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A Budapest long weekend
Last week I wrote my first trip report as I was travelling and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed writing it and keeping it updated as the trip progressed. In some ways it kept me more connected to the travel and I did a little more exploring of the airport and lounges than I might usually do.
I have three quite different short haul trips coming up over the next three weeks so I’m going to continue with the trip reports, at least for a little while. After last weeks detour to Air France, this weekend it’s back to flying on BA for a quick trip to Budapest. This trip has come about due to: a soon to expire IHG suite night award, a distinct lack of remaining holiday days left because of the number of trips I've made to Bucharest this year (to be explained in a forthcoming report in a couple of weeks), and a desire to depart from T3 in order to enjoy a lounge safari. Budapest was an easy choice for this break and with the use of vouchers and Avios this is a very budget friendly trip. In order to maximise the time in Budapest I’ll be using a lot more organised tourism instead of the “follow your nose” navigation I often employ when exploring a city. Late yesterday afternoon there was a small bump in the road, my originally planned flight BA888 LHR-BUD was cancelled and so I have rebooked onto the earlier BA874 departure. This means there'll be limited lounge time, which I will do my best to make the most of! I was also looking forward to my first flyertalk meet up in the Qantas lounge, organised from the BA Travel Meet Up thread, however with the new earlier departure time this meet up no longer works, which is a great shame. And with that brief intro, the taxi arrival is imminent and it’s time to wash up my coffee mug and head off to Newcastle airport. |
And here we are a gray and overcast morning and looking at the weather forecast Budapest may be more of the same
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...123f49f68.jpeg Newcastle airport arrivals The BA queue was pretty deep, but CE queue was empty. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a592e4ed4.jpeg Newcastle check in queue And thank heavens the queue was empty! As mentioned in the introduction, my original flight had been cancelled and I had accepted an earlier flight online. After that I had been unable to select seat or meal, and also unable to checkin online. It turns out that although I was on the flight I had not been ticketed. The very patient check in agent was on the phone for over 20 minutes before she was able to sort it. Only seat available was 7a so the LHR to BUD is going to be a little cramped but I’m sure I shall cope assuming sufficient quantities of fizzy pain killers ;) This is the first time I have been through Newcastle at this time of day, normally I am on an earlier flight. The airport was incredibly quiet compared to what I am used to. There was absolutely nobody queueing at the boarding pass gates, and no more than a dozen people spread across all the security lines. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6e982bf64.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c70677eb7.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0588a9588.jpeg And now it’s off to the lounge https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c6c7b6521.jpeg |
45 minutes from kerb to lounge is a new record for me at Newcastle, and not in a good way! Chatting to the hostess whilst checking into the lounge she was telling me that I had not long missed the morning rush and that this was their quiet period before it ramped up again in a couple of hours. I was able to upgrade to the plus lounge off the back of my BA ticket, something that I’d previously been told was not possible, so clearly that policy is staff dependent
The lounge was as quiet as you might expect https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e79393b50.jpeg Aspire plus lounge newcastle You can see that some of the food has been well picked over and some recently replenished. Standard fare for the aspire lounge https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fc82022f2.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7bb9796e5.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...87faf8f32.jpeg And with that it is time to get a fresh glass of fizz, sit back, and relax for 30 minutes befire heading over to the gates https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...14b89e168.jpeg |
Boarding was quick and easy, both lanes opened simultaneously and it was straight through from boarding pass check to jet bridge, and here we are on BA1327 NCL-LHR. Plenty of legroom in 1F and proof this week that I can just about iron trousers if I try, unlike last week!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0baa69e9b.jpeg Next stop, LHR Terminal 5 |
Take off was delayed by twenty minutes by some tardy passengers and delays in loading luggage, Once in the air the cabin crew sprung into action pretty early and my special meal was delivered within a couple of minutes. I have been working my way through all of the special meals and this morning was the Diabetic offering. The poached chicken with carrot julienne was very tasty. The rhubarb desert I have encountered before and I believe my last description of it was a gloopy glutinous mess :). It is definitely bottom of the list for all the deserts I’ve had on board so far. The crew were excellent and managed to squeeze main service and a couple of top ups into a very short flight window.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8247312ad.jpeg As we proceeded north the clouds cleared and we were lucky to get some spectacular views of the city as we came over London https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6596269df.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1dbba1569.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5ca6be051.jpeg The timings for NCL-LHR are very generous and so we made up most of the departure delay and arrived a mere 5 minutes late. My Budapest flight is from T3 so now its time for the great Heathrow tour from T5 to T3 |
Transit time was a touch over 30 minutes. I cursed loudly when I came down the escalator to see the buss pull off, but there was another one waiting immediately behind it :D
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8ad1e308f.jpeg Arrived to the standard subterranean bus doors, through secondary security very quickly, and up the lift to enter T3 departures next to the centurion lounge. T3 as usual was pretty busy and I made my way over to the lounges https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ce16b2f1a.jpeg |
The entrance to the Cathay lounges is, well, understated!
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f56cd3512.jpeg Once you exit the lift there is a reception that serves both the business and first class lounges and I like them both for different reasons. Cathay’s lounges are considered the best of the T3 oneworld lounges and for good reason. I can best describe the First Class lounge as an Asian influenced gentleman’s club…. That’s a club for Gentlemen, not a club for ‘gentlemen’ if you take my meaning! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8ca721260.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6b488a5d4.jpeg The seated dining area was very busy so I didn’t take a photo, but I did snap the menu https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2d6ab502f.jpeg Given the short time I had available I decided to graze the pantry https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...546e409bf.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3239d6a72.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cc4b11e92.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5991a54f1.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...85db6a258.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d1781f37d.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...35d1f1354.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f52ce07f.jpeg The food in this lounge is excellent. The first thing I head for are the spicy olives, they’re amazing. I’m not ashamed to say that I went back for a second Malaysian chicken pastry :) |
All too soon it was time to head over to gate 5a for BA874, LHR-BUD. There was no group segregation for checking into the gate however they did board strictly according to group
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...482f43af0.jpeg Group 1 was called and we headed down the jet bridge only to be told that they were not ready for us onboard. It was only a minute or two and then we were allowed onboard. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2578083d1.jpeg Because my original flight was cancelled unfortunately I’ve lost my row one seat so leg room is not the best, I’m sure champagne can soothe my angst ;) https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7ab22dfb8.jpeg That brings me up to date and as I finish typing this the doors have just been closed and we are ready to push back. Next stop, Not the first time I’ve made that mistake :) |
Double post, thats twice it’s happened :(
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The flight departed a little late as the plane was overweight due to the fuel handler adding an extra 500kg and, as a result, some bags had to be offloaded!
Once underway the drinks service commenced within 20 minutes and as soon as the 7 rows were served the food followed immediately thereafter. I had originally ordered a special meal but lost this in the reschedule but by lucky happenstance I got to sample the Thai curry rather than the Hindi curry originally ordered. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6cd1852ab.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e8a598bc7.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...df6d22dd2.jpeg the entire meal was very pleasant and washed down with a couple of glasses of castelnau the time passed quickly and we were on an early descent in order to miss some turbulence |
There was quite a bit of turbulence on the way down, to the extent that one gentleman learned that holding your full glass in mid-air is a great way to see the drink go north, whilst the glass goes south, and I’m sure you can imagine the drenching that followed! Soon enough we were on the ground and Budapest
has some seriously funky designs for its jet bridges https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0b97b2809.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b55e090d.jpeg Passport control was quiet and the egate worked first time, and I was land side within ten minutes of landing. My booked taxi had asked that I WhatsApp her once I reached one of the pickup zones, which I duly did, and she was there within five minutes to take me onwards to the Intercontinental hotel. When we reached the intercontinental I got a bit of a shock as the crew from my flight were just getting out of a minibus to check in! After a little banter suggesting they could have saved me a taxi ride they headed to their rooms and I took my turn at check in. |
I was very lucky on check in, receiving a three level upgrade to this
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cc1000e0d.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eee1feea0.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...76916728f.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...93d2f2e53.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...091964539.jpeg I also have club lounge access so with a couple of hours to kill I dropped my bags and headed down to the lounge https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2637c9340.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...36d29e7ab.jpeg |
And this is a line of waffle due to a double post off the mobile ;)
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The lounge is very well appointed and as per the timetable, canapés and happy hour were in full swing
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...43b32cc93.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a014388fb.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9e880cbc3.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ae3261846.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...630e0f353.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6b4fae0a3.jpeg With my timetable for tomorrow I’m unlikely to be able to take much advantage of the lounge beyond breakfast but it is very well appointed. I’ll try to take picture of the lounge itself tomorrow, there were too many people in there this evening and I didn’t want to impinge upon their privacy. The nibbles I tried were very nice and the Hungarian wines were excellent. |
And this brings me onto why these updates are slightly delayed :)
As I was pouring my first glass of wine I ran into the captain of our incoming flight and we got to chatting. Apparently flight crew get access to the club lounge when staying in Budapest. I spent the next two hours talking with him about all things aviation and BA, and before I knew it I had to head off to my evening cruise. That was the most interesting conversation I’ve had in some time. it was time for a short walk along the river to deck 10 to join my evening cruise up and down the river, and that is where I sit now writing this update |
The views from the river have been outstanding and if you, dear reader, are ever in Budapest I recommend it as a pleasant way to pass and hour
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c79dabae9.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...30b573bc3.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3a68de602.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...044fa7d04.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7831df26f.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...01ea9d1c4.jpeg M |
After a sedate ten minute stroll I’m back at the intercontinental for a nightcap. Chatting to the doorman on entry he tells me that occupancy is constantly above 97% so the hotel never really sleeps.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...59d9c0792.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3afbec0ad.jpeg unfortunately all of the food service has finished so it is a coin toss on room service or an early night and a big breakfast … time will tell. And on that note it is time to enjoy a nightcap and head for the suite. Next stop… breakfast! |
Last night the munchies won and i ordered a club sandwich which arrived a bit beige on beige, but was tastier than it looked.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c1a753f80.jpeg I am happy to report that the bed is incredibly comfortable. A solid eight hours sleep has set me up for the day. The shower in the room is nothing special, a hand held extension from the bath taps, but the water pressure is immense, clearly pumped, and at full open will wake you up nicely! Its a shame there’s not a waterfall shower because with that water pressure it would be amazing. The weather this morning is not looking great, clearly it has been raining recently and it is dull and overcast https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...efde6fa23.jpeg still a fabulous view from the room, rain or not The forecast for the rest of the day is more of the same so I may be getting a little damp, we shall see. My first tour is not until 10:30 so I’ve a couple of hours to spare, time for breakfast and a little explore of the hotel |
The lounge offers a very substantial breakfast spread and eggs of your choice available to order
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c71640e5f.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...50688751c.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c6ed616cd.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3a44edf1d.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a26eb88ee.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...48fd7622d.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5df16dc04.jpeg I like these little A frame flip over cards celebrating all things Hungarian that are scattered around https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0344146c1.jpeg |
Pancakes and bacon devoured before pictured :)
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...67af26809.jpeg Some pictures of the lounge whilst it is quiet https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b28263d77.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...80cfb492e.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a0e0343b8.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...27c798f74.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6188b32e8.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4e48383ab.jpeg |
And here we go, my transport for the next three hours
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Or not 😆
Tour is delayed until 2:30 due to the rain and so it is time for a bit of follow your nose navigation and rain shower dodging https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea38617f6.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...649406d55.jpeg |
A quick pit stop back at the hotel, as my wandering led me almost to the front door. A little time to dry out before heading along the river past the chain bridge
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...85bd38d3a.jpeg I’ve quickly realised that you need to keep your eyes open, there is art absolutely everywhere and not always obvious, such as this tiny bronze poodle on the wall close to the hotel, and this little painted stone that has been left on top of another bronze https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f5681bacb.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f1ce38d8a.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...688b9cae4.jpeg |
Unsurprisingly pretty empty streets. Hardly scratched the surface today, definitely a city I will return to next year.
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The joy of a Segway tour is the amount of distance you cover, the disadvantage being it’s fleeting, but does set you up for what to return to later
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...97d1266d3.jpeg Handsome chap https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d71a4f88f.jpeg Parliament https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...807549a91.jpeg Russian liberation monument https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...249f2e22a.jpeg Shoes https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...03b2477a3.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...89aa2264b.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6a0d0547a.jpeg |
Far too much chattering means the Segway tour has run straight back to back with the ruin bar tour, so it’s beer o’clock :D
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https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eac80c091.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...589ac2387.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f4252ac6.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c9920103c.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f983fb7d8.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0aa2864ba.jpeg complete fail to photo the first beers, I was obviously thirsty! Now into the ‘fig bar’ and a very nice dark beer https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4074734b0.jpeg |
Great photo report. I've always had Budapest on my list to visit someday but your report has encouraged me to make it happen sooner rather than later.
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Originally Posted by Toula
(Post 35608790)
Great photo report. I've always had Budapest on my list to visit someday but your report has encouraged me to make it happen sooner rather than later.
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https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5703d4aab.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eb98d1f00.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bbffa8b39.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d425e08c2.jpeg After a small beer and a Unicum it was time to head back to the hotel for food. There are loads of great looking restaurants on the way back but I have some food and beverage credit and it’s a shame to waste it, plus the Lebanese restaurant is very highly rated. |
I’ve gone for what is far too much food, three meze plus a main course but having had nothing but a langosh in the last 10 hours we will see.
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A ‘little’ amuse bouche of zaatar bread!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1c97a77b5.jpeg And this excellent Chardonnay https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2380db555.jpeg |
We have the spicy potatoes, hummus with meat, and kibbeh, plus some pita bread
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9b91887b3.jpeg This could be a challenge even before the mains arrive! |
And the schwarma
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...60b631ac5.jpeg all of the dishes were very good. The spicy potatoes were very spicy and made a great foil for the grilled beef. The Kibbeh would be the one dish that disappointed slightly, and only because it needed a sauce. It was perfectly cooked and spiced but fell apart and you ended up chasing ground beef around the plate where a sauce would have tied it all together. Very reasonably priced, with a beer and two glasses of wine the total bill came in well short of £50. It now 11pm and just finishing off another glass of the excellent Chardonnay before heading to bed. A lazy start tomorrow as I don’t need to leave the hotel until close to noon |
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A dark and moody photo to close the day because for some reason the phone has decided that this is bright enough and no flash required. In any event, a Remy Martin XO and an americano will see the night out nicely :) |
A reasonable but not great nights sleep due to a very noisy air conditioner. Fiddle with the controls as I might I could not get it to shut down. Around 2am I got up to see if there was an idiots guide to the seemingly simple but ineffective controls, and then I noticed a second controller in the bedroom almost completely hidden by the TV! Silence ensued but return to sleep took a while.
This morning is once again gray and overcast but there are occasional breaks in the cloud so maybe a little sun is on the way for my final few hours https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f401fb99a.jpeg The breakfast offering in the lounge is identical to that at the weekend so it is time to settle in with a coffee and watch the world go by. |
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This morning there will just be enough time for a little retail therapy before my airport transfer. There was a very interesting chocolate shop that was closed when I passed by yesterday, and I also want to have a longer wander up past the chain bridge. |
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https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dbf09c1ba.jpeg Chocolate acquired, bags packed, just time for a quick coffee before my airport pickup. Next stop, Budapest airport. |
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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1aa701807.jpeg Quickly through the airport, security was empty, passport control likewise, and up into the lounge all in under 15 minutes. Departure board is currently showing the flight as on time but I’m getting all sorts of doom and gloom updates from flightly and TripIt so expecting that to change |
Very nice observation deck up at the lounge level
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9be1a0a9e.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d74fe8e5b.jpeg I must admit that my heart sank a little bit when I saw that it was a plaza premium lounge but I’ve been very pleasantly surprised https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b8a7363c0.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0fb3a6d73.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea4a0a3ab.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...99933bff4.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ab1a56d30.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7bcc1de30.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5de83cae1.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c3e3ef2f2.jpeg |
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