Three magical places, three different worlds | Symbiola Resorts

If you’re planning a stay in Bohemian Switzerland, you’re bound to ask yourself: ‘But where shall I stay?’ Websites will overwhelm you with information and offers, but if you’re a true connoisseur of life, your discernment and pickiness will undoubtedly lead you to at least the following three options. Three places, three worlds. Let’s take a look at them so that we can make an informed decision as to which of these three suggestions will suit us best.

A quiet clearing on the edge of the forest in a place called Mezní Louka, where there had always been nothing but a gamekeeper’s lodge and a few haylofts until Prince Clary Aldringen had a hotel built here, which was originally intended to be a climatic health resort as well. Today, you can stay in this idyllic clearing at the U Fořta Resort. The main hotel building is actually that old gamekeeper’s lodge; on the edge of the forest stands a new hotel building, designed with architectural sensitivity to the site; and nearby you’ll spot several small buildings, but… why, they’re haylofts!

True, they’re very comfortably designed, with a terrace and two rooms one above the other, but they’re still buildings that pay homage to the local tradition. Well, don’t be surprised – we’re literally in the heart of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, and here no sensible person would build anything that clashed with the landscape. This world is full of paradoxes.

It’s perhaps the most strategic tourist crossroads of all, as this is where Gabriel’s Trail, heading towards Pravčická brána, and a gently sloping path leading to the gorges of the River Kamenice both set off – and yet, in the evening and especially at night, there’s a truly divine tranquillity here. You can stay in style in a 200-year-old gamekeeper’s lodge, modernly in a new hotel, or for a unique experience in very comfortable haylofts. And another paradox – in a place where you’d expect fried cheese sandwiches and hot dogs, you’ll find first-class, trendy cuisine.

The Garden Hotel Mezná is also situated within the national park, in fact in the only village to have been granted this privilege. It is called Mezná and is a true ‘boundary’, for a few hundred metres from it, the meadows and forests give way to a steep escarpment that plunges headlong downwards, helping to form the famous gorge of the River Kamenice. If you follow the winding footpath down from here, you’ll find yourself right on the Mezná Bridge, and it’s just as far from there to Edmund’s Gorge as it is to the Wild Gorge.

What’s more, from here it’s just a short walk along the idyllic, wooded Mlýnská Path to the Three Springs, the starting point for the Pravčická Gate. This is a world of utter tranquillity. The road that ends here is far enough away that the hotel seems to grow directly out of the natural surroundings. Add to this perfect location a four-star standard, a family atmosphere, a private spa, massages, a very good hotel restaurant, frequent barbecues in the garden, a lobby bar and, on top of that, a truly exceptional experience – a hotel bed under the open sky.

Not enough? Then let’s add the views from the room windows of the Pravčická Gate – and that’s a real rarity!

The third world is one of festive relaxation. The Wellness Hotel Zámeček. It is housed in a hunting lodge built by Prince Filip Kinský sometime in the mid-18th century at the foot of Křížový vrch in Rynartice. It therefore stands to reason that here you’ll sleep in stylish manor rooms, some of which are even duplexes. The hotel boasts a fully-fledged wellness resort – a swimming pool, Finnish and steam saunas, a relaxation room… A games room with a pool table adds to the charm of the aristocratic interior.

To be honest – a visit to the wellness centre usually leaves you ravenous. And this is where the hotel’s main attraction comes in – the brilliant and highly sought-after cuisine of head chef Miloš Daňek, who keeps a watchful eye on the quality of the ingredients, most of which are locally sourced.

The beauty of Křížový Hill, rising directly behind the hotel, remains a secret to many tourists. But there’s one group who know it inside out: photographers. The view from here is, after all, legendary. If you want to capture the sunrise or sunset over Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland, or the mist rising mystically from the rocky gorges, there’s no better spot. But that’s just one of the destinations accessible from the Wellness Hotel Zámeček.

It’s just a stone’s throw from here to the famous Dwarf’s Rock, Falkenštejn Castle, Pavlin Valley, the Jetřichovice viewpoints, Tokáň, the Narrow Stairs and other top attractions in Bohemian Switzerland. And a stay at this hunting lodge offers one more unique experience – the deer.

There are usually plenty of them here, and if you visit in September – the month when the true ‘gourmets’ of Bohemian Switzerland arrive – you’ll witness their rutting season. Just imagine it: sitting on the hotel terrace, letting yourself be enchanted by the magic of the local cuisine, whilst the stags bellow wistfully, yet so beautifully, from the forest…