Its time to head in the eastern direction and my first country to visit is Hungary and I visited its capital city Budapest. Before talking about how stunning and surprising this city was, let me begin with the hotel where I stayed in Budapest. Presenting Danubius Astoria - a heritage hotel with some very interesting historical events that happened here.
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The building which houses the hotel, was built in the beginning of 19th C when it was the blacksmith Benedek Unger's shop. It was located next to city walls & Hatvani gate. By 1808, both were demolished and the site became the Zrinyi Coffee Shop and Inn. In the era, it was an important site where several political and literary meetings & discussions happened. In 1914 March, Hotel Astoria was built. With elevators & central heating system it was a very advanced hotel for the era. During 1918, this hotel hosted the then Count Mihály Károlyi who went on to become the Prime Minister of Hungary for a year until the country's political scenario became unstable.
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Today the hotel is a spectacular reminiscence of the past! What attracted me the most to the hotel, is that it is filled with several antiquities. Not just the carpets and chandeliers, but also several vases, sculptures, furniture, paintings, mirrors, copper brackets and so much more were initially bought to decorate the hotel in its hay times in the 1930s. Most of those have been preserved till date making the interiors, a very charming one! One of the most priced possessions is the vase depicting Nepoleon Boneparte, placed in the breakfast room. The antiquities in display are only a part of what was originally there. They are still under lock and key for the lack of space to display. Also their safety has to be taken care of - for eg., an antique clock placed in the reception fell down after a guest pushed it inadvertently. It is currently being restored.
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The restaurant cum bar is open from 7AM to 11PM and serves a la carte menu to the room throughout. They can accommodate special requests as well, afterall they are a Michelin star restaurant. They did get some sauteed vegetables for Atyudarini's dinner. But do not get it to your room - to sit in the ambiance of the restaurant makes the stay complete. Even if you stay elsewhere, you could just visit the restaurant for a meal. This is more baroque in style with golden detailing all over the ceiling. The best part is the mezzanine floor with a few tables in it. These tables have seated a few writers and film makers when this was a Coffee Shop. Though the current architecture is not the same, its almost an exact replica.
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There are 3 types of rooms here - Standard, Deluxe and Suite. True to any heritage hotel, this too doesn't have all rooms of a type as a ditto copy, there are inherent differences... The most sophisticated and large ones are the Deluxe rooms. The Suite rooms are sometimes smaller but are separated into multiple rooms. There are a total of 138 rooms.
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The rooms are spacious and the decor is a very authentic French Empire styled, even including the crystal chandeliers, high curtains and floor carpeting. Every requirement is well taken care of in a expansive, spacious way - may it be the coat hangers, luggage rack, cupboards. Rooms have the usual supplies of coffee, mini bar, toiletries, sewing kit etc. This one has a shoe shining kit. Dental kit is available on request. The bathroom has a bath tub, a perfect way to unwind after exploring Budapest all day. Quite amusingly, the bathroom also has a bidet! A culture to use a bidet is mixed in each European country. I've been to French houses with it and Dutch houses without it! In order to cater to the wider audience, this bathroom....... has a bidet!!!!
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The breakfast is not complimentary but with a small payment extra. The buffet spread was impressive even for vegetarians - the salad bar was divine. A very comfortable baby booster chair was also given for Atyudarini.
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One of the best features is that there's a metro & tram station just at the entrance of the hotel. The airport connection bus stops exactly in front of the hotel and the last stop of the bus is 1 metro stop from the hotel which is also walkable if you want to get into the bus at the terminus for more space, seating etc.
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There are no pool or spa or sauna. There are 3 meeting rooms available as well, that can seat from 10 persons to 100 persons, so yeah, a very simple wedding with a small guest list can actually make this city a destination wedding place, and this venue for the wedding. Infact it was from one of its today's meeting rooms' balcony that Mihály Károlyi gave his speech to the general public!!!
P.S: I was invited by Budapest Tourism to experience the city for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
To Get There:
On Google Maps: Hotel Astoria, Budapest
Nearest Metro Station: Astoria
To Book online: Hotel Astoria, Budapest
Room rates begin at €76 for standard double rooms.
Breakfast - €13 for guests
Hotel Ph no: +36-1-889-6000
My complete Budapest travelogue: Coming up soon....
P.S: I was invited by Budapest Tourism to experience the city for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.