Sleeping - Prague and the Czech Republic - page 124

$ Guest House Lída, with 12 homey and spacious rooms,
fills a big house in a quiet residential area farther inland, a
15-minute tram ride from the center. Jan, Jiří, and Jitka Prouza,
who run the place, are a wealth of information and know how
to make people feel at home (Sb-1,380 Kč, small Db-1,440 Kč,
Db-1,760 Kč, Tb-2,110 Kč, Qb-2,530 Kč, cash only, family rooms,
top-floor family suite with kitchenette, Internet access, parking
garage-200 Kč/day, Metro: Pražského Povstání; exit Metro and
turn left on Lomnického between the Metro station and big blue-
glass ČSOB building, follow Lomnického for 500 yards, then
turn left on Lopatecká, go uphill and ring bell at Lopatecká #26,
no sign outside; Praha 4, tel. & fax [phone], www.lidabb.eu,
[e-mail]). The Prouza brothers also rent four apartments
across the river, an equal distance from the center (Db-1,600 Kč,
Tb-1,900 Kč, Qb-2,100 Kč).
Hostels in the Center
It's tough to find a double for less than 3,000 Kč in the old center.
But Prague has an abundance of fine hostels—each with a distinct
personality, and each excellent in its own way for anyone wanting
a 400-Kč dorm bed or an extremely simple, twin-bedded room for
about 1,300 Kč.
$ Old Prague Hostel is a small and very friendly place with
70 beds on the second and third floors of an apartment building
on a back alley near the Powder Tower. The spacious rooms were
once apartment bedrooms, so it feels less institutional than most
hostels. Hanging out in the comfy TV lounge/breakfast room,
you'll feel like part of an international family. Older travelers
would feel comfortable in this mellow place (D-1,400 Kč, bunk
in 4- to 8-person room-400-500 Kč; includes breakfast, sheets,
towels, lockers, and free Internet access; in summer reserve one
month ahead, Benediktská 2, see map on page 117 for location,
tel. [phone], fax [phone], www.oldpraguehostel.com,
[e-mail]).
$ Hostel Týn is hidden in a silent courtyard two blocks from
the Old Town Square. Because the management is aware of its
value, they don't bother being too friendly (D-1,240 Kč, T-1,410
Kč, bunk in 4- to 5-bed co-ed room-420 Kč, lockers, reserve one
week ahead, Týnská 19, located on map on page 117, tel. 224-
828-519, mobile [phone], www.hostel-tyn.web2001.cz, back
[e-mail]).
$ Hostel Elf, a 10-minute walk from the Main Train Station
or one bus stop from the Florenc Metro station, is fun-loving, ram-
shackle, covered with noisy, self-inflicted graffiti, and the wildest
of these hostels. They offer cheap, basic beds, a helpful staff, and
lots of creative services—kitchen, free luggage room, free Internet