The Budapest Marriott Hotel
Our favorite time of the year to travel is in the spring and fall. The two largest motivational factors are that there are usually fewer crowds during these seasons and normally the weather is more pleasant. One recent spring trip was to Budapest. Before going on this trip, I had always heard that the three most beautiful and romantic cities of the world were Paris, Vienna and Prague. Well we’ve been to all three and we have to agree that they are all beautiful and romantic, however; I have to tell you that Budapest is a true contender for the right to be among the short list of the most romantic and beautiful cities in the world.
We stayed at the Budapest Marriott Hotel which is located on the banks of the Danube River and our room had a great view of the Buda Castle (the Royal Palace) which is right across the river. The city is actually divided by the Danube River with the western side being Buda and the eastern being Pest which is where the hotel is located. The hotel exterior looks like something out of cold-war era Eastern Europe, but the interior is lovely.
The Hotel is in the heart of the sightseeing, entertainment and shopping area, and just a 10 minute walk from the Vaci Utca (Pedestrian Shopping Street) and Rudas Baths.
Since the hotel is located right along the river, there are lots of wonderful cafes, bars and restaurants within a block of the hotel, where you can sit and watch the amazing view of the river boats on the Danube and Buda Castle while enjoying Hungarian food.
The palace (on the Buda side) which is considered the old part of Budapest, is a truly majestic place and the view from our side of the river; especially at night with all the lights illuminating the castle is magical.
Our room was spacious and well appointed, and on one of the uppermost floors of the hotel which had access to the Executive Lounge (in the USA, Marriott refers to this as the Concierge Level Lounge) which is a good place to pick up a drink or a snack in the evening. However, we were unaware that this area also provided a full breakfast on a daily basis without charging an additional fee until we had been there several days. The vast majority of Marriott hotels that I have stayed in, only served a “Continental Breakfast” of pastries and fruit in their executive lounge.
Up until the time we found out about this full breakfast in the Executive Lounge we had been eating in the hotel restaurant every day and paying approximately $30 to $40 daily for the two of us. I’m bringing this up just to tell you not to assume that practices that you are familiar with will always remain constant from hotel to hotel, even with chains. ASK SOMEONE! You may save some money!
Up until the time we found out about this full breakfast in the Executive Lounge we had been eating in the hotel restaurant every day and paying approximately $30 to $40 daily for the two of us. I’m bringing this up just to tell you not to assume that practices that you are familiar with will always remain constant from hotel to hotel, even with chains. ASK SOMEONE! You may save some money!
Our room was very nice, with a great view as I mentioned before and the Lobby was large and comfortable with a small gift and sundries shop, but the thing I remember most about the hotel interior was the large bar where they served draft Budvar. Budvar is a Czech beer I fell in love with during an earlier visit to the Czech Republic. Naturally we had to make that our first stop after we checked in just because it was there!
Photo courtesy of Marriott Hotel Budapest Website
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/travel/budhu-budapest-marriott-hotel/
