Glitzy Gresham Palace
The low-down
Not just a grand hotel but a local attraction too, the Art Nouveau Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace sets the standard for luxury in Budapest. Its fairytale-like façade attracts passersby, all keen to get a photo of the hotel’s magnificent lobby. It’s an architectural treasure, sporting swirling stone mosaics, towering iron gates and an eye-catching glass chandelier. Service is excellent and the location is unrivalled, with the famous Chain Bridge just outside its front gate.
Rooms and suites
The hotel’s 179 rooms (including 19 suites) offer an oasis from the busy city streets. Though over 100 years old, the rooms are finished to an elegant standard, with art deco-inspired furnishings, marble bathrooms, insanely comfy beds and marshmallowy pillows, plus all the mod cons you might need.
Dining
Though the cuisine is predominately fine-dining, Kollázs Brasserie and Bar feels like a fashionable New York hang-out. The restaurant is a destination in itself, attracting non-guests in search of a refined evening out.
The food is superb – some of the tastiest in the city – combining Hungarian classics with French influences. To start, we tucked into a sublime, perfectly seasoned goulash and a beautifully plated smoked trout. The venison was the best of the mains, its rich flavours heightened with sweet baked onion and pumpkin. Service was friendly and attentive and the wine list though petite, offers brilliant Hungarian and French pairings. There are masterfully mixed, bespoke cocktails to sip on too.
Things to do
Relax with a herbal tea in the hotel spa, complete with rooftop pool, floor-to-ceiling windows and modern sauna and steam facilities.
The hotel’s location couldn’t be better. Gresham Palace is perfectly placed for the best bits of Budapest. On the Pest side, take a short 15-minute stroll to Váci utca, one of the city’s most popular shopping streets or hop over the Danube and explore Buda’s historic Castle District.
Budapest boasts some of Europe’s best nightlife and you’re in prime footing for it at Gresham Palace. Head to fashionable Brody Studios for a ruin bar-cum-private members’ club or head to hidden speakeasy Her Majesty The Rabbit, though you’ll need to know a member to find it and get in.
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Széchenyi István tér 5-6., Budapest, 1051 Hungary
W: www.fourseasons.com/budapest
T: +36 (1) 268 6000