Písek is a lovely town about 1.5 hours from Prague. The historic centre includes the oldest surviving bridge in the Czech Republic and, if you are lucky, a display of sand sculptures.
Písek means ‘sand’ in English – the town is named after the sand in the Otava river that was panned for gold. The sand sculptures appear on the bank of the Otava river in mid-May.
Biograf means ‘movie theatre’ (I always thought it was kino) and the Biograf Hotel public areas have a movie theme.
The reception area has a life-size sculpture of Laurel and Hardy.
Sadly, the theme doesn’t extend to the guest corridors, nor the rooms.
Our room was enough for a family, with two bedrooms. This one had a view to the street.
The second bedroom was almost the same as the first, except there was a safe. This one had a view to the courtyard behind the restaurant.
Notice the complete absence of movie theming – there wasn’t even a picture on the wall. I’ve seen themed rooms on the hotel website, so there must be at least one room that isn’t just painted white throughout.
The rooms were clean and beds comfortable.
The bathroom was modern, with plenty of towels and toiletries. There was a separate toilet.
The bath was raised up above floor level and that meant getting in and out was a little scary – there was no bath mat, nor was there anything solid to hold onto. The shower holder was at tap height and there wasn’t anywhere higher – it meant that one hand was needed to hold the shower. These issues meant the bathroom was a disappointment.
A buffet breakfast was served in the hotel restaurant.
The breakfast was terrible. I realise that Covid restrictions have been relaxed, but basic hygiene should still be observed. The buffet items shared their space with the tongs. So, tongs, that had been handled by numerous people, lay among eggs or sausages. There wasn’t any fresh bread, nor pastries. The selection of cold meat and cheese was pitiful.
The Biograf isn’t terrible for the price. We paid 2440 Kč (€100) for one night and there are less expensive rooms. It looks like the restaurant isn’t run by the hotel and they don’t want to spend any money on breakfast.
There are several hotels in Písek and I’d choose one of those, not the Biograf, should I visit again.
Hotel Biograf
Gregorova 124
397 01 Písek
Czech Republic
Mobil: +420 737 268 970 / Phone: +420 380 425 510
e-mail: recepce@hotelbiograf.com
The Prague Review 