Monday, 15 June 2009

Prague taxi to Hostacov and return

It has been almost a week since I went to Hostacov with a very nice couple of doctors Grabinski. As I had four options and for journeys I tried all potential routes.

The first day we went from Prague airport to Hostacov. We were delayed as one piece of the baggage got lost on the way. They flew to Prague from Australia with a transit in Amsterdam. We set off on the Prague ring round and took the D1 speedway. As soon as we got to Zdar nas Sazavou we went off it again and continued through the country side. The journey time was almost two hours and distance over 135 kms. I did a mistake that I went through the city of Golcuv Jenikov which made the journey a little bit longer.

I dropped them off at the castle hotel in Hostacov and on return I decided to taxi myself through Kolin and old road to Prague. The distance to Prague boarder was less than 90 kms and to the airport roughly 115kms. Travel time reduced to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

On Friday, after 3 days of their stay, I was due to pick them up and transfer to the Prague airport. We arranged meeting time at 9:00am. I decided to go on the Prague ring road again, but instead of hitting D1 speedway, I went on the D11 to Hradec Kralove. It is also new way to Kolin. This route was definitely the easiest and fastest. Travel time was less than 1 hour and 20 minutes and total distance was below 110 kms. I have to add 17 kms to the total as I went from home and not from the airport.

After I took some morning pictures we met in front of the hotel and headed back to Prague. The final route was planned through Kutna Hora. We were caught in heavy storm couple of times therefor we had to slow down a lot and the journey time to the airport exceeded 2 hours. However we had enough time and were not in a hurry. The distance was around 120 kms and I have to admit that the route was most annoying, especially because many roadworks.

Prague taxi to Golcuv Jenikov and Hostacov is not available in our regular list of transfers. If you are interested in booking a taxi, please let me know by email or fill out the form on the website.

Cost of one way transfer to Hostacov is 75 EUR. Return journey was 140 EUR.

Prague transfers - FREE CITY TOUR

Free introduction Prague walking tour

How to get free tour of Prague

Once you book Prague airport transfer, you automatically get the voucher for free tour

Prague introduction tour

  • Starts every day at 9:45
  • Lasts 1 hour

Meeting point

  • Meet our guide at the astronomical clock (Old Town Square)
  • The guide holds orange umbrella

You will

  • see main historical sites: Jewish Town from the most beautiful street Parizska, Prague castle, Rudolfinum, Josefov, Jan Palach square, Old town square, Astronomical clock
  • be told brief history of Prague, Czech republic
  • hear summary about communism, what it was like, what is better now
  • get introduced to Prague public transport and how to use it
  • be informed about what to do, not to do
  • know Prague core after the tour
Book airport taxi
Book airport transfer
Book airport shuttle

GET FREE CITY TOUR

Thursday, 4 June 2009

Prague airport transfers - FREE TOUR

Prague airport transfers + a free walking tour

HFS ltd. Prague airport transfers introduced a special offer for all transfer bookings received through our websites:

When you book any airport transfers or Prague airport shuttle you automatically receive a guarantee of free introduction walking tour of Prague city.

In cooperation with Prague "Orange Umbrella" Walking tours we are happy to announce that the free tour + additional discount 50 CZK for each person on other tours booked.

Book Prague airport transfers
Book Prague airport shuttle

Prague airport transportation

Prague airport transportation

I found a few pictures of Prague airport and Prague airport transportation services I took in winter.

Prague airport CEDAZ shuttle buses

Apart from Prague airport shuttle operated by us HFS ltd. (www.123-Prague.com) you can get CEDAZ shuttle buses to take you from the airport to the city center. There are two types: door-to-door shuttle buses and public shuttle bus that goes between Millenium Plaza and Prague airport.

Door-to-door shuttle costs from 480 CZK one way to the city center. Non-city center transfers are more expensive. The price 480 CZK is per maximum 4 passengers. Public airport shuttle is operated by bigger VW CRAFTER and currently costs 120 CZK per person. It drops you off near the Republic Square in front of the Marriott hotel and CSA headquarters. This service is surely the best (moneywise) in town.

Fix cars and AAA taxi at the Prague airport

Prague airport contracted two door-to-door private transfer companies: Fix Cars and AAA taxi. Main difference between the transportation services is that the Fix Car have fixed tariff rates and AAA taxi charges according to the taxi meter. Also Fix Car offer 20% off on the return transfers. Prices vary from 290 CZK to 1000 CZK if you do not get ripped off.

Unfortunately both services suffer of bad reputation as the drivers are known to be very reckless driving as well as cheating on the clients. I myself drove a client from the hotel Da Vinci Old Town only to the airport and when I asked why did they chose our service I got shocked. The client, his name was Andrew Cooper, told me they were charged 2400 CZK for a ride from the airport to the city center. They used the silver VW Passat operated by fix cars. I know it is individual rip off, but for me it was a sign that our service will be surely more demanded if the official airport cabs do not stop such disgusting behavior.

Prague airport public transportation and Airport express train station

Prague airport is well covered with public transportation buses. Unfortunately there is no tram or train at the Prague airport. It is planned that there will be underground (Metro), but it is only planned as a future task...

During the day one can use bus number 119 (to Dejvicka, metro A, green line), 179 and 225 (to Nove Butovice, metro B, yellow line) and bus 100 (to Zlicin, metro B, yellow line). Alternatively it is possible to go by Airport Express bus to main train station. Formely this bus went to Holesovice train station. The main trainstation Airport express is great alternative for low cost shuttle to the city center.

Prague airport public transportation is available in front of all terminals just across the first road.

Links Prague airport transportation

Prague airport taxi - fixed rate tariff, you know in advance what is the cost
Prague airport shuttle - door-to-door shuttle minibus service
Prague airport transfers - fixed rate, free city tour with every booking, English speaking drivers

Pictures of Prague airport

Pruhonice wedding transportation

Wedding Pruhonice transportation

Apart from the weather the wedding in Pruhonice was perfect. The wedding venue in Pruhonice is nowadays very popular. There is a secured car part, beautiful chateau and wedding hall and of course lots of good restaurants nearby. We provided only a few vehicles on this wedding however we already have an order for August where we will use 17 minibuses. I wonder what the wedding party will finish like...

Read more about our wedding transportation arrangements

Tuesday, 2 June 2009

Holasovice - Few more pictures

I took a few more pictures during the transfer from Vienna to Prague via Cesky Krumlov and Holasovice and I think it would be a pity not to post it.

Vienna hotel Bristol, Cesky Krumlov, Holasovice

Report from the journey Vienna to Prague via Cesky Krumlov and Holasovice - Read more

Taxi from Prague to Brno Grand Prix

Prague to Brno Grand Prix and return

I mentioned it many times, at HFS Prague airport transfers we all love driving, therefor we offer special discounted rates for transfers from Prague to Brno Grand prix or from Brno Grand Prix to Prague. Transfers are provided as day trips or single way, available both directions.

From Prague to Brno

Transportation from Prague to Brno Grand Prix takes aproximatelly 2 hours comfortable drive. Of course the same time is usually needed on the way from Brno GP to Prague. It is better to leave earlier for Brno as there might be traffic problems due to too many visitors of Brno racing circuit.

Grand Prix in Brno

We prepared special packages as advised above. Click for details.

Brno city

We are ready to extend the journey to Brno center once you get fed up with racing (which we all doubt). Brno GP is not far from the city and it takes maximum 30 minutes to get to the historical Brno center.

I am ready to accept your bookings by email or booking form. Feel free to ask any questions in comments below.

I recommend to visit Autodrom Brno official website (Grand Prix Brno racing circuit official website in English) to look up all upcoming events and races.

Prague transfers and taxi search engine

I am currently testing a new feature for my website. Prague transfer search engine which should make it easier to find transfers one is looking for. I dislike the adverts by google on it, but that is the tax for being free. If anyone finds it helpful, I will appreciate your comments.

Google search for Prague transfers, Prague taxi and Prague airport shuttle.

Sunday, 31 May 2009

Private hire - Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Wien

Prague to Wien via Cesky Krumlov and Hluboka nad Vltavou

Prague airport transfer

Miki T. and her three family members were collected from the Prague airport and taken to the Neruda Hotel in Prague center. Transportation was arranged by a comfortable minibus. Petr driver awaited them patiently at the Prague airport and welcomed them to Prague on late evening May 16th.

Prague to Cesky Krumlov transfer (via Hluboka nad Vltavou)

A few days later we were agreed to meet at the hotel at 9:00am. I myself drove the comfortable Mercedes Benz VITO minibus. The party of four grew with one more person, friend of Miki family. We set off around 9:30. During the transfer to Cesky Krumlov we made a few stops as usual. Restrooms, refreshments, a few snacks - simply anything we needed.

I was surprised to see such a passion for adventure, information and discovery of the new that laid in front of us. They enjoyed everything: Czech language (signs en route, names of the cities, my phone calls and radio), smell of fields and countryside (canolla flower was in bloom as well as milions of other plants), scenery, little villages we came by and so on and on and on.

Once we got closer to Cesky Krumlov we passed the Hluboka nad Vltavou chateau. Of course my Japanese friends wanted to visit. So we did. We experienced little trouble as most of the ways up to the castle are only for walkers. Our party had two very old people who had hard times walking. I decided that I have to take them up by the car. I visited local city office to get permit. Imagine they did not know how to issue one. I also contacted local city police. Guess what! Yes, they did not know neither... Off we went straight up to the Hluboka nad Vltavou chateau. While I was waiting for my clients I took a few pictures of the wedding hall I parked nearby.

We were in the trouble soon after we decided to leave the chateau. The custodian of the Hluboka nad Vltavou chateau came up to meet us. She was not happy to see our car up there. At least she gave me the instructions how to obtain permit next time. Honestly if I knew how to get it I would have had it X-D.

Cesky Krumlov is not very far from Hluboka and we managed to get there short after 15:00. Hotel Adalbert where they stayed was one of the most complicated to get to, but we made it. Cesky Krumlov streets are more narrow than Prague so it even took me a while to get from there...

I planned to stay over night as we were to leave to Wien next morning at 9:00, unfortunately I had to go back to Prague due to very imporant meeting.

Single way transfer from Cesky Krumlov to Prague

I was back in Prague at 17:00 and met Suzanne at the Prague airport where we discussed a few upcoming events. We agreed that HFS will provide all transportation services from the airport and return as well as transfers in the city! WOOHOO! I think it was worth coming back.

Back on the road, transfer from Prague to Cesky Krumlov with a hitchhiker!

Next day I had to depart home before 6:00am to be safe and sound. There was almost no traffic all the way to Cesky Krumlov. I even took a hitchhiker who needed a ride to Ceske Budejovice. We had great fun and time flew by as we talked about different life styles in a big city and country side.

Transportation from Cesky Krumlov to Wien

I arrived to Cesky Krumlov on time and I even had a little extra time for breakfast. We departed soon after 9:00 as agreed. Our destination was Wien Kollnerhofgasse Hotel. We took the most spectacular way I already mentioned in one of my previous posts. We had lovely weather and journey was very easy.

On the way we had lovely lunch (Chineese take away) in one of the most beautiful restaurants. I doubt anyone had ever had a better view. Maybe the comfort and style of catering was not the top, but everybody enjoyed. I had got a chance to taste couple of typical Japanese side dishes and sweets. I loved most of them. Do not ask me any names!!

Transfer from Wien to Prague

When I dropped them off in Wien, I had to go back to Prague. I played with an idea of staying over night, but my children, wife and dog were pulling me home. I arrived to Prague after 4 hours super easy drive.

You can book similiar tour on my website (Wien, Cesky Krumlov, Hluboka nad Vltavou) or you can let me know on the email. The total cost of a minibus hire for two days was 13000 CZK / EUR 520. We went through Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Wien and Hluboka nad Vltavou

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Prague airport transfers

Prague airport transfers

- Mission impossible

Prague airport transfers

Prague airport transfers between airport and city center are slowly becoming a nightmare. First of all the traffic seems to be getting heavier on daily basis. The country is suppossed to be hit by the recession, but to me it seems like everybody has just a couple of new SUV's and all family members have the right to drive it...

Prague transportation

There are traffic jams everywhere. On Friday it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes to get from the hotel in the city center back to where I live. The same journey takes 12 minutes on weekends

Prague vs. Vienna transport

As I mentioned earlier, I have been to Vienna couple of times past few months. I have to say that one feels a lot better in Vienna streets. I am not sure but I believe that airport transfers in Wien must be a lot more satisfying.

The drivers in Vienna are a lot more easy going than agressive Prague drivers. Airport is similiar distance from the city center as in Prague and the roads are wider. The transportation system and road system seems to be a lot more sophisticated. I trust that we just start to pay the tax for not being bombarded during the wars. Prague seriously needs better road system.

Hopefully opening of the tunnel Blanka and holiday will release some pressure off the streets.

Increase of Prague airport transfers rates

I thought that we will probably higher prices of Prague airport transfers soon. Diesel and petrol are going to increase a lot in next two months, due to holiday travellers and thus higher demand. Traffic is heavier and it takes a lot longer to do a single airport transfer. No matter whether it is Prague airport to the city center or Prague city center to the airport. Due to the traffic it is also more difficult to plan ahead. We used to do 14 - 16 transfers a day per car, now we are happy if we do 10. The last factor, and the most important, is the increasing business competition. It is so easy to get a website and sell transfers online that almost all people who work in tourism provide some kind of airport transportation.

Should you want to save my kids of dying of hunger, please book an airport transfer or Prague airport taxi. Certainly you can book Prague airport shuttle and thus save some money!

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Thursday, 28 May 2009

Transfer from wien to Prague via Cesky Krumlov and Holasovice

Transfer from Wien to Cesky Krumlov, transfer from Cesky Krumlov to Prague via Holasovice

It has been a looooong but beautiful day today. I did the tailor made transfer from Vienna to Prague via Cesky Krumlov with a stop en route in Holasovice. 

Tour Wien, Cesky Krumlov, Holasovice, Prague

I departed Prague early at 4:00am and arrived to the hotel Bristol in Vienna short after 8:00am. I had a few restroom stops en route as I kept drinking mix of water and energy kamikaze drinks. I also stopped for breakfast latte at the MCDS. 

I met Sallie and Elaine soon after my arrival to Wien. They were ready to depart so we did. Our destination was Cesky Krumlov. I took the most spectacular way through Zwettel and Weitra, which I discovered with help of my colleague Rasto.

Arrival from Wien to Cesky Krumlov

We arrived to Cesky Krumlov around 12:30. The sun was shining, sky was not bright, but the day was beautiful. As the ladies said: Just enough blue to make a sailor pair of jeans. I loved that :D. Due to the fact that we went through quiet countryside we soon discovered a brand new saying: Enough green to make a soldier pair of trousers X-D.

Ladies were totally impressed with the town of Cesky Krumlov. I have been couple of times before so I enjoyed their happiness. I got invited for lunch to Castle pub Marketa - The Royal Knight pub just by the gardens on the top of the Krumlov. I could not reject and had a lovely steak. Sallie and Elaine had traditional soup served in bread pot and Elaine had an extra grilled sausage. 

Lunch in Cesky Krumlov, tour of Cesky Krumlov

After lunch I let them go downhill through the Castle & Chateau complex. They visited the famous baroque theater and enjoyed the walking through narrow streets of Cesky Krumlov. We met on the Love square at 15:30. I prepared a surprise and took them to the picturesque UNESCO protected village Holasovice where we had superb cakes and ice cream.

Holasovice tour, visit of the UNESCO protected village

Weather was  not good anymore but still bearable. We left Holasovice for Prague soon after 17:00. About half of the journey we went through heavy rain and my Skoda avoided couple of Aquaplanings (I can not find appropriate translation)... I guess the tyres are real crap and I will not buy these for next season. We arrived to Prague at about 18:30. Mandarin Oriental welcomed the friendly couple to the most beautiful part of their journey. 

Should anyone be interested in same service, please feel free to contact me on email or through the website booking form

The cost of the service as described above was 7900 CZK (approx. 420 USD)

Sunday, 24 May 2009

Transfer from Prague to the Marriott hotel Plzen (aka Pilsen, Pilzen)

Taxi from Prague to Plzen

Past last week we provided 7 transfers to the Marriott Courtyard Plzen.

We went three times on Monday, twice on Wednesday and twice on Saturday (yesterday).


Journey from the Prague airport to the hotel Marriott Courtyard Pilsen does not take longer than 50 minutes.

Transfer from Prague to Pilsen Marriott hotel

Cost of one way transfer including VAT is 73 EUR by a sedan and 83 EUR by a comfortable minibus. Should one prefer to pay by a credit card the rate is EUR 77 (approximatelly 1900 CZK total), 87 EUR (approximatelly 2150 CZK total).

 

Taxi from Pilzen to Prague airport

You can get a special discount when you prepay your return to Prague journey on the first transfer. 5% off the one way rate is deducted.

Do you need a taxi from Prague airport to Pilzen? Book us and travel in comfort.

Send us an email with your request in detail.

Racing training

Though we do not really need any "racing" skills in our job, we still want to improve ourselves. Part of our driving training is playing real driving simulations.

 

Recently we tried Gran Tourismo 5 Prologue - the real racing simulator and GRID THE RACE DRIVER

A few photos that should speak instead of my words... :D

Sunday, 17 May 2009

Karlstejn, Konopiste, Stary Vrch - Great Bohemian tour report

Prague tours to Karlstejn, Konopiste, Stary Vrch

Great Bohemian Tour

Every year I organize Great Bohemian Tour. It was not different this year even though the crisis lessened the total number of clients who signed up to only 18 + tour manager. Here is my report written as if I were one of my clients.

Karlstejn Tour

We start at 8:30 and head towards the village of Karlstejn. After 50 minutes drive we reach the car park on the bottom of the village. Castle Karlstejn is on the top of the hill. We hire horse carriages (150 CZK per person / approx 6 EUR) and let ourselves comfortably ride up there. Still one has to walk about 1 km from the drop off point to the castle courtyard. At 10:30 Karlstejn local guide meets us and welcomes us to the the castle and tour. The well guided tour of Karlstejn lasts about 55 minutes and we have some time afterwards to stroll through the village, buy souvenirs, get something little to eat and fall down to meet with our bus driver. He is anxious to continue the journey to Konopiste.


Konopiste tour

We reached the Konopiste little later than expected as we had to take a detour, however we have plenty of time. From the car park instead of horse carriages we rather take the little ecological train. It is a pleasant ride again. We are being dropped off near the castle moat where they have two bears. One is not suppossed to feed them, but it is a pleasure to simply watch them walk around the yard. Also Konopiste gardens and surounding woods are beautiful. Luckily weather is great and we can enjoy everything.
Guided tour at Konopiste starts shortly after 15:00. It takes another 55 minutes and let us see all different sorts of collections (furniture, weapons, tropheys). The guide is excellent and even though it is obvious, that she is not a native speaker, she does great job. We enjoyed the tour as much as Karlstejn. I have to admit that Konopiste got a lot more to show, but Karlstejn is a definite must to see.
Around 17:00 we depart towards Prague.

Prague transfer with a stop in Movenpick

We stop at the hotel to get a shower, change sweated clothes and we are ready to depart again. Our next stop is Stary Vrch.

Stary Vrch Folklore evening

An old but beautiful country side place where they prepare typical folklore dinner. Live cemballo music, folk dancing and great typical Czech food with loads of good drinks. Beer, slivovice and wine is poured into our glasses since the beginning. There is another group in the restaurant and it is great fun. We are invited to join the dancers and they also perform some of international songs so we can sing as well. After about 2 and half hours we are stuffed, drunk and ready to go.

Our hotel Diplomat is not far from Stredokluky, hop, skip and jump and we are there! Good night, it was another great day!

Book the Konopiste tour (CZK 890 per person)
Book the Karlstejn tour (CZK 950 per person)
Book the Stary Vrch tour (CZK 1290 per person)
or email us that you wish to do all-in-one. Total price depends on the size of group.

It is also possible to book transfers to Karlstejn and Konopiste through our website:
Karlstejn transfers
Konopiste transfers

To Stary Vrch and return it costs 1500 CZK per sedan and 1725 CZK per minibus for upto 8 passengers. It can be booked by email or online form.

Official websites:
Karlstejn
Konopiste
Stary Vrch

Saturday, 16 May 2009

Mirek's report from the transfer Budapest Prague

Transportation from Budapest to Prague

Mirek's English is not good enough to write reports. I translated his original Czech text into English. I tried to keep the same concept, but I found it very difficult. I hope you like it. If you do not, forward all complaint to Mirek :D.


Transfer summary:
Distance to travel: 550 km each way, total 1100
Travel time: approximatelly 12 hours + stops en route
Traffic conditions: very good, except of morning Budapest
Pick up point: Marriott Budapest
Drop off point: Prague Sax hotel

Prague to Budapest

I had to pick up 6 South American clients in Budapest Marriott hotel at 9:00am. I found it rough as I had to leave Prague short after 2:00am... An early start for sure.
After all it was better than driving during the day as traffic could be worse. I was lucky. Traffic was almost zero, visibility great and Mercedes Benz Vito drove smoothly as usual.


From Prague, passing Brno and Bratislava, to Budapest

I went on the ring road in Brno and headed down to Slovakia, through their capital Bratislava further down to Hungarian boarder. I had to buy two vignettes, one for Slovakia and one for Hungary. That were the only delays I encountered. I approached Budapest around 7:30am. The traffic there was already terrible. Even though the Marriott is not far to drive from my direction, it still took me over one hour to get to the hotel.

Taxi from Budapest to Prague with a stop in Jihlava

I arrived shortly after 8:30. I decided to have a quick nap to regain energy. When I woke up at 8:58 I could see the client waiting in the lobby. We introduced each other, loaded the bags and right away we were on the way. Around 13:00 we stopped for lunch in Jihlava. I had another nap instead of lunch. It was more than welcome :D.

Then it was just a piece of cake to get back to Prague. We made it in less than 2 hours.

After all I have to admit, it was an easy drive and I enjoyed it even though I was at work. 

The cost of the service was 13000 CZK as there were couple of special arrangements. You can book the transfer from Prague to Budapest or Budapest to Prague too. 

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Martin's report from day trip to Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary private tour

Some details and one picture were copied paste from wikipedia.

Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, approximately 130 km (80 miles) west of Prague. It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Tepla River). In the 19th century, it became a popular tourist destination, especially for international celebrities visiting for spa treatment. The city is also known for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the popular Czech liqueur Karlovarska Becherovka. The glass manufacturer Moser Glass is located in Carlsbad. The city has also given its name to the famous delicacy known as "Carlsbad plums". These plums (usually Quetsch) are candied in hot syrup, then halved and stuffed into dried damsons; this gives them a very intense flavour. One should not fortget about world-famous biscuits,  by mistake sometime called as Carlsbad waffles. It is not a waffle in any way... The city has been used as the location for a number of film-shoots, including the Last Holiday and box-office hit Casino Royale, both of which used the city's Grandhotel Pupp in different guises. 

Transfer from Prague to Karlovy Vary

We departed at 9:00 in the morning from the hotel Movenpick Prague. I was very lucky as traffic that morning was extremely bad due to some truck accident on one of Prague bridges. Whole city center was messed and all traffic was like a snail chain. 

Fortunately route from Barrandov to Movenpick did not have much problematic areas and way out of Prague towards Karlovy Vary was clear as well. We did an easy pace as the two sympathetic ladies were in no hurry as we needed to come back to Prague at 5pm. 

On the way to Karlovy Vary I had plenty of time to do my "guiding" part of the job. I as usual told everything I knew. My clients were attentive, asked lots of questions and journey ran fast. Soon we passed the Golf resort in Karlovy Vary and through the spectacular route we entered the city. I made a short driven tour of the city, I went only to places where regular traffic can go as lots of the parts need a special permit. 

Prague to Karlovy Vary Grand hotel Pupp

When we saw what was possible with the car, we returned to the Grand hotel Pupp where we agreed that at 1pm we would meet and return to Prague. I was blissed when I gave them my card with mobile number as they got lost. We met at the Thermal hotel instead of Grand hotel Pupp and headed back to Prague.

En route we stopped in Krusovice, which is a brewery city, for lunch at the "U Lipy restaurant".

Karlovy Vary to Prague transportation

We arrived to Prague safe and sound at 16:00.

Cost of the tour for two persons with English speaking guide-driver was 130 EUR. You can book similiar tour on our website.

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Friday, 8 May 2009

VIP private hire - Skoda Superb

Skoda Superb I facelift is surely the best car Skoda ever produced. Petr, one of the best drivers in 123-Prague transfers, took a few pictures during the VIP private hire. Skoda Superb VIP hire 01, Skoda Superb VIP limousine 02

Brno to Prague, transfer report by Martin

Transportation from Brno to Prague

As I mentioned yesterday I set my alarm clock to 6:00 in the morning. It rang at 6:00 and was muted immediatelly and postponed 30 minutes. I hoped that the holiday (8th May is National holiday - end of the WWII) will keep the roads clear. Fortunately I was right.

Prague to Brno transfer

I left garage at 6:45 and headed straight to Jizni Spojka and then to D1. As I live in Barrandov it was a piece of cake to make it to d1 in less than 15 minutes.

I was however surprise to see quite a lot of cars and I speeded up as soon as I got to D1. I was due to pick the client up at 9:30 at the Holiday Inn by the Exhibition center in Brno. It is exit 198, which means that one has to pass 198 kms and then drive a little further into the city. I calculated that if I do average speed 100km I will have just enough time to be on time. For the first 1 hour I did a few sectors over the 130 km speed limit and gave myself promise that if traffic will not get heavier I would have a coffee on one of the OMV stops.

So I did and I had a sandwich with it. Fortunately I made up enough time to be in Brno a lot in advance. I do not know why, but I prefer to be at least an hour earlier on these longer distance pick ups. I rested in the car and regained needed energy.

Brno Holiday Inn

The four gentlemen showed up, 5 minutes before the planned pick up time, to get the morning cigarrette. "Unfortunately" I do not smoke and thus I felt a little embarrassed when trying to chat with them. It is as if you are drunk and the others are not. Hard to find mutual topic. Finally their brought their bags and we could go back to Prague.

Taxi from Brno to Prague

The first 3kms of D1 where completely jammed due to roadworks. However after we got through we literally flew freely to Prague.

Prague welcomed us lit in sun shine, simply beautiful easy going morning. We had three stops: Hilton, Interconti and Sheraton (former Golden Gate). I kindly refused 20 euro tip, I do not even know why, but I found it too much for such an easy journey. I got 5 EUR bill instead :D.

Another job done. I love driving. I love my work!

Cost of the Brno to Prague transfer with three drop off addresses: CZK 5400 VAT inclusive

Thursday, 7 May 2009

Tomorrow transfer from Brno to Prague

I myself am due to pick up four gentlemen from Brno Holiday Inn hotel and take them to Prague tomorrow morning. Pick up time was booked at 9:30 thus I have to leave Prague at 6:00. I am not happy for such an early start :-(

I will need to buy a few red bulls and kamikaze drinks to survive it. Thumbs up that there won't be any accidents on the way and I will not be stressed by time preasure.

I will write full report once I get back to Prague.

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Martin's report - Bruntal via Novy Bydzov

Private hire - Prague, Novy Bydzov, Bruntal

Day of transfer: 29th April
Total travel time: 14 hours
Total kilometers driven: 650
Client: VIP
Special requests: English speaking driver

Prague to Novy Bydzov transfer

It was another beautiful April morning when I picked up Mr. Roland (I wont display full name due to privacy policy) and his colleague Helga. We met in front of the hotel Falkensteiner in Prague and drove straight to Novy Bydzov. The meeting was planned for 11:00am, but as it was extremely important for the client, we rather departed at 8:00am.

Roads were half empty and we reached our destination in less than 1 hour. After short drive through all the areas of Novy Bydzov we found a shelter in one of the hotels. As we were early we sat down and had breakfast. In the meantime Helga and Roland summarized themselves for upcoming meeting.

Meeting started at 11:00 am and was due to finish around 13:00. As Roland continued to Bruntal and Helga needed to come back to Prague airport, my brother Petr came to Novy Bydzov to provide the second car service. We met at one of the Novy Bydzov petrol stops. The meeting took longer and we collected Roland and Helga at 14:00 instead of 13:00.

Novy Bydzov to Prague airport taxi

Petr and Helga departed to Prague and were due to reach the airport at 15:30 the latest. Of course they made it on time.

Novy Bydzov to Bruntal transportation

Me and Roland were not forced by time pressure so we continued our journey in easy Pace. We passed lots of small, but picturesque villages, on our way to Bruntal. We made several stops to stretch legs, do restrooms and buy some refreshments to regain energy. After 2.5 hours we reached Bruntal and the hotel Montenegro. I had a non-alcoholic beer and mexican steak before I left Bruntal at the hotel restaurant. The food was delicious and promised easy driving back home.

Bruntal to Prague transfer

I gave my best regards to Roland and left Bruntal. I chose route via Hradec Kralove instead of going through Olomouc and Brno as I was worried of D1 Highway. The decision proved as wise. I made a nice time 3 hours and 20 minutes total including couple of restroom stops. I reached Prague short after 21:30.

Cost of the services:
Transfer from Novy Bydzov to Prague (one way): CZK 2200 VAT inclusive
Day trip from Prague to Bruntal via Novy Bydzov: CZK 7600 VAT inclusive

Should you be interested in booking transfers or day trip between Prague and cities in the Czech republic, write us an email info@123-prague-airport-transfer.com or office@prague-guide.com or fill out the booking form.

Spheremarketing strikes again

This is unbelievable, the guy from Spheremarketing contacted me again and asked me why I did not pay them!!!! I sent them email about my previous post, links to all articles about their rip off and he calls me again???!!! Do I live in a dream or am I just silly?

Tuesday, 5 May 2009

John's report - Journey from Vienna to Prague via Cesky Krumlov

Vienna to Prague

It was an early start on the morning of 30th April. I was due to pick up five girls from Vienna at 9:00am. Considering I had to take D1 highway and then bite through Vienna city center, I rather left Prague at 4am to make sure I will be on time. D1 highway leads to Brno, but Martin told me to go via Jihlava and Znojmo and then take highway directly to Vienna. It was a good advise which I did not take... I rather go vie Mikulov and then come to Vienna from the other side. The journey is supossed to take less time, but is longer by distance. It was longer by time as well.

Prague to Vienna transfer

I am used to heavy traffic from Prague, but Vienna was worse. A lot worse. It is now clear that I came late. There were two factors. One that I did not take Martin's advice and second that my GPS had wrong time so I though I still had an hour.

Arrival to Vienna and transfer to Cesky Krumlov

Nevertheless I was about 15 minutes late on arrival to Vienna hotel Geblergasse. Nuntakit and her friend were very happy to see me. Surely I was happier. Since then the journey was a pleasure. Girls were chatty and driver to Cesky Krumlov was a lot easier than driving on my own. After about 4 hours we reached the medieval town Cesky Krumlov. Weather was beautiful and girls left me alone in my minivan which I had to look after as they stored their bags in it. I parked in front of the brewery restaurant and had lunch on the terrace so I could watch the van.

Cesky Krumlov tour

After lunch I went back to the car, made myself comfortable and had refreshing 2 hours nap. Girls were on time and came back exactly as advised earlier. I like people who are reliable. One can find a piece of an irony in this one :D.

Cesky Krumlov to Prague transport

We departed Cesky Krumlov for Prague. The journey through Pisek was quick and trafficless. About 45 minutes from Prague it started raining. The rain was so heavy that we could hardly see out of the car. We made a stop on one of the Benzina plus petrol stops and got a cup of coffee. The rain easened and we continued to Prague. We reached Prague after 5 pm. Nuntakit and her friends were happy as they had theater to visit at 7pm so they were not stressed by lack of time.

Prague airport transfer

We also agreed that on the 2nd May we will collect them early morning to go to Prague airport from where they flew back home.


Cost of the services:
Tour from Vienna to Prague via Cesky Krumlov - 9000 CZK
Airport transfer from the hotel Andel to the airport - 750 CZK
(these rates are valid for groups of upto 8 passengers)

If the group was less 5 passengers, they could use sedan car and prices would be:
Tour from Vienna to Prague via Cesky Krumlov - 7900 CZK
Airport transfer from the hotel Andel to the airport - 525 CZK

You can book such a tour on our website.

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Sunday, 3 May 2009

BMW 7 series - how to do the VIP's...

I do not feel that the image needs any comments, but this is the VIP service with BMW 7 series.

Book BMW 7 series

Saturday, 2 May 2009

Spheremarketing - new thread for Prague transfers?

On Tuesday 28th April I received an interesting offer from Mr. James Poole (jpoole.sales@googlemail.com) from company called Spheremarketing. The offer was to guarantee top three positions on the Google result page for any chosen (and paid) keyword or keyphrase. As I spent a lot on Google adwords I found an option to have fixed tariff very attractive. I asked for more details.

Very shortly, I trust no more than 10 seconds, I received an email. Firstly I was impressed. After reading it, not  much anymore. See details.

The impression I got from email was lots of words with no content. I did not worry yet as we all do sometimes write shitty promo...

I sent a list of keyphrases for which I was really interested in positioning #1 - #3 on the G SERP. Soon I received a special bundle offer. Each phrase only 100 EUR per month. Top three position guaranteed 24/7. I started to smell something rotten. 

I myself passed course provided by a reputable Czech company about using and optimizing Google adwords campaign and I could not recall any options that would possibly allow anyone to get keyphrases for fixed rates.

Anyways I decided I will give it a try. I asked to send me contract, with detailed conditions, procedures, warranties etc. I only received an email and fax that wanted me to confirm or amend "Prague airport transfers" and "Prague shuttle" phrases I decided to do trial on.

There were no links to landing pages to be confirmed, no links at all to be completely clear, no conditions except that if I pay, I never get refund.

Imagine that I was going to spend 50 EUR set up fee + minimum 3 months trial a keyword it came up to 650 EUR total. The deposit invoice did not mention whether it was VAT inclusive or not.

I agreed with James that I will not provide my credit card details as I do not trust a company I never heard of. We agreed that I will be allowed to pay by PayPal. The only tool where you can possibly get money back if something is not provided and your CC details are not abused. (only tool I know as for now). James agreed with his boss that it is possible and he also agreed on phone that all is guaranteed and will be provided. However they were not able to confirm in written. Surprisingly...

I let myself some time to think about everything before paying the 650 EUR. Every single day since they sent the PayPal money request I received a phone call to confirm I was still interested and whether I sent the money. I found this very annoying and it pretty much convinced me to search SCAM with google resellers.

I found a lot of websites that discussed the topic. Spheremarketing was mentioned in many posts in a way that I would not call nice. As far as I got through the forums I can tell that sending money to Spheremarketing is like going to Solidni Nejistota bar. Foolish!

I hope they will not get anyone from the Czech republic or anywhere else with this trick. However I am very worried that these guys are very successful in what they are doing.

Read following forums if you doubt, I wrote rubbish and thought this up:

Google forum Scam blog

Wednesday, 29 April 2009

History of HFS s.r.o. - Prague transfers

Soon HFS s.r.o. will be 10 years in the transfers business. Looking back I have to admit that we drove a long way before we got to our current stand.

The HFS started as a travel and advertising agency ASYL s.r.o. back in 1993. My mom Vanda, who now runs a wellness studio: www.StudioVanda.cz which provides ultracontour treatments, cosmetic care, beauty treats and pilates exercising, was in charge of PR for Ganserndorf Safari Park near Vienna. It was basically a "one man show", actually one woman show for couple of years. 

After sometime the company grew and with more than 20000 sold tours (in a year) became a well known subject in the market. 

Unfortunately the Safari park was sold to Americans and new management brought new ideas and terminated the cooperation. 

We (me and my brother Petr) were old enough to start helping mom with the business and thus we recognized big potential in incoming tourism. We started to provide accommodation and tour bookings in Prague.

Not long after we found out that with the accommodation we should provide a full package that would include treatments from arrival to departure. We discovered the Prague airport transfers business. Firstly we hired freelancers to do the jobs for us on comission basis. After a few month we bought our very own first transfer car - Skoda Octavia Station wagon 4x4 elegance.

The transfer business boomed and soon we hired first driver. After few months we bought Fiat Ducato MAXI. Ultimate minibus for 8 passengers that could carry huge amounts of bags and comfortably transfer 8 people + driver. 

However Fiat is a Fiat and we focused on higher quality. Next van we bought was a Mercedes Benz VITO 111 cdi. When we used the Mercedes Benz Vito on the airport transfers we experienced huge numbers of new bookings. Fiat was sold, Octavia went soon after and we replaced the fleet with Silver Mercedes Benz XL fleet. 

Mercedes Benz Vito provides highest comfort, excellent driving options and above all exclusiveness of the brand. 

Apart from minivans we also needed regular sedans. For this purpose we purchased two Skoda Superbs. These cars are also silver metallic and thus complete our silver fleet.

Currently we operate 2 Mercedes Benz Vito and 2 Superbs. At our disposal we have Octavia II and Audi A4 which are used occasionally according to the business.

Sometimes we have too many jobs to be able to handle it on our own and such we need freelancers with their own vehicles. That includes Mercedes Benz E class (up to 10 vehicles), Mercedes Benz Viano (up to 6 vehicles), Mercedes Benz S class (up to 4 vehicles), BMW 7 series (up to 4 vehicles), Audi A6 and A7, Volkswagen Passat and of course more Skoda Superbs.

Hopefully the business will keep up no matter the recession and we will soon introduce our own exclusive silver vans. We plan to expand our fleet with Mercedes Benz Viano V6. 

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Nice driver's motto I saw on a car today

Never drive faster than flies your guardian angel.

Saturday, 11 April 2009

No way to checkout with CO2

So far it seems that all is going to a success. The 123-taxi.cz online comfortable transfers store is online. However due to our reasonable rates I decided not to use the CO2 checkout or credit card online acceptance. 

In the very beginning we accept payment cash on the day of the service, credit card to the driver and the only online payment is the PayPal.

Time will show us whether the path is good or wrong, but I trust that delivering CO2 checkout just does not make sense considering the comission they charge for every transaction, unless we add it to the price. And that is something we DO NOT WANT, thus we would have to higher our transfer rates. That is simply unacceptable.

Thursday, 2 April 2009

Transfers available online

Airport transfers Eshop is getting online, we are now in testing phase and hopefully we will be able to start selling all transfers soon. Payments will be accepted through PayPal, VISA, MasterCard and CO2 Checkout. I will keep you informed.

Wednesday, 1 April 2009

New Destinations, new lower prices!

To beat the recession we issued brand new destinations in the Czech republic as well as European Union. We now operate transfers between more than 150 cities in the Czech republic and 35 cities in European Union. Transfers are provided both directions, from Prague or to Prague from or to selected destination. You can find more details on Czech republic transfers and European Union on our website.

Hopefully soon we will open brand new Eshop and thus we will be able to accept prepayments online directly and not only through PayPal.

Tuesday, 31 March 2009

Bye bye Resorthoppa

After five years of succesful cooperation, Resorthoppa, our main partner, decided to terminate the contract. From the 10th of April we will no longer provide services for Resorthoppa and Cityhoppa clients. It was not clear who will become their new supplier, but clear is that the price was dumped under the limits. Crisis hit us after all...

Friday, 8 August 2008

Driver / chauffeur to hire in Prague Czech republic

I have been providing transportation services since 2000 and I have been thinking ever since: Who is a good driver? How to become good driver and how to be even better driver?

I trust that lots of people have different opinion what a good driver is suppossed to drive like, however lots of the ideas may be similiar:

A good driver should be able to drive comfortably, safely and with high attention. If you hire a driver you probably expect some service than just a good driving skill. That is when we can start to call a driverTHE CHAUFFEUR“... Good chauffeur to hire must be able to provide good driving and excellent service. Always kind, accommodating, helpful and obliging. Apart of that customers look not only for a chauffeur, but also a little bit of a guide. Skilled chauffeur is one thing, but if he can add the little extra e.g. basic information about history, sports, politics and economical situations, music etc. then you get the extra value. I trust that we provide such a treat and I am proud of my drivers and the company.

In my opinion a good driver must firstly have the talents and skills to drive. Especially if you drive a manual gearbox car, it can be very uncomfortable for passengers. Last week I drove Mrs. Renate Lapenat to Cesky Krumlov and return and I was surprised when she asked me whether I was using the cruise or why is the journey so smooth. I was really pleased to hear such a lovely compliment. I also think that the driver must be able to provide information and he must be able to make decisions. Sometimes it saves hours, sometimes even more...

1.Smooth and comfortable driving

Second very important factor that divides drivers to two parts (good and not good) is attention and foresight. Good and skilled driver keeps attention to not only what is going in front of him, but also what happens in the rear view mirrors. Sometimes it can save lives or at least big trouble.

2.Attention and foresight

Third quality is ability to over take and speed. Though it is of course against the law, sometimes you have to be quicker than what the regulations and limits allow you to. Therefor you have to take risks of being caught and receive tickets. But driving fast is not limited just because politicians would find it dangerous, it is really dangerous. When good driver overtakes another car in high speed, the point is to stay in left line the shortest time possible (in Europe we drive on the right side :D). When chauffeur is speeding and he is far over the limits he must be selfconfident and know the car eventually the road where he goes.

3.Selfconfident and knowing

Last but not least important feature is the car / vehicle itself. The human part of your journey can be professional expert who has driven millions of miles in his life, but if the car is not able to provide quality, comfort, reliability and safety, think twice before sitting in. Accident in speed of 30 miles an hour is already a fatal risk and people can get killed or at least badly injured. The most important are tyres and breaks of the car, presence of seatbelts and airbags. Driver should have at least 30 minutes rest every 30 minutes to provide enough safety to the client. Good driver must be able to tell the client that he needs break. Some drivers feel ashamed of not being enough man I guess and rather cause accidents than have a rest...

4.Good vehicle in perfect technical condition, discerning driver

At HFS Ltd. - 123-Prague.com and 123-Prague-airport-transfer.com we trust that we provide professional and skilled drivers / chauffeurs to hire. We operate a fleet of silver minibuses and saloons that are in perfect technical condition. Air-conditioned, non-smoking cars are warranty of comfortable and pleasent travel.

Feel free to contact us throught our websites:

http://www.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/
http://www.123-prague.com/

You can get in touch with us on phone or email:

American and Canadian residents: 1-888-777-9970 (Call free of charge)
United kingdom & Northern Ireland residents: 0-808-120-3634 (Call free of charge)

Martin (mobile): 00420 777 885 925 (available Mon - Sun, 00:00 - 24:00)
Petr (mobile): 00420 608 925 923 (available Mon - Sun, 00:00 - 24:00)

EMAIL: office@prague-guide.com

The worst experience - Solidni nejistota, bar in the center of Prague

I did not mean to translate my Czech article about the worst experience with Prague bars, but I changed my mind. However I will do a short and brief summary to let you know my opinion. Nobody reads it anyways, so it does not harm anyone... The solid uncertainty - solidni nejistota, music club and bar is the bar with the worst service, poorest but very expensive drinks and over aged furbishing.

I have been there only once, but as I had heard lots good things about it I always wanted to come to Solidni Nejistota. Now I wish I was still dreaming about it.

The service is crap, drinks are crap, tables and chairs are crap, the bar is cool though :D. I wish someone will take over it and Solidni nejistota will change to better again, I doubt it...

I told what I wanted, Solidni Nejistota is waste of energy and time. Do not come unless you want to make your party shit.

Sunday, 3 August 2008

Summarized benefits of Prague chauffeured driven car hire

First of all we have to find out for whom can the service bring benefits. I trust that my clients who hire me as a private driver to drive to cities in the Czech republic or even further to Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland or other, are clients interested in comfortable, swift and safe travelling. Usually businessmen that need to reach business meetings or other important event on time.

Second group of clients are small groups of 3 – 8 passengers. If you compare train / flight tickets per person, waiting time at the airport / train station and travel time you realize that hiring a private chauffeured driven car or minibus is cheaper!!

Third group of clients are people who want to have comfort, privacy and options to stop en route to the final destination. Freedom of travelling above all!

Here is a chart of approximate prices of transfers from Prague to most popular destinations:

From / to Prague to / from Bratislava - Slovakia
travel time: 4 hours
3 pax: EUR 290
8 pax: EUR 350
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/bratislava.html

From / to Prague to / from Berlin - Germany
travel time: 4 hours
3 pax: EUR 275
8 pax: EUR 345
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/berlin.html


From / to Prague to / from Budapest - Hungary
travel time: 5 hours
3 pax: EUR 450
8 pax: EUR 575
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/budapest.html

From / to Prague to / from Krakow - Poland
travel time: 7 hours
3 pax: EUR 450
8 pax: EUR 575
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/krakow.html

From / to Prague to / from Dresden – Germany
travel time: 2 hours
3 pax: EUR 135
8 pax: EUR 170
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/dresden.html

From / to Prague to / from Frankfurt - Germany
travel time: 4 hours
3 pax: EUR 450
8 pax: EUR 575
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/frankfurt.html

From / to Prague to / from Munich – Germany
travel time: 3 hours 30 minutes
3 pax: EUR 290
8 pax: EUR 350
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/munich.html

From / to Prague to / from Nurnberg – Germany
travel time: 3 hours
3 pax: EUR 255
8 pax: EUR 325
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/nurnberg.html

From / to Prague to / from Salzburg – Austria
travel time: 5 hours
3 pax: EUR 290
8 pax: EUR 350
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/salzburg.html

From / to Prague to / from Vienna - Austria
3 hours
3 pax: EUR 255
8 pax: EUR 325
Link to transfer website:
http://prague-taxi.123-prague-airport-transfer.com/vienna.html


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Friday, 1 August 2008

Hire a taxi from Prague to practice singing

Report about drive from Prague to Vienna (Austria – Wien) on the 31st July with one of the strangest clients I have ever driven... First of all I must say, strange in a good way. The client, let's call him Kevin, booked me through the website on the 29th July to take him from Prague to Wien on early Thursday morning and return back to Prague from Vienna in the late afternoon.

It is not very usual to go to Vienna for only a day trip as Wien offers as much sites and culture as Prague, maybe even more. However Kevin did not go for fun but business. He had some meetings in Vienna hotels so we visited two hotels of the Vienna Mercure branch and then the intercontinental.

There would not be anything strange until he started singing. I do not know for what he was preparing or if it was just for fun, but he kept singing almost the whole journey. Unless he wanted to ask something he kept on going :). I honestly say I have never driven anyone similiar.

Afterall I have to admit it made the journey from Prague to Vienna and then return from Vienna to Prague a lot easier. It is only 3,5 hours drive if you drive PragueBrnoMikulovVienna, but it seemed to me like 2 hours... I wish more clients will be like Kev!

Wednesday, 30 July 2008

Too many times to Cesky Krumlov in one week...

I have never been to Cesky Krumlov. So I thought it was a good idea to take my wife on a short weekend break to Cesky Krumlov. We booked nice accommodation in Castleview apartments and left children behind with my mother-in-law. The journey did not take too long, though driving to Ceske Budejovice on D1 and then through Tabor was not the best idea. After two hours we arrived. I loved the city, we enjoyed the weekend break and went back home. This was my first time to Cesky Krumlov. Not even a day after I had returned I received an enquiry for taxi from Prague to Cesky Krumlov on Tuesday. OK, I said, why not, the journey is cool, and it will be my second time to Cesky Krumlov. Additionally I love driving out of Prague and the roads down to Cesky Krumlov are a lot stressless than Prague. I went to Cesky Krumlov and with the client we have arranged the return trip on Wednesday (the day after). After Wednesday drive to Cesky Krumlov I had another request in the inbox. Taxi was booked for Thursday and Friday from Prague to Cesky Krumlov and return... Unbelievable, but true. Lastly I went to Vienna via Cesky krumlov on Sunday. I wish I will have more chances to go to Cesky Krumlov, but I do not expect any week to be like the one I described... Should you  like me to drive you from Prague to Cesky Krumlov or from Krumlov to Prague, you can book me.

Sunday, 20 July 2008

Solidní nejistota

SOLIDNÍ NEJISTOTA – BAR & RESTAURACE

Zacnu parafrází textu z webové prezentace klubu & baru Solidní Nejistota www.solidninejistota.cz

„Pokud budeme premýšlet nad tím, co je vlastne jistota, potom za nejaký cas prijdeme na to, že jediné jisté je, že umreme.“

V následujících rádcích najdete ješte jednu 100% jistotu, Music Bar Solidní nejistota je za zenitem. Solidní Nejistota umrela.

S manželkou Romankou máme stejnou zálibu. Krom našich dvou detí, psa a cetby je to i pití dobrých míchaných nápoju a navštevování tzv. „reputable“ podniku - podniku které mají jméno. Mezi naše nejoblíbenejší bary patrí Tretters (http://www.tretters.cz/) a Bugsys bar (http://www.bugsysbar.cz).

19.7.2008 jsme se vypravili spolecne s Terkou a Šimonem - našimi práteli, do Baru & Restaurace La Bodeguita Del Medio (www.bodeguita.cz). Mexická restaurace v centru Prahy v Kaprove ulici, která má jedno z nejvetších jmen v Praze. A má ho právem. Máte-li rezervaci, máte jistotu, že si sednete. Milá uvadecka nás uvedla k našemu stolu, milá obsluha nás obsloužila, a profesionální barmani pripravili vynikající drinky. Nebylo, co vytknout. Snad možná zámenu strawberry daiquiri místo banana daiquiri, které jsem puvodne objednal. Ale milá servírka se omluvila, chtela dát vše doporádku a snažila se, abychom zustali spokojeni. Nakonec jsem si jahodové daiquiri vychutnal stejne jako by tomu bylo s bananovým, protože vypadalo nádherne a i tak chutnalo, a navíc se mi nechtelo cekat na prípravu novéhu koktejlu. Za dve hodiny byl cas posunout se dál.

Naším cílem se stal jeden z nejlepších baru dle PragueExperience (http://www.pragueexperience.com/bars_pubs/highlights/bars_best.asp) – SOLIDNÍ NEJISTOTA.

Bar pusobí velmi profesionálne. Hned u vchodu nás uvítal svalnatý a velmi milý (bez ironie) security guy, který nás požádal o svršky, které nám uložil v šatne, poprál príjemnou zábavu, dobrou chuť a vpustil nás do baru.

Nádherný prostor s barem uprostred místnosti vypadal slibne. Bohužel u vetšiny stolu bylo plno, stejne tak na baru. Stolky, které nebyly obsazené, mely cedulky RESERVÉ. V dobrém baru jsem zvyklý na uvadece, který v Solidní nejistote chybel, tak jsem odchytil prvního cíšníka, který šel kolem. Na dotaz jestli je nekde volno pro ctyri, jsem dostal prekvapující odpoveď: „Nekde jo, ale nevím kde, se musíte podívat.“ S mávnutím ruky a gestem, které pripomínalo: „táhnete cechácci, tohle není bar pro socky,“ odešel. Meli jsme odejít, jak nám naznacil, jelikož co následovalo, vás nepotká ani v IV. cenové skupine. Našli jsme stul, usadili se a po chvilce jsme vybírali coctaily. Menu v Solidní nejistote sice nabízí cocktaily namísto coctailu, ale to je jen funny vsuvka. Vzhledem k faktu že bar je mimo hlavní tahy, jsme byli prekvapeni velmi vysokou cenou drinku. Cuba Libre (nejoblíbenejší drink Romanky) Kc 111, zbytek nabízených long drinku 133, nebo 166. Romanka s Terkou objednaly Cuba Libre, já Adios Mother a Simon si dal Tahiti.

Drinky byly ready skoro okamžite, což nás potešilo. cíšník který nápoje prinesl, rovnou prinesl i úctenku a vyžádal si zaplacení. Nestandardní postup, pokud v baru není úplne narváno, ale budiž. Vzápetí jsme meli poznali proc se kasíruje hned. Cuba Libre v Solidní nejistote „míchají“ tak, že nalejí panácka rumu (buhví, jestli je to opravdu Havana), zalejí naprosto nechutnou kolou z post-mixu a záverem vhodí ctvrtku limety. Prekvapive se coctail Cuba Libre alá Solidní Nejistota nedá pít.

Za peníze chci kvalitu, nechodím do dobrých baru kvuli image, ale kvuli záruce kulinárského a kulturního zážitku. Neváhal jsem a zavolal jednoho z cíšníku, jestli by nám mohl pripravit Cuba Libre a ne brecku s rumem. V ten moment se všichni barmani doslova zacli bavit tím, že si nekdo stežuje. Nebrali to jako problém, ale jako atrakci. cíšník odnesl kubícka na bar, dolil do nich sirup a vrátil se zpet s pocitem, že vše bude ok. Nebylo. Nenechal jsem se odbýt a nechal si zavolat barmana, který drinky pripravil.Ten mi pouze sdelil, že za pet let, co delá v solidní nejistote jsem první, co si stežuje a že Cuba Libre, co máme na stole je standardní drink dle menu, jak je nabízeno.

Pripadal jsem si, že se bavím s clovekem, kterého obtežuju po zavírací dobe, jsem totálne namol a ješte jsem mu zeblil hajzl.(Radeji upresním že bylo 23:00, byl jsem skoro strízlivý a na záchode jsem se byl jen vycurat.) Šel jsem tedy prímo na bar a vyžádal si provozního. Želbohu provozní asi nebyl a tak se na jeho místo prihlásil jeden barman ze smeny. Na otázku: „co máte za problém?“, jsem popsal problém s drinkem i s cíšníkem, který se mnou nejedná jako se zákazníkem, ale dostalo se mi pouze ujištení, že drink je O.K. a ten kdo se chová nevhodne, jsem já, potažmo my.

Nebylo, co rešit. Na stole v Solidní nejistote po nás zustali ctyri nepoživatelné drinky. Ješte jsem k barmanovi a posmívající se cíšnici, která se bavila tím, že nejsme spokojeni, prohodil poznámku, že si mužou na me dát drink: „Na stole máš drink, barmane, vole!“ Za což jsem si vysloužil doprovod až k východu z klubu a ješte pár kecu ohledne netykání a týkání a ujištení, že za pet let jsem první, co si stežuje. Securiťáci koukali jak suvy z nudlí a cekali, jak to celé dopadne. Mel jsem pocit, že se me barman / cíšník s tetováním na nemalém bicepsu pokusí pretáhnout a že se ješte poperem. Profesionál se vším všudy. Rozloucili jsme se s pánem z ochranky, který za to jediný stál, vzali jsme veci a šli dál vstríc noci s novou predstavou o tom jaká je Solidní Nejistota – marná, trapná, drahá, mrtvá.

Další jsme navštívili Nebe a Duplex, ale nic podobného už nás nepotkalo. Doufám, že na dlouhou dobu je to jediná negativní zkušenost.

Sunday, 20 April 2008

Change of plans - BIG change of the blog

I have finally decided to change the 123 Prague airport transfer blog to be rather more personal blog than business transfer blog. I am not the kind of person that wants to copy news articles to my blog or to write about stuff that is not really important to me. Everybody knows that the prices of petrol and diesel are raising, conversion rates to foreign currencies are dropping and most of us can imagine why. If not there are plenty of more specialized websites that focus on such topics. From now I am going to post anything I find interesting. Reviews on books I read, people I meet etc. So see you on the next level :D!

Wednesday, 19 March 2008

Exams passed!

I am glad to announce that today at 13:00 we have managed to pass the coach driving course and we are officially licensed to drive any coach. Exams were not easy, but we were well prepared. I would like to recommend AUTOSKOLA PIMES to anyone who is looking for a driving course and I would also like to thank our teacher Zdenek, who had the patience and skills to train us in this uneasy proficiency.

Tuesday, 18 March 2008

Videos from driving school

As previously announced we are going to get coach driving licenses (Martin and Petr) soon. Here are couple of videos from the actual driving courses. You may need proper codecs to play the videos, you can download the K-Lite codec pack version 3.65.

Video 1 - Our KAROSA coach is getting ready to do the job
Video 2 - Petr is driving KAROSA coach up to Barrandov studios
Video 3 - Another shots from driving up the Barrandov hills

It is BIIIIG!

Thursday, 6 March 2008

Prague - the gourmet's city

No matter whether during airport shuttle or private airport transfers, I get constantly asked about good places to eat at. I am not a type of person that goes out a lot. I usually eat quick snacks at petrol stops on my way from Prague Ruzyne airport or when I have more time I stop by „U Drahusky“ restaurant near the Prague airport Ruzyne. Such a tip would be good for our competitors, but not travellers. Today I found a very nice article in „MF DNES Magazine“ in which various authors focused on prestigious restaurants that offer delicious food and wines. These tips are not for travellers who are looking for cheap, but good meals. Eating in Prague in general is cheap compared to Western countries, but the restaurants I am going to mention below are not the case. Prepare about 1500 – 3000 CZK if you plan a visit. For the cost, you will get the quality. Guaranteed.

The article mentions following places to which I added some contact details:

Allegro restaurant
Opening: Mon – Sun: from 11:00 to 24:00
Chef: Andrea Accordi
Cuisine: Italian, seafood, mediterranean, classic continental
Reservations: 00420 221427000
Address: Hotel Four seasons, Veleslavinova street, Prague 1

La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise
Opening: Mon – Sat: from 11:00 to 24:00 (closed on Sundays)
Chef: Oldrich Sahajdak & Fernando David Diaz Delgado
Cuisine: combined international including Czech
Reservations: 00420 222311234
Address: Hastalska 18, Prague 1

Maze
Opening: Mon – Sat: from 12:00 to 15:00 Lunch, from 18:00 to 23:00 Dinner
Chef: Carmichael
Cuisine: sample menu PDF file
Reservations: 00420 221822300
Address: Hilton Old Town hotel, V Celnici 7, Prague 1

The above mentioned restaurants are undoubtfully top three places to visit in Prague (food-wise). The article speaks of a few more places that should not miss your attention and are not that expensive. As I said in the beginning I am not outgoing person myself therefor I have to refer to someone's else recommendations. Once I have visited any of what I am trying to recommend I will post my opinions. The average dinner cost should not exceed much more than CZK 1500 for two persons.

Brasserie M
Opening: Mon – Fri: from 11:00 to 23:00, Sat: from 12:00 to 24:00, Sun: Closed
Chef: Jean Paul Manzac
Cuisine: French
Reservations: 00420 224054070
Address: Vladislavova 17, Prague 1

Aromi
Opening: Mon – Sat: from 12:00 to 23:00, Sun: from 12:00 to 22:00
Chef: Radek Hasman
Cuisine: Italian
Reservations: 00420 222713222
Address: Manesova 78/442, Prague 2

Le Terroir
Opening: Tue – Sat: from 11:00 to 22:00, Sun - Mon: closed
Chef: not sure :(
Cuisine: European
Reservations: 00420 222220260
Address: Vejvodova 1, Prague 1

As this should be mainly Prague airport transfer blog, I will only mention links to other restaurants websites. I also added couple of those that our clients, who used our Prague taxi service to take them to restaurants, found impressive or at least worth a visit.

Flambée, Zlata Praha (Golden Prague) at the intercontinental hotel, Kampa Park, Kampa fish, Hergetova Cihelna, Hanavsky pavilon

Dobrou chut! (Enjoy your meal!)

Monday, 3 March 2008

123-Prague-airport-transfers coach and bus drivers

I and my brother Petr are going to pass bus driving license (D class). We do not plan to purchase a big coach to join our fleet yet. Our fleet will probably gain new Mercedes Benz Sprinter minicoach for 19 passengers.

It will help us providing high quality shuttle service and Prague airport transfers for bigger groups.

Currently we outsource vehicles bigger than 8 seaters. Prague as center of Europe is also the center for stag do's. Thus we want to supply high quality airport transfers for groups of upto 19 passengers who do not want to be split in several smaller groups and minibuses.

Sprinter is a nice minicoach which offers full comfort as well as easy driving through narrow streets of Prague. Additionaly we will be able to provide multiple Prague airport shuttle pick ups and thereby keep our extremely competitive rates (starting from 400 CZK per one way).

On the other hand Mercedes Benz Sprinter is luxurious minibus and apart of shuttle Prague airport service we will use it for regular and VIP Prague transfers as well as sightseeing tours within the Czech republic / European Union. Sprinter is a limousine minicoach.

Good luck to both of us! :D

Wednesday, 27 February 2008

SCAM attack - Accommodation attempt

It has not been the first time that I have received scam, but this one seems to be very smart way to do it. As we also operate couple of accommodation websites (www.123Praha.com and www.Prague-guide.com) we are ideal target for accommodation scam.

So what is it all about? You receive an email like this:

Hello Sir/Madam,
I am Dr Miky Fare of Miky Travels & Tours. I need reservation in your facility for 3 double or 6 single rooms. Arrival date:20th June 2008 Departure date :30th June 2008 Number of nights: 10 nights, Number of Room: 3 DBL or 6 Sgl, Type of Room: Double or Single,Number of Guest 6, Mode of Payment: Credit card, Confirm availability and get back to me with your rates and total cost.

Best Regards,
Dr Miky Fare

The email looks ok, but second look at it reveals, that the email address is usually freely accessible (aol., yahoo. Etc.) and does not have to do anything with any agent's website (e.g. As I would expect miky.fare@mikytravel.com).

I gave the reply a try and I offered accommodation of undescribed type at rate 350 EUR per night per room. I could feel some trick in the email so I was not properly worried of loosing an client.

The reply I received thereafter clearly convinced me of SCAM. Dr. Miky Fare accepted my ridiculous offer.

I did not go to much further in the communication and therefor I can not refer from my own experience, but basically what is suppossed to happen:

1.You charge their credit card
2.Your bank does not proceed the payment
3.You do not mention it
4.You send the partial money somewhere to cover other expenses that Dr. Fare is unable to proceed on his own (usually car rental, logistics etc.)
5.You lost what you sent. Good job.

Conclusion? DO NOT SEND ANYONE ANYTHING and DO NOT TRUST ANYONE ELSE BUT YOURSELF!

Now I am awaiting SCAM attack on Prague airport transfers, I can imagine that someone will request full service on congress meeting where part of the money will be used for transfers and rest to be abused... But that wont work with us!