The Golden Wheel

We'd paid in full and had written confirmation, yet the hotel cancelled our booking just two weeks before Christmas and still hasn't returned our money. The Golden Wheel hotel told us it had new owners from 1 November and said they weren't responsible for previous reservations. I've handed the case to a lawyer, since I believe European Law makes them responsible. Be careful. I'd advise against booking here, or at least against paying in advance.

I booked in July for a November stay, then got a cancellation email just 13 hours before check-in saying they had to close their doors. They said I'd get a refund, but nothing has come through and they haven't replied to any of my messages. Meanwhile, they keep accepting bookings. Plenty of people posting here seem to have had the same experience. A scam!

The rooms were spacious, clean, and in good condition, and we even had a balcony. The staff were nice, and the buffet breakfast was decent. They made things work for my gluten free vegan wife, too. It's a lovely hotel, tucked around the corner from the magic baby jesus doll and close to the 'castle', which is really just a few houses and a big arse church. We'd stay again.

We were there from the 25 to the 29th of August, and the hotel's location made it easy to see Prague on foot. It's in Mala strana, near shops, restaurants, tram stops, and a metro station. The castle is a quick walk away, already halfway up the hill, and Charles Bridge takes you across to the main city. Avoid the supermarket opposite, though, it was a scam. The hotel staff can suggest trustworthy ones. Our room had loads of storage, a coffee machine, a working safe, and AC that we were grateful for in the heat. The bed was big and comfortable, though the duvets were quite thin. The TV was small, but we were out exploring most of the time. We loved the castle view from the little glass balcony on the 4th floor, if you can handle standing on the glass floor. The hotel has lifts, useful with all the stairs around. Breakfast offered pastries, breads, cakes, fruit, yogurt, cereal, meat, cheese, and a few hot options. I'm vegetarian and had plenty to eat. They also had gluten free bread if you asked in advance, which was great. Everyone was welcoming and helpful. One thing to add would be do not disturb signs, as room service tried to come in once while we were in the room. They stored our luggage for a few hours before our flight, which helped a lot. Just note that we paid an extra tourism tax at check-in, roughly 16euro per night. We'd definitely recommend the hotel and come back to beautiful Prague.