A Lovely "Home Away from Home"

Guest: Suzanne (Philadelphia, PA)
Date of Stay: 11/17/11 Review Submitted: 12/03/11

If you've ever wondered what's behind one of those beautifully carved wooden doors that line the winding cobblestone streets of picturesque Prague, this place is your opportunity to find out. My sister and I spent a fabulous week at Abbot's. As advertised, it was well-appointed, clean and very cozy. What we didn't expect was the terrific location. It's close enough to the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas, yet once you're within the apartment, you're in a quiet and secluded garden area. What a neighborhood - there are bakeries, restaurants, wine shops and a fine charcuterie within a few minutes' walk. We were there to sightsee and to visit my daughter, who was at a local university for the semester. To have a comfortable place to have her drop in, and to be able to host her friends was so special. Yes, the kitchen is tiny, but we were able to prepare quite a Thanksgiving feast for some slightly homesick and very grateful students. I will definitely recommend it to other families with children studying abroad. Finally, if it's possible to more accommodating than the owner/manager, Robin, I can't imagine it. He was completely accessible by email and promptly responded to all our requests. From our first correspondence, I had every confidence that he would make our stay at Abbot's a great experience. I have only the fondest memories of this time spent in Prague.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Location and building fantastic

Guest: Ned (Sydney Australia)
Date of Stay: 10/15/11 Review Submitted: 11/24/11

This accommodation was very unique and not an experience you are lucky enough to find very often especially coming from Australia. The accommodation was just as the pictures reveal though the rooms are much bigger than they appear in the photos , but it is the building that was fantastic . The apartment is located in a very old building with high ceilings and plenty of light. I finely got to understand how people live behind those beautiful old entry gates stepping into a courtyard that is shared by a few residences probably for hundreds of years. This apartment had everything that you need for a comfy holiday and was very clean . Not only was the apartment great and authentic but the location was superb minutes from the centre piazza of the old town. Robin was very efficient in meeting us and arranging airport transfers. I would highly recommend this accommodation it made our few days in Prague very memorable.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Abbot's Holiday Apartment

Guest: Pam (Piedmont, SD, USA)
Date of Stay: 09/26/11 Review Submitted: 10/07/11

This apartment was perfect for our stay in Prague. It is a charming apartment in a perfect location for seeing the sights of beautiful Prague. We enjoyed meeting and visiting with Robin who welcomed us to the apartment and graciously answered all of our questions. The apartment had everything we needed to make our stay comfortable. We even enjoyed morning coffee in the garden. We were able to walk from the apartment to everywhere we wanted to go which was what we hoped we could do. A market, bakery and many good restaurants are in the neighborhood. Thank you Robin!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Leslie (-)
Date of Stay: 11/29/10 Review Submitted: 07/20/11

7/20/2011 - I just inadvertently stumbled across this recommendation to my apt. in a thread on the web. I'm pleased! -- from tripadvisor.com -- "10. Re: Looking for a Non-Ikea apt in Prague.... Feb 08, 2011, 10:27 AM hi! My family and I stayed in this apartment in October and it was lovely. It is in a very old building and everything we did was well within walking distance (we may have pushed that a bit, but that was our choice!) It was so quiet at night, even in an apartment building. We decided it was the huge, thick walls. It is not 'brand-spanking -new" [editor's note -- it sure isn't -- the bldg. dates back about 1,000 yrs.!] but the character was well worth it! The owner was amazingly helpful as well. He put us in touch with not only airport transport (fiendishly high if you try to find it yourself!) and with our private tour guide. There are cafes and little corner markets just steps away as well. http://www.vrbo.com/202065 "

Recommended for:

there's a welding shop in the back garden!!

Guest: C123 (Canada)
Date of Stay: 05/31/11 Review Submitted: 06/17/11

I must say that the location is excellent. No need to take the public transit as you can walk everywhere. There are many restaurants within a couple of blocks and groceries nearby. However, the pictures of the apartment and garden are misleading. In order to access the garden, you must exit the apartment ,go through a locked front door and then go around 2 sides of the building to sit in it. But you won't as a metal shop is just beyond the flowerbeds and there are fluorescent lights, banging and burning torch sounds from 8:30 on. We did use the kitchen for breakfast yogurt and cereal, but dinners would have been difficult. There is only a foot of counter, a half fridge and two small overhead cupboards for dishes, etc. The window sill has been set up for more counter space. I realized afterward that there no photos of the kitchen, on the listing, and maybe the size is why. The king bed is really two twins pushed together and as one was very creaky, my husband slept in the 2nd bedroom. The bed collapsed when he first used it, but after banging it back, the bed was fine. Also, each bed has only one minuscule pillow. The gate on the street works easily with a remote device to unlock and then sensor lights come on as you continue through the yard. However, the sensor lights within the first floor of the building weren't working, so we had to figure out how to work them manually. As the apartment is the only one on the first floor, it was a bit spooky entering the building in total darkness. Robin was very helpful. He arranged taxis upon arrival and departure and the drivers were very nice. Robin also had an extensive booklet which explained both the apartment and getting around Prague. A really nice touch and very helpful.

Owner response:I'm sorry Pamela had some difficulties in our apt. We do try hard to make our renters happy and comfortable. It is very important to us. The "metal shop" is in fact a proper blacksmith. They have been there for decades, and are an integral part of the neighborhood. They are on the far side of the courtyard, inside a building. In 6 consecutive, successful yrs. of renting this apt. no-one has ever mentioned this before. There are two singles beds pushed together in the 2nd bedroom, but there is a single-mattress king bed in the master bedroom, as stated in the ad. This arrangement is intentional, so as to be able to accommodate children, etc. The size of the kitchen is adequate for a holiday rental, containing everything needed. The counter measures about 2 m. (~ 6 ft.), but does contain the sink. The kitchen has often been used to prepare dinner. The only reason a picture is not there now is because there are not enough pictures slots on vrbo, and I prefer to show the lovely historic details, because that's what people come to Prague to see. The bed had a broken piece and has been repaired - standard maintenance, I only needed to be informed about it. Neither our pictures nor description imply that the garden can be entered directly from the apt. We are on the ground floor, so to walk to the garden takes less than 30 seconds - walk out the front door and there it is on your right. The sensors work. But if for some reason they don't, you can simply turn the hall lights on by pressing any of the light switches there.

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Charming apartment

Guest: Marion (Ottawa, Canada)
Date of Stay: 05/16/11 Review Submitted: 05/28/11

Our group of four adults has only good things to say about this charming apartment. Our host, Robin, arranged to have a taxi meet us at the train station, and he was at the apartment to show us around. Extra touches such as music playing and fresh cut peonies from his courtyard garden made it feel homey. The location could not be better - close to the old town square, and in easy walking distance from many of the city sights. The kitchen is compact but well equipped, and was good for making breakfast. The choice of nearby restaurants made eating out easy. A great place to stay in a beautiful city.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+.

So memorable

Guest: Lou (Ireland)
Date of Stay: 12/14/09 Review Submitted: 11/06/10

I have stayed in this apartment twice and I still get a warm fuzzy feeling when I look at the pictures. A cosy warm apartment that is in a wonderful location in the old town square; by far my favourite part of Prague. just aroud the corner from thge wonderful shopping areas of the old town and the celubrious Pa?ížská street with it's Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Hermes Etc.. The apartment is full of character and very romantic.Perfect for a snuggly cosy snowy Christmas market break. I would have no hesitation in ever going back to this or the owners other apartment in the same block. Robin is so helpful and accomodating and we still keep in touch, the best host I have ever met in all my travels. I cannot recommend this enough. The classical music playing on entering the toasty warm apartment with it's huge wooden doors and high ceilings. Love it, Love it , Love it. Hope to be back soon Robin, Thank you for everything as always. Lou O Connor Ireland

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.