a couple of restaurants and a brewery nearby, and the hotel is close to Melnik's main square. We had a lovely apartment with a balcony, kitchen, and a view of the nearby church. The staff were nice, and so was the breakfast. I'd definitely come back! 🙂

This is only about the hotel's restaurant. We chose it for its location, a few steps from the entrance to the Melnik Chateau, and the outdoor seating looked inviting. Our waiter spoke English, which was helpful, but dinner was disappointing. It took about 40 minutes or more for the food to arrive, and the pork and beef we ordered were both tough and very chewy. There must be better places to eat in Melnik.

We accepted the owner's offer of a beer at the bar across the street after all the trouble, and thought it was a kind gesture. The next morning, though, we were charged for those drinks. He said he hadn't needed to offer them because we arrived early, and tried to pass the charge off as city tax. The receipt showed it wasn't: the actual city tax was only a small amount. We paid what he asked, but the whole thing left us wondering what kind of business he runs. In his response, the stories kept changing too. Our bookingcoom booking clearly said we were arriving by bike, and the cycling company from Prague was handling our luggage transfer. We had nothing to do with that. This hotel was listed by the cycling company, and we were the first to leave, at 8.30 a.m., not 11.20 as he claims. Buyer beware. We arrived 50 minutes before the posted check-in time to find the doors locked. Nobody answered any of the phone numbers, and we hadn't received any instructions about checking in, which seems standard. With no one reachable, we went next door to ask for help. They sometimes hand over keys for guests, but ours weren't there. After they eventually contacted the owner, it turned out the keys were somewhere else. It was fortunate we were there at that time, since the luggage service arrived at 2.30 and again had nobody around to sign for it.