Concierge
Lukas Hula
The
ICON, Prague
by Lawrence Ferber
Prague’s The ICON Hotel & Lounge (www.iconhotel.eu)
resides within a 19th-century art nouveau building located
in a hip section of the city center. Favored by creative
industry professionals, The ICON’s 21st-century interiors
are decorated with contemporary work from new Czech artists,
and its smartly designed 31 rooms are outfitted with modern
tech and comforts including Skype-enabled telephones,
fingerprint-activated, laptop-sized room safes, 26”
flatscreen TVs, iPod docks, and complimentary high-speed
Internet throughout the property. ICON’s ground floor
is also home to Planet Zen Asian Wellness Spa and the
buzzing Jet Set restaurant/bar/lounge (www.jetset.cz),
which serves delicious international fare (all day a la
carte breakfast is available for nocturnal types), cocktails,
and frequently hosts parties and receptions.
Perhaps best of all, the hotel has openly
gay Marketing Executive Lukas Hula on hand. Before joining
The ICON in late 2009 (first, as a receptionist), Hula
worked for several other properties and an airline.
He finds The ICON’s relaxed and open attitude—the
staff, for instance, doesn’t wear uniforms—to
be a major part of its appeal for employees and guests
alike. “We’re here as partners who help you
enjoy your stay,” he says. That partnership includes
sharing intimate knowledge of Prague’s local scene
(you can access some of these on the ICON website’s
“Urban Secrets” section), in which Hula is
well-versed, to say the least.
Where are the coolest places in Prague
to go for cocktails?
I would choose either La Bodeguita Del Medio
(Kaprova 19/5. Tel: +420-224-813-922. www.labodeguitadelmedio.cz),
which is famous worldwide for its Cuban Mojito and relaxed
atmosphere, or a rooftop bar called Cloud 9 (Pobrežní
1. Tel: +420-224-842-999. www.cloud9.cz),
which is part of the Hilton Hotel. The view toward Prague
Castle when the sun is setting behind it is a romantic
highlight. You can also head to Tom's Bar (Letenská
12/33. Tel: +420-266-112-284. www.theaugustine.com/dining/toms-bar),
it’s part of The Augustine hotel, where they serve
four signature “Angel” cocktails named for
the Cherubs depicted on a 16th-century baroque ceiling
above you.
What are the best restaurants for
a romantic dinner in the city?
Céleste (Rašínovo nábreží
1981/80. Tel: +420-221-984-160. www.celesterestaurant.cz),
a French restaurant situated on the roof of Frank O.
Gehry's “Dancing House”—also referred
to as “Fred and Ginger”—for delicious
highlights of French cuisine, or Bellevue (Smetanovo
nábr. 18. Tel: +420-222-221-44. www.bellevuerestaurant.cz),
which is close to the Charles Bridge and serves a fusion
of traditional Czech cuisine with European brasserie-style
meals.
Who serves the greatest weekend brunch
in town?
Zlata Praha, aka Golden Prague (Parížská
30. Tel: +420-296-631-111. www.icprague.com),
shall be the choice. Located on top of the InterContinental
Hotel, this place offers you a lavish brunch, which
you eat with silver cutlery while bathing in golden
sunlight reflected by the metal roofs of Old Town's
towers and spires.
What are the hottest shows in town,
and how do I get tickets?
For lovers of modern dance, I recommend checking
what’s on at Laterna Magika (Národní
4. Tel: +420-224-931-482. www.laterna.cz).
For theatre and opera it would be either National
Theatre (Ostrovní 1. Tel: +420-224-901-638.
www.nationaltheatre.cz)
or State Opera (Legerova 75. Tel: +420-296-117-111.
www.opera.cz). Prague
is also famous for its “Blacklight” theatres,
cerné divadlo in Czech, characterized by black
curtains, a darkened stage, UV light, and fluorescent
costumes that create intricate visual illusions. There
are also quite a few musicals running at the moment,
but you cannot expect anything like on Broadway or the
West End, therefore it’s usually no problem to
get tickets. Also in the city center itself there’s
an enormous number of classical music concerts, but
that’s no surprise with Smetana, Dvorak, and Janacek
being locals.
What museums are a must-see for visitors?
I would not say that Prague is very much of a museum
city. Of course, there are some museums worth heading
to, but it’s more about art galleries. The National
Gallery of Contemporary Art in Trade Fair Palace
(Dukelských Hrdinu 47. Tel: +420-224-301-111.
www.ngprague.cz)
and DOX Center for Contemporary Art (Poupetova 1. Tel:
+420-774-145-434. www.doxprague.org)
would be my choices. Alternatively, the Museum of
Communism (Na Prikope 10. Tel: +420-224-212-966.
www.muzeumkomunismu.cz)
may be found quite interesting by many.
Which guided tours do you recommend
most often to your guests?
I usually recommend the Grand City Tour by Best
Tour (www.besttour.cz)
to see the most of Prague in about three hours. There
is a great gay-owned tour company, called Prague4Gay
(www.prague4gay.com),
that offers a wide range of themed, guided city tours
for LGBT tourists. You can also join one of the haunted
tours, underground tours, Segway tours, pub crawls,
etc. The choice is yours, and we can arrange anything
from the warmth of the hotel lobby.
Where can you go to get the best
views of the city?
Prague is stretched along a valley formed by the
Vltava River, therefore the best views are from the
hills surrounding the city center. Petrin Hill is the
most romantic one, especially on May 1, when lovers
of all ages and genders stroll along the hill's gardens
kissing each other under the blooming trees, to ensure
everlasting love and happiness. There is also a miniature
version of the famous Eiffel Tower, astronomical observatory,
and a mirror maze. Vitkov Hill, with the bronze statue
of Jan Zizka—the biggest equestrian statue in the
world—is another spot for nice views. You can visit
Vysehrad National Monument with the medieval fortifications
and the cemetery where all famous Czech personalities,
like Kafka and Capek, rest in peace and where, according
to legend, the city of Prague was founded. If you really
want to be on the top, head for the Žižkov
TV Tower, which recently became part of the ICON owner's
property and, with the name Rocket, will soon become
one of the hip hotspots of Prague dining and clubbing.
Where are the best places to work
out?
Since Czech cuisine is not among the lightest,
you may want to work out a little. Indoors you can head
to World Class (Václavské Nám.22.
Tel: +420-224-282-899. www.worldclass.cz),
Holmes Place (Plzenska 8. Tel: +420-257-313-830. www.holmesplace.cz),
or Solarium Fitness BBC (several locations, including:
Vinohradská 190. Tel: +420-234-290-036.
www.fitnessbbc.cz),
which can all be found in the city centre. For some
outdoor fitness training, put on your jogging suit and
head for Stromovka, Letna, Ladronka, or Podoli.
If someone is looking for a full-service
spa, where do you send them?
Head for our Planet Zen Asian Wellness Spa
(V Jáme 6. Tel: +420-221-634-109. www.planetzen.cz),
which is part of The ICON. Their wonderful Thai, Balinese,
and Malaysian procedures will not let you leave until
you are in Zen heaven.
Designer labels for less—do
you have any suggestions for the smart shopper?
Definitely go to Van Graaf shopping mall
(Wenceslas Square 17. Tel: +420-296-304-200. www.vangraaf.com),
just a two-minute walk from the hotel. Also Peek
& Cloppenburg (Na Pankraci 86/1727. www.peek-cloppenburg.cz)
may be found very handy, although that is located a
little off of the city centre. There are also little
outlet shops spread throughout the centre with designer
labels for a fraction of high-end shopping street prices.
Czech designers’ names to look for are Josef Klir,
Josef Sloboda, Beata Rajska, Klara Nademlynska, and
Osmany Laffita—but only Josef Sloboda focuses mainly
on men´s fashion.
Gay and lesbian life in Prague can
be difficult to decipher or find for a visitor. Any
suggestions for how to find out about the community
before arriving?
There are a number of websites recommending and
promoting Prague's gay life including prague4gay.com
and prague.gayguide.net. Most of these, however, are
run by the expats who moved into Prague some time ago,
fell into love (with the city or a cute local), and
never left.
What are the best gay/lesbian and
gay-friendly bars in the city?
Generally my favorite warm-up place in the Vinohrady
quarter (Prague’s gayborhood) is Angels Café
(Vinohradská 30. www.angelscafe.cz).
It’s an intimate space, the staff is very attentive,
and they really pay attention to the quality of their
beverages. Erra Café (Konviktská
11. www.erra.cafe.sweb.cz)
has recently been renovated, the atmosphere is very
relaxed, they serve good value snack meals—including
healthy and vegetarian options—and they also have
a daily lunch menu. Celebrity Café (Vinohradská
40. Tel: +420-222-511-343. www.celebritycafe.cz)
gets very busy on weekend evenings and Wednesdays due
to its proximity to other gay bars and clubs. During
summertime, they also have a nice outdoor seating area
which is great for people watching, and the crowd is
very mixed, 18-50 age range. By the way, in Prague,
the word café does not mean it is a café
only. All of these are bars with music, food, and drinks.
If you prefer something less gay, head for straight-friendly
Café Café (Rytirská 10.
Tel: +420-224-210-597. www.cafe-cafe.cz).
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