Villa Smetana — Hotel in okres Karlovy Vary

Having read the most critical reviews, I was prepared for a real disappointment, but got a pleasant surprise when we got upgraded to a spacious room with an adjactent part allowing each of us friends to have a private space. I admit that the windows are old, but that is a part of it´s charm. And the furniture and the bed were not at all in any bad condition, on the contrary. The cleaning was very good in every part of the hotel and also the spa gave a very good feeling. The spa treatments are of good quelity and Ms Irene taking care of the baths makes one feel very comfortable. We had a spa package prebooked, but in spite of mailing the hotel on beforehand they did not respond on my mail and we couldn´t get any information about the treatments available and if we had possibility to choose anything. So on Monday morning, without having met a doctor or a nurse each of us just got a paper with some for us unknown treatments prebooked. In my opinion a guest should get a chance to information and of possibilities to choose, I mean not everyone can take baths or have an unspecified massage. I was "lucky" and liked the ones pre-scheduled, it was baths and back massage. But my friend had problems with changing her scheduled treatments (they actually asked why we have purchased them in the first place- considering that we had no choice to choose the treatments that was a really bad comment made!), After having called our tour organiser the changing problem finally was solved. The pool has a floor of a kind of aluminium which gives a good fresh feeling. Even if the pool indeed is small, one has to think that it´s an old buildning and not a sports hall, and there were several moments when I could have a swim on my own, and swimming around in the pool gave a very nice experience because of the window part. The dining part was nice and gave a "Penzion"-feeling. We especially liked some of the staff there, they greatly contributed to the positive athmosphere while having breakfast and dinner. The last day of our stay they had a day off and we noticed that the bread slices had green dots - meaning that it definitely weren´t day fresh...On the breakfast buffe I especially liked a kind of porridge they served with milk. And they had a rich collection of tasty herbal tea infusions. ||The weakest aspect of the hotel is that apart from the young man at the restaurant almost no one spoke English, so we couldn´t get any information about what to see and where to go in the proximity of the hotel. ||The hotel itself is located on a height, but in it´s proximity there is an even higher mountain in the forest that leads to Jeleni Skok which has an amazing view of the old Karlsbad, not to miss :) The way to get to the hotel is going upwards, but it´s not so steep that a person with a normal condition cannot get there. In fact it´s good having a slow walk up back to the hotel after having spent an afternoon down in the centre of the old Karlsbad. ||Knowing what I know now, I can consider coming back to the Smetana Vysehrad again. It´s definitely a priceworthy alternative; not 4...

During my stay at this hotel, there were both positive and negative impressions. First, I should mention that my boyfriend and I stayed in the newly renovated part of the hotel. The room was really luxuriously furnished and very clean, so you could feel comfortable right away. The food at the restaurant was also delicious and freshly prepared. I would like to especially highlight the friendly restaurant staff, who were always attentive and accommodating. The reception staff were also very helpful and could immediately assist with any questions or concerns. Unfortunately, there were also some points that significantly marred the stay. The parkingspace is extremely small, and you have to maneuver very carefully with a larger car. Although the room had a balcony, the door had no handle and the balcony door could be opened with little effort—a safety risk. Additionally, the wood of the deck was very old and partially damaged, which could have easily led to an accident. Another major drawback: there is no direct warm connection between the hotel room and the wellness area. This means that you have to walk through the building in your bathrobe or change in the dressing rooms. It was especially unpleasant that the staff in the wellness area started preparing unfriendly 30 minutes before closing and literally yelled at guests and even cussed them out (we were not the only people that this thing happened to, but also to another young couple like us) if they didn't pick up their things on time. I found that to be disrespectful and unprofessional. Even the amenities themselves were worth improving: The pool was fine, but the water in it was pretty cold. The Jacuzzi didn't seem particularly clean, and the steam room lacked a small shower, which significantly reduced the comfort. My stay in the Czech Republic was overall nice, but I won't be returning to this hotel. The positive aspects unfortunately cannot compensate for the numerous...

From the positive side we stayed in the freshly renovated building with nice modern rooms (not the main building) I don’t know about other rooms.

Now if you’re coming for spa be aware you will be disappointed. The pool is way too crowded at all the times so is the sauna and jacuzzi… especially at the weekend . Also when visiting a spa hotel you expect some nice amenities but all you get is 2 in one shower gel and shampoo…

During the weekdays the breakfast is considerably worse than weekends. But even then it’s not great.

Some personal made a very bed impression about the establishment in general.

The receptionist Vasily and another lady were very nice and polite however the night receptionist who was on duty on 16 of March had an extreme attitude which is very overwhelming.

Tonight we came from the dinner in the evening and already overcrowded parking was blocked with the specific car, so we went to reception to solve the matter ( minding the fact that you pay extra 15 euros per parking per day so it’s not a favor) I explained situation and he was demonstrating extreme attitude and said he needs to come and see. When he came it turned out it was his car that was blocking the pass. So instead of politely explaining he was just rolling eyes …

The location is 20 minutes from the central street so makes a nice walk. If you come by car beware that it’s impossible to find parking in the center so you’ll mainly have to walk.

All in all if not some individuals working in the hotels I would leave a nice review but since they ruined my impression I wanted to let other...