Budapest Hotels
 

I am planning a trip to Budapest next year and can stay (3 nights) at the Le'Meridien or the Budapest Hilton (Castle Hill). Which would be the best hotel for a first time introduction to this city? I am a Hilton Gold and a Starwoods Platinum.

Personally, I would choose Le Meridien, and this has absolutely everything to do with location and nothing to do with the hotel. The Hilton is in a charming, yet tourist-overrun part of the "old town" of Buda. For me, this is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, but I don't like it to be my hub of activity. Le Meridien is on the Pest side of the river, very near to the Deak ter transport hub. For me, the opportunity to have easy access to all parts of the city make this a better choice.

Many people would disagree with my opinion, as they would love to spend their time in the tourist areas and would find the Hilton very well located for the Matthias Church, the Fishermen's Bastion, and the Castle Hill. For me, I love to visit those places, but I prefer to stay in what I consider the "city" side of Budapest. Your preference should guide your decision.

Again, this has nothing to do with the relative features of each hotel.

How about also because the Hilton is hideously ugly and Le Meridien is nice?

I have stayed at the Meridien. It is indeed very central, and it's a good hotel, nice well-furnished rooms etc, but I found the staff quite unpleasant.

Aside from most of them having more than their fair share of "attitude", they had "concierges" who were unable to locate the train times to BTS ("but we can arrange a car transfer for you, sir") or point us to a restaurant open at 1am (the taxi driver later took us to an area about 1km away from the hotel that had at least 4 places open where you could have a sit-down meal). This was a Priceline stay and it cost us £50 per room per night, so it still offered decent value...But I wouldn't pay more than that, and I'd probably stay elsewhere if I had a choice.
Not stayed at the Hilton, but it's location is just ...wrong. Can't walk to many places from there.

The place to be in BUD IMHO is the Hotel Gellert, though its booking system is a bit awkward. Fantastic location by the river, old-world charm, and in-house thermal baths. Obviously not any good if you're hoping to stay on points, but it's about €100 per night so it's not really expensive either.

I concur about Hotel Gellert. The spa is an excellent way to sooth the tired muscles after touring this beautiful city.
If you go to the Hilton Hotel's sub-forum, you will find several threads about hotels in Budapest, some very current. Here is one of those threads:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...udapest+hilton

I stayed at the Gellert on my first visit to Budapest, and it was a great way to become immersed in the feeling of the city. Regardless of the situation with points, if the OP was considering Le Meridien, the Gellert may be at least 1/2 step down from there. Depending on what the OP is looking for in a hotel, the Gellert would either fit the bill exactly ("old world charming") or be a disappointment ("modern and efficient").

I was at the Budapest Hilton for a week last month. I'd have to agree that as a base for your visit, you're better off on the Pest side. By all means visit the Castle district where the Hilton is located, but if you're not a a conference at the Hilton the Pest side would be much better.

Checked in to the Hotel Gellert last night. Wish I'd picked one of the Hiltons! The Gellert is in a grand old building, so it has the charm factor, but it's extremely lacking in comfort. I'd asked in advance for a room with a new and firm mattress; this is a three-inch flimsy thing that makes my back hurt. You'd at least expect feather or down pillows in a classic old hotel, but no, fiber-fill. There are no washcloths. (And few power plugs in the room, but I expected that.) The drinking glasses are washing in the room by housekeeping, an unsanitary practice that has been getting press coverage the past few years. The only control one has over room temperature is to open a window. The keys are old-fashioned ones that must be turned in to and retrieved from the front desk when coming and going. The breakfast is dreadful: the fruit is canned with syrup, the hot water for tea is cold, there is no salmon, no skim milk.

I walked around the baths today, and didn't see any reason to go in, even though it's free for hotel guests. The pool is small and packed, no way to swim. Sure, it's in a beautiful building, but is that all? What makes them world-famous? From what I saw, Centralbadet in Stockholm was calmer and more peaceful, and less crowded and so less impossible to swim in.

Though it may be a bit late for the OP, but in Budapest I always go for the Pest riverside hotels - that means the Marriott or the Intercontinental (Four Seasons Gresham Palace is not my price range). Both has unbeatable views and excellent Clubs/Lounges

Nice hotel but...
 

I cant speak for the Le'Meridien but we stayed recently at the Hilton in the castle area and we left with mixed feeling. Although the hotel is very nice and has a great executive lounge, the location for exploring the city is a little awkward. The Hilton is on top of a steep hill and walking back after a day of exploring was hard (at least for us was). There is a bus and trolley that goes up to the hotel but for us was inconvenient. The taxi in Budapest is a racket!!! They charged us one night HUF10,000(about $60) for a 5 min ride. When I protested and refused to pay, the very large driver told me not so gently: "you pay or me break your neck!" The hotel doorman opened the taxi door for us but did not wanna get involved in the argument. I was pursued by his argument and payed up. The concierge people told us that this happen all the time; the taxi drivers assume that if you stay at the Hilton you must have money to spread around. You might wanna consider also the Hilton WestEnd.

I'm afraid the concierge was taking you for a ride. The taxi racket in Budapest is a disgrace, and - you can bet your life - the hotel concierges are in on it. This is one area which needs a major clean-up.

GoldieGhe - Please report this to your embassy - if only to help other travellers.

To any would-be visitors to Budapest - NEVER use the flash limousines proffered by your friendly concierge. It is one big scam. You can get round this by asking reception to call you a City Taxi, or call one yourself. The dispatchers speak (at least basic) English.

And if you're in the street - the same applies.

The American Embassy in Budapest publishes a blacklist of restaurants and clubs where their citizens were taken for a ride, as well as other important tips. It should also include more on taxi scams.

Railways, thank you for your comments. I never suggested that the concierge was in the scam; all I meant to say was they were all aware of the problem and my incident wasn't an isolated one. Obviously the Hungarian people ore powerless to do something about it, or they just don't care because only the tourists are being targeted. On some other message board someone from Budapest was saying that this is a case of local corruption where the officials are looking the other way unconcerned about the impact on tourism and city reputation.

I posted my comments on several other travel sites; however, other people, mostly from Budapest, were blaming me for being naive and not exercising more travel savvy.

Yes - unfortunately hailing a cab in the street is another no-no in Budapest. Even if you manage to get one from a reasonably reliable company, the tariff is higher than if you call by phone. Phoning a cab company also gives you the added security that the booking is logged, and there is much less opportunity for the driver to scam you - hailing a cab in the street does not give you this security.

I believe some of the reputable taxi companies also let you text them, which avoids the language issue (IIRC you text your name, address, and pickup time).

Sunbathing in Budapest?
 

Dear All

Advice please.

Would like to go to BUD for a weekend break in July - and SHMBO needs to have a hotel which has facilities for sunbathing.

I like the sound of many of the usual suspects in BUD (neither of us has ever been there) - for example, Four Seasons, IC, Marriott - but I can't work out from their websites whether or not they have any open space for catching the sun!

Please can somebody advise? We would like sun and relaxation more than central location. Thanks.

bmi G