Reading the "Perfect Stay" review below it is hard to believe that until recently there have been no other reviews of this hotel. This worried us a bit but we made our reservation none-the-less, and very glad we did.
Located just below the Chateau Hluboka the original building of what is now the hotel, previously used as an administrative building of the Chateau was constructed in the same style as the chateau. The result is impressive.
We booked the Summer Dreams package, with an upgrade to a Royal/Kings room. Our (non-smoking) room (304) was huge, with high ceilings, very nice furniture, a comfortable bed, chandeliers, a couple of beautiful writing tables, and an awesome view to the town and countryside below through the large windows. The bathroom was similarly quite large, with double basins and a nice tub with brass fixtures. The Kings room was an additional 800 Czech Krowns / 33 euros. It was simply a beautiful room, with an exceptional view.
The courtyard of the hotel was also wonderful, with the soothing sound of the fountain, a perfect place to relax.
The Summer Dreams package included two four-course meals. Although the menus were pre-set, without choice, all our dishes were extremely well prepared and very tasty. The chef was very accommodating in preparing vegetarian dishes for my wife. My pork tenderloin with wild mushroom sauce and tagliatelle was perhaps my best meal of our two weeks in the Czech Republic. The service in the restaurant was attentive and friendly. The package also included a welcoming drink; an ice-cream sundae and a one-hour horse-drawn carriage ride (hey it is nice to splurge once in a while) to the town of Hluboka below the castle and then along the lakeside just outside of town. Certainly a very nice/romantic way to end our stay.
Breakfast was good, but not exceptional (not that we were hungry after the large meals the nights before).
The free internet in the room was reliable, and while I'm not sure it would be as easy if the hotel were busier but we were able to park right out front with no trouble.
The front desk staff were somewhat less friendly then the restaurant staff, but otherwise this was a perfect stay.
Cesky Krumlov (certainly worth a visit) is an easy drive (< 50 km) from Hluboka. If you take the smaller country roads back the UNESCO village of Holasovice is a nice stop.
My wife summed up our stay at Hotel Stekl best when she said she felt like a 'princess' in her castle. What more can one say.
