Opt for experiences over objects this season! Whether you'd like to indulge in a festive activity alone or spend quality time with a loved one instead of exchanging gifts, we have rounded up some ideas. From a delightful breakfast and a blissful spa day to theatre tickets and festive dinners, here is how to celebrate the holidays in a memorable way.
Spartisan: Next-level steam treatment
Spartisan is a uniquely designed bathing complex in Budapest that is bound to dazzle you with classic and custom steam treatments in the city's only log wood bath cabin (sauna), various bathing procedures, and a dedicated relaxation room with hammocks. During a steam treatment, your hosts, Sasha and Sergey, use freshly cut, treated oak sauna whisks to control the air and direct the heat onto the body. Various scents and sounds enhance the experience, and guests also undergo skin exfoliation therapy. Each program includes three sessions in the steam cabins, with a cold water bath in between, followed by a pleasant rest in the exclusive, hammock-equipped room where you are welcomed with tea and pastries, alongside homemade jam. You can book directly or get gift vouchers online, which can be redeemed for three different packages. The Spartisan Egoist is a 120-minute package for one person, offering indulgent relaxation. The Spartisan VIP package includes 2 people, while the regular Spartisan package provides a 180-minute program for 3 people. In all three packages, only you or your group will be present in the bath, ensuring a truly personal and extraordinary experience.
More details here.
Tati: New Year's dinner, filled with hearty flavours and local ingredients
Tati, a farm-to-table restaurant nestled in the 7th district, is bidding farewell to 2023 with a special New Year's menu. Offering seasonal specialities with a little twist here and there, the 4-course menu promises a culinary journey. Indulge in the irresistible Tati potato paprikash paired with homemade duck sausage, savour a classic slow-cooked clarified broth with homemade pepper cake, try roasted Mangalica pork belly, mushrooms, pearl barley, and lentil salad, and top it off with a homemade cornmeal pie featuring winter medlar ragout. For vegans, Tati presents an equally tempting alternative – vegan chestnut sausage sarudé in filo pastry, French-style onion soup, served with freshly baked brioche, New Year's lentil variation with wild mushroom meatballs, and truffle accompaniment, along with homemade potato noodles, with walnut praline.
More details and bookings here.
Gundel: Enjoy a feast and support a good cause
Gundel is an iconic restaurant boasting an elegant interior and more than a hundred years of history. They welcome the holiday season with an abundance of traditional festive dishes, which you can indulge in on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. That means a feast of delicious goose liver paté marinated with Tokaji Aszú, fisherman's soup, saddle of venison with fried celery cream, and Christmas walnut mousse drizzled with maple syrup. If you'd like to share the experience, consider surprising a loved one with a Gundel dinner voucher. In doing so, not only do you treat someone special, but you also contribute to supporting a foundation.
More details and bookings here.
For gift vouchers call them at +36 30 603 2480 or send an email to info@gundel.hu
Mystery Hotel Budapest: From brunch to a New Year's Eve party
Mystery Hotel Budapest, once the meeting place of Hungarian Freemasons, is one of the capital's most exciting five-star luxury hotels. Within its historic walls, you can treat yourself to various special experiences among its walls: bid farewell to the year at an exclusive New Year's Eve party, or enjoy a romantic evening with an intimate dinner or a brunch for two at The Great Hall Restaurant & Lounge. Check in for a 2-night recharge, rent out The Sky Garden Rooftop Bar's exclusive venue for up to 6 people – complete with a jacuzzi in the summer –, or indulge in the pampering services of the spa! Speaking of the spa, The Secret Garden Spa is a truly enchanted baroque garden, where you can relax under a wonderful fountain and gigantic plants. They offer a Finnish sauna, steam cabin, hot tub, fitness room, as well as a wide range of body treatments and massages—all set in a magical atmosphere.
More details here. Get gift vouchers here.
+1 Margaret Island Theatre: Foreign and local acts under the stars
If you like special theatre shows, this one needs to go on your bucket list. Better yet, you can ensure to pocket in the experience with an exclusive gift voucher only available in the festive season. Bear in mind that it can only be redeemed in the summer when the open-air Margaret Island Theatre reopens for the season. But here goes the special offer: pay HUF 20,000 now and receive tickets worth HUF 30,000 for the 2024 season – a 33% discount for a unique Christmas gift. Enjoy performances by renowned artists, including Serbian violinist Nemanja Radulović, Cape Verdean singer LURA, the Ballet Preljocaj, American opera tenor Jonathan Tetelman, and an exciting 'How to Train Your Dragon' film concert. Don't miss 'Parade,' a joint production by Boban Marković Orkestar and Székesfehérvár Ballet Theater, and more exciting programmes.
More details and vouchers here.
(Cover photo: Mystery Hotel Budapest – Secret Garden Day Spa)
