Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 299

indoor, and one outdoor with child-pleasing artificial waves), a steam room, and the
Art Nouveau Gellért Baths, perhaps the most popular of Budapest's thermal baths
(most travelers visit them at least once during their stay). If you come in the summer,
a nighttime plunge under the stars is a must.
XI. Gellért tér 1, 1111 Budapest. & 1/889-5500. Fax [phone]. www.danubiusgroup.com/gellert. 234 units.
130 € -210 € ($156-$252) double; 270 € ($324) suite. Rates include breakfast and use of the spa. AE, DC, MC, V. Park-

ing 8 ($9.60) per night. Tram: 47 or 49 from Deák tér. Amenities: 3 restaurants; bar; 2 swimming pools (1 indoor,

1 outdoor) and thermal pools; sauna; tour desk; car rental; business center; shops; limited room service; massage;
babysitting; laundry service. In room:A/C (some rooms), TV, minibar, hair dryers (in refurbished rooms), robe, safe.
Expensive
Hotel Astra Vendégház This little gem of a hotel opened in 1996 in a ren-
ovated 300-year-old building on a quiet side street in Buda's lovely Watertown neigh-
borhood. The rooms are large, with wood floors and classic Hungarian-style furniture;
the overall effect is a far more homey and pleasant space than is found in most
Budapest hotel rooms. Indeed, the hotel is tasteful through and through, and the staff
is friendly. Some rooms overlook the inner courtyard, while others face the street.
There is a dark cellar bar with a pool table, and a simple, unadorned breakfast room.
I. Vám u. 6, 1011 Budapest. & 1/214-1906. Fax [phone]. www.hotelastra.hu. 12 units. All units are doubles and
cost 150

€

Finds

($108) for 1. No credit cards. Rates include breakfast. Rates 10% lower in
low season. Only meter parking is available on street. Metro: Batthyány tér (Red line). Amenities: Restaurant; bar;
car-rental desk; babysitting (upon request). In room:A/C, TV, minibar.
Moderate
Best Western Hotel Orion Conveniently located in Buda's Watertown neigh-
borhood, between Castle Hill and the Danube, this small five-story hotel is tucked
away on a relatively quiet street near many of the city's best sights. Though the rooms
are bright and cheerful enough, and five have balconies, they unfortunately lack cas-
tle and river views. Döbrentei tér, a messy but convenient transportation hub, is a few
minutes away by foot. Pets are welcome.
I. Döbrentei u. 13, 1013 Budapest. & 1/356-8933 or 1/356-8583. Fax [phone]. www.hotels.hu/orion. 30 units.
88

€ ($180) for 2 people and 90 €

($134) double. Rates include breakfast. Rates lower in low season. AE, DC, MC, V. Free park-
ing on street. Tram: 19 from Batthyány tér to Döbrentei tér. Pets welcome. Amenities: Restaurant; sauna; tour desk;
car-rental desk; limited room service; nonsmoking floors. In room:A/C, TV, dataport, minibar.
Inexpensive
Charles Apartment House This is one of the better housing deals in
Budapest. Owner Károly Szombati has gradually amassed 70 apartments in a group of
apartment buildings in a dull but convenient Buda neighborhood (near the Hotel
Novotel). The apartments are a 30-minute walk or a 5-minute bus ride from down-
town Pest. All accommodations are ordinary Budapest apartments in ordinary residen-
tial buildings. The furnishings are comfortable and clean, and all apartments have full
bathrooms and kitchens. Hegyalja út is a very busy street, but only two apartments
face out onto it; the rest are in the interior or on the side of the building. A nearby
park has tennis courts and a track. There is a new restaurant in the apartment com-
plex, and a pub and grocery store nearby. The friendly, English-speaking reception is
open 24 hours.
I. Hegyalja út 23, 1016 Budapest. & 1/212-9169. Fax [phone]. www.charleshotel.hu. 70 units. 48 € -136 €
($57-$163) apt for 1-4. Rates include breakfast. Rates approximately 5% lower in low season. AE, DC, MC, V. Park-
ing 8.50

€ ($105) single; 112 €

Value

($10) per day. Bus: 78 from Keleti pu. to Mészáros utca. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; bike rental; tour desk;
business center; babysitting; laundry service. In room:A/C, TV, kitchen, minibar, hair dryer, safe.

€