In this conversational video review, the narrator shares a first‑person experience staying at the Augustine, a 700‑year‑old monastery in Prague that Marriott has partially converted into a luxury hotel. The review highlights the unique blend of living monastic heritage—touring with a 92‑year‑old monk, visiting the historic brewery, and seeing monks still residing on‑site—with high‑end hospitality features such as spacious rooms with royal‑family beds, turndown service, a bathtub overlooking Prague Castle, and a champagne welcome. Food and drink experiences include the Refectory Bar (a modern bar in the monks’ dining hall), the monastery’s centuries‑old beer, and a lavish breakfast buffet where the narrator’s favorite dish was eggs with caviar. The hotel’s central location at the foot of Prague Castle provides easy access to the castle, public transport, and nearby restaurants. While the narrator praises the cultural immersion and luxury amenities, they note that the price point is high and may be out of reach for budget travelers, recommending it for those seeking a unique cultural experience.
Chapters
If you're looking for a bit of luxury in Prague, the Augustine is going to be your answer. It's a 700-year-old monastery that part of which the Marriott has taken over and turned into a luxury hotel. What I really resonated with is the fact that it was part of living history. There's monks that still live in a section of this monastery. We got to go on a tour with a 92-year-old monk from New York. I love New York because I'm originally from there, so it was great to see somebody, you know, from my old hood there. You do have to pay a little bit extra to go on the tour, and it's only once a week, so definitely do check the schedule because they have different events throughout the week, and we just locked into the fact that we were staying there the same day this tour is. But the fee does go towards the monastery. We also got to go into the basement of the hotel where is the old brewery that the monks have brewed a special type of beer for hundreds of years. They also do have like a formal restaurant on the main floor, but I think my favorite place to have like a bite to eat and drink there was their Refectory Bar, which is the name of where the monks eat. They split the refectory in half, so one half is where the monks are, the other half is this modern bar that they've taken over and refurbished. The rooms were super luxurious and spacious. We had tons of room to spread out. The beds there are actually the same ones that the royal family use. They were, I have to say, top-notch. We slept very well. They also have turndown service, so every night we got a chocolate on our bed, set up with little slippers on either side of the bed. What I thought was super cute about the bathroom is they had some elements that kind of like give you the idea that you're still staying in a monastery. There was this little statue of a little monk and then a wing of an angel that was on the wall. They had a great bathtub that had a window over it that looked out onto Prague Castle. When we first checked in, we were offered a glass of champagne to celebrate. Of course we took it. Our room wasn't quite available yet, so we went and drank over in the Sundial Garden, which still has old ruins of the monastery, and it was nice and sunny and it was a great place to relax. The breakfasts were incredible. Never been encouraged to order so much in my entire life. They had a bar of buffet style of stuff that had fruits and breads and pastries and things like that too. But then we could also order from the set menu. Me and my friend both got 2 things each time just to try everything. My favorite was the eggs with the caviar on it. It was delicious. Would highly recommend that. This hotel is also centrally located. It's basically just at the bottom of Prague Castle. So we were able to easily like leave from there, go up to Prague Castle, hang out there for a few hours, and then came back for the tour the monastery. Right near there, there are also tons of restaurants, public transportation nearby. There's a tram just on the other side of the block. Now, of course, a luxury hotel comes with luxury prices, so if you're a super budget traveler, this may be a little bit out of your range. But if you are looking for a unique cultural experience, this is definitely it. I've never stayed anywhere else that I got to stay in an active monastery, have a tour with a monk, get to try the beer that they've brewed for hundreds of years, hang out in
