Antares

Though it falls under the blanket of the generally large Best Western chain, four-star Hotel Antares is a great-looking small hotel in Bratislava, appropriate in scale and coziness to count as a true boutique hotel.

The 26 rooms don't quite live up to the swank, modern feel of the well-lit reception with its polished stone floors. We were hoping for streamlined simplicity. Instead, we got rust-colored carpets, chocolate-brown bed units, and patterned rug-like blankets. Not unappealing, mind you, but not quite the modernist magic we anticipated. Desk units are nicely configured, if small. The leather desk chairs have wheels, and the bathrooms have a lovely, well-scrubbed feel, with gleaming white and silver tiles. All rooms are equipped with telephones satellite television, air conditioning, and free Wi-Fi.

As one might expect, business travelers tend to be the most common guests here, and it's easy to see what lures them in. Unlike many of Bratislava's business-class hotels, with their unimaginative furnishings and worn surroundings, Antares offers its guests some boutique style and a helpful staff. The pretty breakfast garden is a major plus too.

Were it not for the relatively diminutive sign in the front, you might be forgiven for thinking that this hotel was just another conventional but pleasing modern villa. The 'hood, after all, would be fitting for such a manse. Surrounded by embassies and diplomatic residences in the lush hills behind Bratislava's castle, the neighborhood is precisely the sort of place where Slovakia's well-heeled lovers of modernism would build their smart villas. That means, however, you should expect a bit of an uphill hike to get there.

Breakfast is included.