Stunning boutique hotel with brilliant staff – as good as it gets
We booked the hotel on the strength of some glowing reviews and we were pleased to find that they were not an exaggeration. We booked for five nights and, due to the balcony room (room 5) that we were most keen on not being available for the first three nights, we booked three nights in one of the second-floor courtyard rooms (room 12) and two nights in the balcony room (room 5). Both rooms were fantastic. They were spotlessly clean and spacious and on arrival there were some welcome gifts of prosecco, macarons and fruit, which followed a complimentary welcome prosecco drink in the bar area while we checked in. The weather was boiling during our stay, around 35 degrees, but the room aircon made the rooms nicely cool and it ran very quietly, unlike other hotels we’ve stayed in. The rooms came with a choice of pillows and that, combined with the aircon and a very comfortable bed, made for a great night’s sleep. The balcony in room 5 was fantastic, overlooking the park and nearby cafe and came with a couple of chairs and a table from which we enjoyed a drink and a chill out. The only downside of the balcony room was that being at the front of the hotel there was a little occasional noise from outside as the morning activities started in the neighbourhood. The hotel itself was immaculate. Really stylish interior design which made just being in the building a pleasant experience, with superb staff who were always very friendly and helpful. One evening, we had a lovely cocktail in the bar area which was very well made, and the bar/lounge area also doubled as the breakfast room. At breakfast you can book one of four tables across a number of time slots between 7 and 11 am. This made for a very relaxed atmosphere and made plating up from the buffet area very pleasant. The breakfast food was very high quality and was freshly prepared. They supplied a few additional vegan options for me and my partner particularly enjoyed the breakfast cheese board, cereal, orange, ginger shots, various types of fresh bread, jam, fruit, open sandwich bites and a really tasty paprika hummus. There were also other foods available such as eggs and cold meats, and the staff would prepare off menu dishes on request. The neighbourhood was great. There was an excellent bar/cafe a few metres away at the corner of the park opposite the hotel with seating at the entrance to the park, and a brilliant indoor bar, Csendes. In a nod to the city’s ruin bars, customers of the bar are invited to graffiti the interior walls to leave their mark on the city. Travel around the city was a doddle thanks to the location of the hotel being less than 5 minutes from the excellent tram system and being a 10-minute walk to the river or the city centre sights. The city of Budapest was awesome, and we would have liked to have stayed longer as there were so many sights to see and venues to visit. In summary, we could not recommend this hotel more highly. It’s probably our all-time best hotel stay and was an absolute joy, with the excellent staff being a major factor in really making it special. If/when we return to Budapest there will only be one hotel on our shortlist.