SD › Prague Best Hotels › Design Hotel Jewel Review
Updated: April 19, 2021
Essentials
• Location: Rytířská, steps from the Wimmerová fountain.
• Hotel website: hoteljewelprague.com
• Hotel phone: +420 224-211-699
• Check prices on Booking.com
This small boutique hotel features 11 gemstone-themed rooms that are super comfortable and a great bistro and bar specializing in a Czech menu
Design Hotel Jewel – Small, great-value gem in a fantastic location.
Housed in a historic building that was once a jewelry shop, each of the eleven rooms at this charming spot is named after a gemstone. The rooms are average-sized but each is bright, spotless, and very comfortable. The bigger standout here is the dedicated, friendly service and the excellent bistro and bar on the ground floor where you can sit at a sidewalk table and watch the world go by. The location between Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square is just about perfect too since it’s easy walking distance to most of the city’s top sights, restaurants, shops, and bars. You’ll have to be okay going up a few flights of stairs, however, since there’s no elevator.
See Also
Design Hotel Jewel – Location
- Address: Rytířská 529/3, Prague.
- Nearest Metro/Subway: Můstek (0.2 mile).
- Area: Prime location, almost equidistant from Wenceslas Square (0.4 mile) and Old Town Square (0.3 mile) in an area with a busy neighborhood feel. Restaurants, bars, and shops are right out the door and Charles Bridge is a 10-minute walk (0.5 mile).
- How to Get There: Walking is your easiest means to get around. Metro lines A and B from the Můstek station are great for excursions farther afield, and line A links to bus #119 for easy public transport to the airport. It takes about 35 minutes (10 miles) to reach the hotel by cab from Václav Havel Airport Prague and a 17-minute walk (1 mile) from Praha Hlavní Nádraží train station.
- Private Transfer: We use and recommend Welcome Pickups car service. Booking through a private car service will cost only a bit more than a taxi – about €30 from Václav Havel Airport Prague – but can be worth it to avoid the long taxi queue and for the convenience of paying ahead.
- Handy to: Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square, Lego Museum.
Design Hotel Jewel – The Basics
- Ages: The hotel attracts a wide age range, from mid-twenties and up. It’s popular with couples and friends traveling together, as well as a few business people.
- View: Onto the surrounding streets.
- Parking: The hotel can help reserve parking in neighborhood garages from €10 per day.
- Extras: Exceptional, friendly, and relaxed service.
- When to Book: 1-2 months in advance for dates in May to September and in December around the Christmas holidays. Book even farther ahead if you want a specific room. At other times, 2 weeks ahead should suffice.
- How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
- Phone: +420 224-211-699
- Email: info@jewelhotel.cz
- Website: hoteljewelprague.com
Design Hotel Jewel – Amenities
- Pool: No pool.
- Spa: No spa.
- Fitness Center: No fitness center.
- For Disabled Guests: Guests must use the stairs to reach rooms and the sole elevator transports luggage only, so it’s not well-suited for disabled people.
- For Families: The hotel isn’t particularly family oriented, but baby cots are available.
Design Hotel Jewel – Food and Drink
- Restaurant: Jewel Bistro is located on the hotel’s ground floor and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including excellent Czech tapas alongside an impressive Czech wine list. The décor is casual chic. No kids’ menu. Open daily from 7 am to 10 pm.
- Lounge/Bar: There’s a full bar specializing in martinis at the bistro that serves until 1 am.
- Breakfast: Complimentary and excellent. Served as a buffet plus a la carte 7-10 am in the bistro.
- Room Service: Available from the bistro 6 am to 10 pm.
Design Hotel Jewel – Rooms
- Room Types: Single • Business • Superior • List of all Rooms
- Smoking Rooms: The Design Hotel Jewel is 100% smoke-free.
- Best Room: The Pearl room is the prettiest of the largest Superior category and has a top floor view of the town. From the Business category, the Aquamarine on the third floor has the best color scheme and light.
- For Families: There aren’t any rooms particularly suited to families. Your best choice would be a Superior room that has a sofa.
Design Hotel Jewel – Local Transport
- Walking: The Design Jewel Hotel is about as central as you can get, and you could happily walk to most of the city’s main sights from here. Old Town is a 6-minute walk (0.3 mile) while Prague Castle is an extremely gorgeous 25-minute walk (1 mile) across the river.
- Subway and Bus: Walking is probably easiest in most cases, but the very convenient Můstek Metro station is a 4-minute walk (0.2 mile) for getting out of the city center.
- Taxis, Uber, Lyft: Uber works well in Prague, or ask the hotel to arrange a taxi or private driver for you.
Design Hotel Jewel – What’s Nearby?
Recommended Nearby Tours
- Prague Stories by Alena – A special crew leading excellent specialty tours around the city – from Jewish history to shopping. Start location: Hotel pick-up.
- Taste of Prague – Small (up to 10 people) 4-hour tours geared toward teaching about Czech culture via delicious food. Led by a local guide and includes beer and wine too. Start location: Depends on tour.
- Royal Walk Free Tour – Just show up on the hour at the Astronomical Clock for these super popular hour-long walking tours run by tip only. Start location: 0.3 mile.
- Prague Venice – Set off in a Venetian-style gondola from underneath the Charles Bridge for these well-run and fun 45-minute boat tours. Start location: 0.5 mile.
- Wittmann Tours – The most knowledgeable company for Jewish-themed tours, offering 3-hour tours of Josefov. Start location: 0.5 mile.
Best Nearby Restaurants
- Country Life – Vegetarian self-serve restaurant that’s economical and good for families. (0.2 mile).
- V Zátiší – Who would have believed that Czech and Indian food went so well together? (0.2 mile).
- U Prince – Touristy but crowd-pleasing and boisterous restaurant right in front of the Astronomical Clock and a view-filled rooftop bar. (0.3 mile).
- Bellevue – Considered one of the finest restaurants in the city. Elegant modern fare is served with a view of the Charles Bridge. (0.4 mile).
- George Prime Steak – Considered the best steakhouse in the city. Décor is slick and modern. (0.4 mile).
- Mistral Café – Modern European in a cool, minimalist setting. (0.5 mile).
- Kantýna – Order tartar or an excellent burger at the butcher stand and a Pilsner Urquell from the bar, sit at the communal table, and meet some locals. (0.5 mile).
- Field – Michelin-starred with a farm theme and beautiful dishes made from seasonal ingredients. Book in advance to get a table here. (0.6 mile).
- Pohostinec Karlín – Gastro/wine bar with an open kitchen. (0.8 mile).
Best Nearby Cafe
- Café Kampus – Popular with university students. Adorned with cool local art and sometimes features live music. (0.3 mile).
- Kafé Damu – Bright local café of the performing arts school, serving good coffee and perfect if you need to bring your laptop and get some work done. (0.3 mile).
- Tricafe – Possibly the best espresso in Prague. (0.4 mile).
Best Nearby Bars and Breweries
- One Club – Multi-story bar and club that parties through the night. (0.1 mile).
- Reduta Jazz Club – Notable jazz club which can claim US President and saxophonist Bill Clinton among its past performers. (0.2 mile).
- Čili Bar – Tiny cocktail bar with Cuban cigars. (0.2 mile).
- Absintherie Jilska – Taste the legendary drink in steam punk meets art nouveau surrounds. (0.2 mile).
- U Tří růží – 15th-century pub with frothy pints on tap and a lively atmosphere. (0.2 mile).
- U zlatého tygra – Traditional pilsner beer hall in the heart of Old Town. (0.3 mile).
- Black Angel’s Bar – Very hip and popular speakeasy-style bar at Hotel U Prince. (0.3 mile).
Nearby Shopping & Cool Shops
- Dvorni Vinoteka Wine Shop – Friendly wine shop and tasting room specializing in Czech varieties. (50m).
- Manufaktura – Excellent collection of Czech-made soaps, shampoos, and lotions that make great gifts. (0.2 mile).
- Art Deco Galerie – Well-loved vintage shop specializing in all sorts of gorgeous items from the 1920s and 30s. (0.2 mile).
- Moser – Bohemian crystal from a renowned, luxury glassworks house. (0.3 mile).
- Pohadka – Classic, well-made traditional Czech toys. (0.3 mile).
- Butik Klára Nademlýnská – Well-known Czech women’s clothing designer making modern pieces with Bohemian flair. (0.4 mile).
Nearby Attractions
- Sex Machines Museum – This large collection of sex machines and erotic objects is likely to make you giggle. (0.2 mile).
- Astronomical Clock – Crowds gather in front of this 60m-high clock, on the hour from 9 am through 11 pm, to watch small statues of apostles go on parade. It’s hard to see from the square, so buying a ticket to watch from the tower of the chapel is well-worth it. (0.3 mile).
- Old Town Square – The center of Prague’s Old Town dates back to the 1300s. It is surrounded by medieval buildings and is often filled with crowds that have come to see the Astronomical Clock. (0.3 mile).
- Church of Our Lady Before Tyn – Imposing, fairytale-like Gothic church that’s an unmissable landmark. The interior is baroque and worth visiting. (0.3 mile).
- Mucha Museum – Small museum, featuring mostly prints, is well-worth it for the history lesson about this famous artist’s life and work. (0.4 mile).
- Basilica of St James – Huge 14th-century Gothic basilica that got a baroque makeover in the 1800s. Time your visit to the free organ concert after Sunday Mass for a very special experience. (0.4 mile).
- Wenceslas Square – The largest and busiest area of the city, full of big-name stores, busy restaurants, and lots of activity year-round. (0.4 mile).
- Prague Jewish Museum & Old Jewish Cemetery – This is actually a cluster of several sights that you can walk between in the Josefov neighborhood, including the Pinkas Synagogue, Old-New Synagogue, and Old Jewish Cemetery. The Old-New Synagogue is one of the city’s oldest buildings. (0.5 mile).
- Charles Bridge – Ancient pedestrian bridge filled with statues, buskers, crowds, and beautiful views of Prague. Walk across to get to the old and new centers of the city. (0.5 mile).
Nearby Market or Grocery Store
- Havelské Tržiště – Find fruits and veggies as well as souvenirs from this street market that dates back to the 13th century. (150m).
Design Hotel Jewel – The Hotel
Enter the hotel through the bistro and bar area.
The Diamond room is one of the biggest – no rooms are huge – and has a soothing color scheme.
Each room has a painting of a woman wearing the attributed gemstone and a quote about the gemstone.
The sitting area in the Diamond room is cozy.
The tiles in each room are also the color of the room’s gemstone – here’s the sparkling Diamond bathroom.
The Opal room features pretty dark salmon colored accents.
All rooms feature a hot water kettle for tea and coffee plus drinking water.
Street view from one of the rooms.
The Pearl room has a cream-colored theme.
The top-floor Aquamarine room is one of the most spacious and brightest.
View from the top floor is also of the houses nearby.
Rooms are reached by a spiral staircase and there’s an elevator for luggage.
Light fixtures include pretty chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The beautiful restored ceiling in the downstairs bistro is from the 19th century when the hotel was a jewelry shop.
View from the bistro. There’s also sidewalk seating.
Meet near the Astronomical clock to go on free walking tours of the area every hour on the hour through the day.
Join Wittmann Tours to get the most out of a visit to Prague’s old Jewish quarter, Jospefov.
Country Life is great for a quick and healthy vegetarian meal.
Even if you do not want to buy trinkets or fresh produce, walking through the old Havelske Frziste market is a lovely experience.
It’s a quick walk to the trendy Pohostinec Monarch gastro bar to enjoy its impressive wine list.
If you blush easily, the Sex Machines Museum will probably have your cheeks matching the color of its walls, but if it lingers, it’s a quick dash back to the hotel nearby.
Prague’s nightlife is legendary and One Club has several floors that fill with revelers, especially on weekends.
You might have missed Bill Clinton on sax, but plenty of other (better?) acts play at the hopping Reduta Jazz Club.
The trendy Kafka Snob Food café is a great spot to grab a meal if you’ve been touring the Jewish neighborhood.
The owner of Dvorni Vinoteka opposite the hotel will make you feel right at home and even help you pick out a great wine at his shop.
The Czech-made soaps and lotions at Manufaktura make great gifts and if you buy a big bag full, you’ll only have to lug it a few minutes back to your room.
The Old Jewish Cemetery is one of the most ambient parts of the Jewish area.
The Mucha Museum is a fun tour through the life of the famous Czech painter and is well-worth the walk.
Sitting with a drink or meal at the U Prince is a great way to bide the time if you’re waiting for the Astronomical Clock to strike on the hour or just want to chill in Old Town Square.
Try the notorious beverage in this very cool and photogenic Absintherie.
Watching the parade of mini apostles at the Astronomical Clock is less crowded and arguably cooler late at night.
The glass pieces at Moser are worth checking out even if you’re not buying, plus the shop is a beautiful walk through Old Town.
Old Town is very touristy so get out of the zone by walking to Kantyna, a gem of a place serving some of the best local style meat dishes in town, straight from the butcher.
Walking across the Charles Bridge is a true pleasure and you’ll probably end up doing it again and again to visit the other side of the river.
Not like Prague needs any gimmicks to make it more beautiful, but going motor-free and Venetian style for a river tour is extraordinary – plus it’s a scenic walk to get to the launch site.
Wenceslas Square is the new town center of the city and you should end up here to shop or eat.
If you’re craving a really good steak, you won’t find a better one than at the beautiful George Prime Steak restaurant.
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