Mysterious new five-star opens near Nyugati
Set in a former masonic lodge dating back to the seminal historic year of 1896, a new five-star luxury lodging has opened close to Nyugati station. The aptly named Mystery Hotel is themed around mystique, its grandiose interior fashioned by award-winning hotel designer Zoltán Varró, responsible for the Aria Hotel in the city centre. Here, sumptuous guestrooms have been created according to certain architectural styles of Ancient Greece. Doric, in particular, is also echoed in the Secret Garden Day Spa, all palm trees, fountains and panoramic views. Dining takes place on the fourth-floor Great Hall, where Budapest’s freemasons would congregate behind heavy curtains and beneath a giant chandelier. Here, guests can also gather for complimentary afternoon snacks from 4pm. As part of a current introductory offer, you can find doubles for €165, excluding city taxes. District VI. Podmaniczy utca 65. More details
Bag a bargain at the Gellért
Running until the end of the year, Budapest’s legendary Gellért Hotel is offering double rooms for as little €48 a night. Guests can look forward to a buffet breakfast and discounted admission to the adjoining baths, an architectural wonder. Although only a certain number of rooms are available at this Early Bird rate, another offer allows you to snaffle up a double for €60/night, with free cancellation, up to the day before arrival. A buffet breakfast and reduced rates for spa entry are also part of the package. If you’re coming for the weekend, look out for savings of up to 25% on three-night stays. The most famous Budapest spa hotel of all, the riverfront Gellért opened shortly after World War I, in Art-Nouveau style, all part of the Grand Tour in the 1920s and 1930s. District XI. Szent Gellért tér 2.More details
New GM at the Ritz-Carlton, Budapest
With nearly 30 years in the hotel industry behind him, much-travelled Hugo Lecanda is a welcome new arrival to the team at The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest. With postings all around the Spanish-speaking world, most recently at The Ritz-Carlton, Abama in Tenerife – with a two-Michelin Star restaurant and golf course – Lecanda is well versed in what it takes to deliver top-class hospitality. His awards include Best General Manager in Spain in 2016 and the 5 Diamond Award for the Caribbean & Latin America Region, when he was General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun in Mexico. The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest sits in the heart of the city, and features three quality dining and drinking outlets, as well as a high-end spa. More details
Burger month at the Radisson Blu Béke
From 9 May, it’s Hamburger Week all month at the Zsolnay Coffee House in the Radisson Blu Béke Hotel, Budapest near Nyugati station. In a convivial, award-winning interior, the burgers on offer showcase the whole range of local and international gastronomic trends. Executive chef József Jaksics has been given free rein to throw in shrimp in rice buns, goose liver, vegetarian and portobello-blue cheese options. The local MONYO brewery provides craft brews or there’s elderberry lemonade. The Zsolnay operates daily from 8am to midnight – reservations on +36 1 889 3966. District VI. Teréz körút 43.More details
Travel back in time at the Corinthia
One of several packages currently on offer at the Corinthia Hotel, Budapest, AGrand Hotel Experience celebrates both the cinematic past of this legendary lodging and the fifth anniversary of Wes Anderson’s movie smash, The Grand Budapest Hotel. This beautiful Grand Boulevard building dates back to 1896. Soon afterwards, the Lumière brothers gave a presentation of their seminal invention and film screenings took place in the coffeehouse. In 1915, the Royal Apollo Film Theatre was converted from the hotel’s stunning ballroom, screening the major features of the day. Every premiere here was a social event, ladies and gentlemen arriving in suits and elegant dresses, often staying for dinner after the movie. Today, as part of the Grand Hotel Experience, guests are treated to a film about the Corinthia’s gilded past, a historical tour of the building, a complimentary cocktail and a 50-minute massage at the sublime spa centre. District VII. Erzsébet körút 43-49.More details
