Luhačovice is alive, it's just quieter than usual

Author of the article: Jitka Voglová | Last update: November 10, 2020

Spa stays work even in times of government action. But something is different than usual. Those who regularly visit this spa town framed by wooded hills will certainly know the difference, especially by ear.

There is no music to listen to, let alone dance to, from the pubs, cafes and patisseries otherwise wide open to newcomers, nor is there loud chatter, laughter and clinking of crockery from the front gardens. The Elektra Culture Club doesn't smell of disco at night, and the "socially tired" regulars who don't want to go home don't draw attention to themselves on the street in front of Bar Amerika, or anywhere else for that matter. Even shops selling clothes and other goods that are surplus to requirements are closed. Traffic on the road has thinned. And people, probably without being aware of it, in the greater silence are not talking too loudly either, but rather quietly. Even the typical spa invitation to flirt doesn't hang in the air. Few people are interested in physical contact now.

Now, conversations don't scare people with a face veil. You can see that the need to share anything together - even the fear of what's happening, even the hope that maybe it's all getting better - is universally human. Guests share knowledge about spa treatments or where the playground is, where they have a good brew by the window or which restaurant delivers hot food to order. The drapes and the quiet seem to shift the atmosphere of this unusual place more towards reality and the nature around. The desire to impress or hunt someone down turned into a desire not to be alone, to share a common lot and encourage each other.

Coffee and dessert, chocolate, a snack or the whole menu

"I'm so glad you approached me," the senior in the red beret responded cheerfully when I asked if I could take her picture. Antonia Otčenášková from Hradec Králové looked very pretty in the alley above the theatre. "I am enjoying Luhačovice much more than ever this time, especially the peace. You can hardly experience it anywhere nowadays," she confided in the conversation, which we eventually extended to 20 minutes. "Normally we are surrounded by a lot of noise and lights, a kind of smog. But you only realise that when some of the artificial sounds and lights go quiet and turn off or stop flashing. And let me tell you, it's a balm. Definitely good for your health." The fact that some shops are closed doesn't bother Mrs Otčenášková. At least, she says, she spends less money. She spends her time outside of treatments walking in the city, in the woods, in the hills and around the dam. All she misses is the pleasure of sinking into a chair somewhere in a nice, warm café and writing a letter.

Luhačovice, like the rest of the Czech Republic, will have to wait a little longer for cozy cafes, but otherwise, the spa's food and refreshment establishments are not hopeless. For example, the famous bakery by the post office and the windows with spa waffles are functioning. Several cafés offer quality coffee to go. Even with a dessert you can have it at the Ice Cafe on the pedestrian zone, in Myslivna near the theatre you can order a pancake with hot raspberries for a change, in the new Caffé Corso shop right on the colonnade you can complement your coffee with mulled or unculled wine. Just next door, the Salon de Thé shop offers salted caramel and gingerbread in addition to tea, while the Oxalis shop next door sells tea and coffee to brew at home.

The stylish Chocolate Shop U Najády in the tower house, a short walk from the Dr. Št'astný spring, will let you into the shop. Or a shop with herbs and healthy products by the road towards Uherský Brod. A little further away from the centre you will be welcomed in a cheese shop. The coffee roastery across the road doesn't seem to have driven customers away either.

What about the food? Hot food can be delivered to your home or hotel room by ordering from places like Pizzeria Retro, Toms Grill or U Koňa restaurant. Sluneční bistro - a restaurant with healthy, meat-free meals, somewhat hidden between the Elektra Cultural Center and the post office - is also planning a delivery in the second half of November.