The Doucha family offer you a warm welcome to one of the most beautiful and peaceful parts of Southern Bohemia, hidden away in the very heart of Europe, and undiscovered by the conventional tourist trade.
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Welcome toHoneydew CottageKleni, Southern Bohemia, Czech Republicfor wonderfully peaceful self-catering holidays in beautiful surroundings |
The Doucha family offer you a warm welcome to one of the most beautiful and peaceful parts of Southern Bohemia, hidden away in the very
heart of Europe, and undiscovered by the conventional tourist trade.
Honeydew Cottage is situated in Kleni, a small village 15 km from the regional town Kaplice in the beautiful South Bohemia Region.
Accommodation: The Cottage sleeps up to five in two bedrooms on the first floor. There are five single beds in total. Three beds are in the larger bedroom, and the second bedroom has two single beds. The cottage was designed and built originally for the Doucha family`s own use, and combines a simple, traditional country style with modern comfort. It is semi-detached, but you are unlikely to be disturbed.
Pets: well-behaved pets are welcome, within reason. Please do not allow animals onto upholstery or furnishings. There is no extra charge, unless, exceptionally, extra cleaning or repairs are required.
The Ground Floor is arranged in a traditional open-plan cottage style, with the kitchen area adjacent to the sitting and dining area.
The Kitchen is equipped with dishes, plates, cups, glasses, spoons, knives, forks, and with a toaster, coffee-maker,
refrigerator, gas cooker, and
microwave oven.
Bathroom facilities: Also on the ground floor are the shower room and separate toilet. Both have been recently refitted to modern standards, and there is hot and cold running water.
Heating: There are electric heaters, two log-burning stoves, and an open fireplace in addition. There are no extra charges for electricity or fuel, and an ample supply of logs is provided just in case there is ever a very cold spell (thanks no doubt to global warming)!
The Garden is completely fenced with a picket fence. There is car parking inside the fence. A well in the garden is completely enclosed with a secure cover locked in place for safety and hygiene. Trees and shrubs provide valuable shade to the lawn in hot weather. There is a barbecue and outdoor table and chairs.
Water: There is no public water supply. We provide a supply of bottled water for the first few days. Afterwards we recommend that water for drinking
and cooking should be bought as bottled water from a local shop. Many local residents do this, and it is not expensive. For washing and flushing, water is
pumped from the well in the garden by means of an automatic electric pump.
The water from the well may be safe to drink, but unfortunately it has an unpleasant taste from the mineral salts in it. It has been said that the water is a
natural aphrodisiac, but we regret that we can offer no guarantee in that respect, although you cannot fail to notice that local residents all seem to have
smiles on their faces!
Electricity is 220 V AC 50 Hz. Sockets are of the French style, with the earth
(ground) pin projecting from the socket. Lozenge-shaped two-pin plugs also fit, but
many two-pin battery chargers will not fit because of the projecting earth pin. All 220V,
230V, and 240V equipment will work safely. However, 115V and 117V appliances
MUST NOT BE USED.
The countryside and facilities in the local area: about 100 metres away (just over
100 yards) is a delightful lake bordered by trees (see Location Map) where visitors can
use their own boat. Within 250 yards is a pleasant beach. The lake is near, but far
enough away not to have been affected by the floods of 2002.
The land in the immediate area of the cottage is quite flat. This is ideal for easy walking
and cycling. All round the cottage there are panoramic views across trees and fields to
the forests and mountains beyond. The neighbours you are most likely to see are the
swans! Honeydew Cottage provides a setting for a peaceful self-catering holiday. There
are other cottages in the area, but they are well spaced out. A few years ago it was not
unusual for families to build cottages in the countryside for use for holidays and at
weekends. Nowadays, with changes in work patterns and children growing up and often studying or working far away, the area is very quiet most of the
time. If you want to write, or paint pictures, or just enjoy the beautiful Bohemian towns and countryside, this is the perfect place for you.
What is a Bohemian lifestyle? We are not too sure. If you mean gipsy violinists making themselves a nuisance in the hope of a big tip, we have not found any round here! If you are dreading the thought of being stuck behind gaily-painted horse-drawn caravans hogging the fast lane of the E55, forget it! If you want peace and quiet, delightful cafes and restaurants in every town, and low prices in the shops, we have it! You can dine out very well on £3.50 (5 euro), and that includes the beer, our famous national beverage. Prices may be low, but standards are high. British visitors say they are impressed by public conveniences, which they describe as spotless, unvandalised, and usually free! Anything else? Well, there is very little crime, and, even in the towns, vandalism and graffiti are almost non-existent! You also do not find young people hanging around on street corners, either, we have noticed. Where are they then? Our guess is that they are probably at home or in the library swotting up the Theory of Relativity or solving equations with advanced calculus!
Activities: For the more energetic there are deep forests, small mountains, including Kohout (869.5 metres) our local mountain which is clearly visible from the cottage, all waiting for you to explore. There are many charming old towns and villages not far away, including Ceske Krumlov (40 km, 25 miles), which is listed by UNESCO as a site of special importance. The market town of Kaplice is 16km (10 miles) to the west. The whole area is characterized by wonderful countryside with old ponds and streams, for walking, cycling, swimming, and visiting many unique historical sites. It is on the edge of the Novohradsky Hory National Park which extends south and east to the Austrian border.
Local shopping: There are no shops in Kleni (we said it was quiet)! However, there are restaurants, a cafe, a petrol station, and some useful shops in Benesov, 4 km (2.5 miles) from Kleni. In addition there are more very good restaurants, bars, shops and coffeehouses, as well as petrol stations, in Trhove Sviny 10 km (6 miles) away. Usual weekday opening times for small independent shops is usually 8 am to 11 am and 1 pm to 5 pm, but times can vary. As you will be arriving at the weekend it is a good idea to change some money at the border. Larger towns and some supermarkets have many cash machines (ATMs), most of which accept Visa cards. However, visitors from the west soon find that in the Czech Republic a little money goes a long way!
Traffic: Another great feature you will notice in the area is the absence of heavy traffic, and that wherever you go you can usually find somewhere to park free of charge! The lane outside the cottage is a cul-de-sac. It leads only to the Big Lake and to a few "weekend houses". You may see a tractor, and at harvest time two tractors are occasionally reported, but that is the same everywhere in the country.
The South Bohemia Region is one of the most beautiful parts of Czech Republic. We hope you will have a wonderful time here. Be warned: you may not want to go home!
Enquiries and bookings should be sent to the specialist tour and holiday company
DDS TOUR Brno. Website address: www.ddstour.cz The site is in Czech and German languages. Click on Jizni Cechy [South Bohemia].
Any problems? Please contact
Karel Doucha, J. Jezka 43, 370 06 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
Telephone number: +420 387 204 315
Mobile: +420 723 234 259 ; E-mail to: