News

CHATEAU MCELY CLUB HOTEL

& FOREST RETREAT

Mcely 61 CZ-289 36, Mcely, Czech Republic; 420 325 600 000; http://www.chateaumcely.com.

Rooms and Rates

From $211 for a single in low season to $735 for the Legend suite in high season, including full breakfast, 5 o'clock tea and parking.

What strikes you about Chateau Mcely is how close it came to suffering the same fate as many aristocratic manor houses that became disconnected from their owners by wars, communist rule and economic upheavals. By 2002, the chateau had fallen from being the country home of the Thurn-Taxis family, frequented by royalty and literary icons such as Mark Twain, to an empty ruin, seemingly suitable only for demolition.

The decaying manor house was saved when it was purchased by Inez Sipulova, a Czech specialist in historic real estate and restoration. She simply fell in love with the property but couldn't afford to do much with it. A year later, she met and married American Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jim Cusumano, who shared her dream for the chateau. Together with Czech designer Otto Blaha, they began a complete renovation. Today, it is a five-star hotel, voted "the most luxurious boutique hotel in the Czech Republic" by Dolce Vita Magazine.

Location Chateau Mcely, 55 kilometres from Prague's Old Town, is the only hotel in the Czech Republic that is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World organization. It is 70 kilometres from Ruzyne Airport. The hotel can arrange a chauffeured car to meet you or, better still, a helicopter.

The chateau sits behind ornate gates in the centre of the mystical St. George Forest. Perched on a hill, the hotel offers views of King Wenceslas Church and the roofs of the village of Mcely, as well as the surrounding forest. It borders the 600-hectare Jabkenice Game Park, which is populated by herds of deer and provides hiking and riding trails for hotel guests.

Ambience Guests are welcomed at check-in with a chilled glass of tonic made from nine local herbs and according to a historic recipe. It is served as a hot tea in cool weather.

The manor house conveys a sense of graceful calm. It's quiet, but not the bite-your-tongue kind of quiet. In the morning, you can open the large casement windows to birdsongs, the wind soughing through the trees and fresh forest air.

Clientele On weekends, the guests tend to be primarily Czech, but the range is very international. The hotel caters to business guests and to visitors who are looking for a country escape from the rush of work and the city. It also attracts tourists who use the hotel as a headquarters for exploring Prague, local historic towns such as Kutna Hora, the spa at Podabrady and the botanical gardens at Ostre.

Design Despite the elegance, there's a simplicity to the style: Curtains are long falls of plain silk, floors are wooden parquetry, and the linens, though top-quality, are either softly monochromatic or tone-on-tone variations of Otto Blaha's lovely hydrangea print pattern. Every room is different, each with special designer touches. The ceiling lamps, shaped like an upside-down oriental umbrella or cupola, were an unexpected but somehow perfect detail. A wall of mounted antlers and horns in the main hall recalls the active hunting scene that was once part of chateau life here.

Rooms There are 24 rooms, 10 of them singles with queen beds (that can be rented as a double for a $17 extra charge for breakfast). There are two junior suites, five luxury suites, two large corner suites and, on the third floor, the magical Angel Room, high in the tower, with great views of the countryside. The Legend suite is the 645-square-foot flagship room decorated in cream and gold and dove grey, with a balcony looking out to the forest. Room amenities include flat-screen TVs.

The main floor comprises the public rooms, an entrance hall and reception area that resembles a library, the Plate Hall, Tea Hall and Theatre Hall, where high tea and dinner are served. Large French windows open to a patio for summer dining.

Down in the barrel-ceilinged cellar is the Alchemists' Club, a place to sample rare potions and perhaps a fine cigar.

On the top floor is a library room that doubles as a meeting room, and from there a spiral staircase leads up to an astronomical lookout with a telescope.

Service The staff are friendly and most speak excellent English. This is an intimate hotel, so service is attentive and every request is given prompt attention. A question about a dinner ingredient might result in a visit from the chef to explain in detail how the dish was made.

Food and Drink Chef Libor Krusinsky specializes in classic French cooking, but likes to marry that tradition to the aristocratic dishes that were served in the chateau in its prime. Venison and game dishes are his specialty. When the gardens are more firmly established, he will grow many of his own herbs and vegetables, but for now he concentrates on obtaining the best local and organic produce. The wine cellar is well stocked, containing some of the better Czech wines, as well as a good representation of French, German, Austrian and Australian labels. There's a broad selection of single-malt whiskies. Dinner at the chateau began with an amuse-bouche of a single poached quail egg nested in bean sprouts and puddled with green olive oil. Krusinsky's gazpacho was chunky and jazzed up with roasted pumpkin seeds on top. The wild boar was tender and mild.

BOTTOM LINE

This is a classy property, gorgeously redesigned and carefully run, at a very affordable price.

HOTEL VITALS

Top Draw

High-ceilinged elegance that manages to be both traditionally beautiful and contemporary.

Needs Work

The gardens are still in the design and build stage - in a year, they'll be gorgeous. The bedrooms are not air-conditioned, but there is usually a cool breeze.