Are you a last-minute planner when it comes to big holiday travel times like Thanksgiving in Christmas? Yes, we are too, especially because everything looks so darn expensive and plain booked up. This year, it's either another Thanksgiving of ordering Chinese takeout or booking it out of the country for some autumn appeal overseas...like in Prague.

Remember that it's not Thanksgiving over in the Czech Republic, so that means no dinner reservations or pressure to eat cranberry sauce. Virgin Vacations seems to have the best deal we've seen for this, with a 6-night hotel, airfare, and daily breakfast starting at $669 per person. Sure they have other deals for Thanksgiving to Barcelona, London, Paris and Rome, but the Prague trip sounds like the most fall foliage and old school charm for the lowest price.

Forget all those new hotels opening up in the paper’s own backyard; this Sunday the New York Times went hotel hunting in the Czech Republic. Lured by the groovy chill-out tunes and “sultry” restaurant chain of the same name, the NYT checked into the new Buddha Bar Hotel in Prague.

We’ve seen hotels sprout out of fashion labels, so why not restaurants and music? Judging by the NYT’s response, the Buddha-Bar folks have produced a fine accompaniment to their brand, attracting scenesters who are “good-looking, well off and ready to party” (British boys, Middle Eastern royals, and wealthy local couples). Overall, the Times writer's affection for the place bodes well for the

The Rocco Forte people are busy right now — if it wasn't enough to open their first resort with the Verdura Resort in Sicily, they're also hitting eastern Europe for the first time when the Augustine Hotel in Prague opens on May 14.

This place is a 101-room hotel overlooking the Wallenstein Gardens, and the hotel itself is made up of seven historical buildings, including the 13th century St. Thomas Monastery. The coolest part is there are still monks using parts of this monastery and hotel guests might glimpse them going about their monkly tasks.

The décor and furniture are all in the good taste you'd expect for such a respectable-sounding area; in fact, the whole

We caught wind of the Buddha Bar Hotel planned for Prague last August and, last we checked, they were travelin' full steam ahead for a pre-2009 opening. Unlike many deadline-missing hotels, the Buddha Bar got its soft opening in just before the calendar turned, officially opened on January 2, and since then has been impressing the hell out of guests — at least if the first guest reviews are anything to go by.

The staff and the service they provide get a ton of compliments, as do the ultra-luxury rooms. The "amazing" bathrooms get plenty of thumbs-ups too — they also include a TV, but one guest warns us that the remote control is

If your boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other hasn't taken you to Prague yet, we recommend dropping seriously heavy hints. This weekend's UK Times reported that it's a bargain time to go, which will appeal to those looking for a cheap date, and also romantic because for once, the streets aren't too jam-packed.

Prague in winter is cold but undeniably pretty with a layer of snow, and what better weather is there for snuggling up with your sweetheart? It helps that most of the best hotels are offering rooms for nearly half price right now after tourism's dropped off (there goes that bad global economy again).

Apart from wandering the snow-dusted cobblestone streets hand in hand, you can also explore Prague Castle, gaze lovingly at art in the Veletrzni Palac, or take a walk through the woods of Petrin. If all that fails, there's always Czech beer to put you in the mood.

Related Stories:
· Instant Weekend: Prague [UK Times]
· Czech Culture: Czech Beer [Jaunted]
· Prague Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: alan.devlin]

Low-key crooner Jason Mraz went all out for his new music video "Lucky," which places him and singer Colbie Caillat on two dream vacations. We've figured out one--now we need your help to crack the other.

Despite claims online that he shot the vid in Luxembourg, Mraz, who recently performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert, is cruising through the streets of Prague in an old-timey car. Included are several shots of historic Old Town Square, which is given the "Vanilla Sky" treatment and appears to be empty. (It probably never is in real life, right?)

Now it's your turn: Where is Colbie Caillat in this video? She's on a beach that we think looks sort of Everglades-y, but we could be wrong about that. Keep in mind, Mraz's last video "I'm Yours" was shot in Kauai and Oahu, while Caillat recently shot her own video "You" in Seal Beach, California. Leave your best guess in the comments!

Related Stories:
· Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat, "Lucky" [PerezTV]
· ScarJo Fetes Peace Prize Winner [Jaunted]
· Singer Colbie Caillat Films Video at Seal Beach Pier [OC Register]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

The German Kempinski chain looks like they're starting up a plan of world domination.

This month they opened the Kempinski Hybernská Prague, but there are so many more on the way.

First things first: the new Prague Kempinski has normal nightly hotel rates going but also have a lot of one and two-bedroom suites that you can rent for longer stays, so the business market is obviously top of the list here.

But tourists won't mind being close to Prague's coolest way to cross the river, Charles Bridge, either. The tech side is good too with free WiFi and a "media panel" where you can hook up your iPod.

They've got opening rate specials around a

A while back Amy Langfield from NewYorkology headed off to Prague and went through a little bit of drama pre-flight with Tablet Hotels about her lodging situation. But as we told you back then, everything worked out ok and Amy and family was sent to a nice suite at the Alchymist Grand Hotel & Spa.

Since today is Killer/Anti-View day, we thought it fitting to post these views from her suite.

The above view is the Killer View from the kids room. While it's mostly buidlings, you can see the castle jutting out in the far background. So what kind of view did the master bedroom aka the parents' room have? Click after the jump

If you thought the Buddha Bar was just a cool place for a drink in New York or Paris, you would have been more or less right, until now. Because there's actually going to be a Buddha-Bar Hotel in, of all places, Prague.

There'll be a Buddha Bar within the hotel, of course, which will run on similar lines as the bars in other cities. The hotel itself will be a five-star hotel which has a big task if the website is telling the truth: it has to

embolden the essence of contemporary modern Asian interior design with French colonial influence and will be located in the heart of Prague, in a historical building just few steps

Everything worked out for our girl Amy at yesterday as we and she knew it would. Tablet Hotels was able to get her into a family suite at the Alchymist Grand Hotel, after her initial hotel missed its opening date.

Here's what is inside a family suite :

These two level Rooms are the ideal combination of two deluxe rooms, especially for families. The Family Rooms feature a two separated bedrooms with one queen size bed and two twin beds on the upper level.

Each bedroom has air-conditioning, LCD TV with premium channels, DVD and CD player, safe, mini-bar and high speed internet access. Family Rooms have two separate bathrooms, one with shower corner only and