Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 298

The pension is on a narrow, quiet street just a few minutes by foot from the hubbub
of central Pest.
V. Pilvax köz 1-3, 1052 Budapest. & 1/266-7660. Fax [phone]. www.taverna.hu. 32 units. 79 € ($94) single;
99 ($118) double. Rates 20% lower in low season. Rates include breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Ferenciek tere

(Blue line). Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; bike rental; business center; laundry service. In room:A/C, TV w/pay movies,
minibar, hair dryer, safe.

€

Peregrinus ELTE Hotel Peregrinus ELTE Hotel is ideally situated in the heart
of the Inner City of Pest, across the street from a historic Serbian church on a small
side street half a block from Váci utca, the popular pedestrian-only street. This is the
guesthouse of Pest's ELTE University. While many guests are affiliated with the uni-
versity, the hotel is open to the public as well. The building dates from the turn of the
20th century and was renovated before the hotel was opened in 1994. The rooms are
simple but comfortable. You should reserve well in advance. Payment must be in cash
in Hungarian forints.
V. Szerb u. 3, 1056 Budapest. & 1/266-4911. Fax [phone] units. 24,000 Ft ($120/£62) double; 18,000 Ft
($90/£46) in high season. Rates include breakfast. No credit cards. No parking. Metro: Kálvin tér (Blue line). In room:
A/C in the attic units, TV, minibar.
Inexpensive
Hotel MEDOSZ The MEDOSZ was formerly a trade-union hotel for agri-
cultural workers. It is located on Jókai tér, in the heart of Pest's theater district, just
across the street from the bustling Liszt Ferenc tér. The neighborhood surrounding the
hotels is also one of Pest's centers of nightlife. A couple of blocks from the Opera
House, this is as good as it gets off the river in central Pest. The rooms are simple but
clean. The hotel remains a great value given its location. Unfortunately, this hotel
maintains discriminative pricing, with a separate pricing structure for Hungarians
than for international guests. Next door to Hotel MEDOSZ is one of Budapest's spe-
cial treats for children: a puppet theater (bábszínház).
VI. Jókai tér 9, 1061 Budapest. & 1/374-3000. Fax [phone]. www.medoszhotel.hu. 67 units. 55 € ($66) double.
Rates are 20% lower in low season. Rates include breakfast. DC, MC, V. Metered on-street parking difficult in neigh-
borhood; there is an indoor garage in nearby Aradi utca. Metro: Oktogon (Yellow line). Amenities: Restaurant; bar;
laundry service. In room:TV.

Value

Value

CENTRAL BUDA
Very Expensive
Danubius Hotel Gellért This splendid, sprawling Art Nouveau hotel first
opened in 1918. Much of it is run down now, but 38 rooms were refurbished in 2000,
and there are tentative plans for more renovations. It's still one of the most charming
hotels in Budapest, and the spa is among Budapest's most famous. Located at the base
of Gellért Hill in Buda, on the bank of the Danube, the Gellért is one of several ther-
mal bath hotels in Budapest that are managed or owned by Danubius Hotels. The cir-
cular hotel lobby has marble columns and a mezzanine level. The quality and size of the
rooms vary greatly—it seems to be hit-or-miss. Only 29 rooms have air-conditioning
and 38 rooms don't have tubs. Some rooms with balconies offer great views over the
Danube, but these can be noisy since the hotel fronts loud and busy Gellért Square.
Many of the back-facing rooms afford nice views of the baths and the neighboring
gardens and buildings. For the best rooms, ask for a Danube-facing king-size refurbished
room.
While the majority of guests don't come for the official spa treatment, there are a
number of spa-related facilities that all guests can use free of charge: two pools (one

Kids