The Corinthia Hotel Review Budapest

Sunday, 6 November 2016

A few years ago I was lucky enough to have afternoon tea at the Corinthia Hotel in London. This stunning five-star hotel right in the centre of London has a beautiful foyer, impeccable service and left a lasting impression on me. So when my husband and I decided to take a short break to Budapest and Vienna recently for his birthday, there was only one hotel to stay in, the five-star Corinthia Hotel, Budapest.

The Corinthia Hotel Budapest is an iconic Budapest hotel, originally opened in 1896 and being THE place to stay for famous people including movie stars and dignitaries. You may have heard about it as it was the inspiration for the Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The check in area

The Grand Budapest Hotel is based on The Corinthia Hotel Budapest

As we arrived at the hotel the door staff warmly welcomed us, took our bags and showed us where to check in.

The beautiful foyer

The sweeping staircase

The stunning floor

As you can see the foyer of the hotel is genuinely beautiful with marble everywhere, a grand staircase, and elegant design. My husband and I both thought the hotel had that WOW factor as we walked in.

We were checked in quickly and shown to our room by efficient and pleasant staff.

The comfy bed

Bathroom

Bathroom with shower and bath

The room was the standard room but did feel quite small. The bathroom had a marble sink and was nicely appointed with both shower and bath. The decor was muted beiges and browns and the room had a mini bar, phone, and complimentary water. Whilst it was fine for our needs I guess it didn't live up to our the expectations, especially after seeing the beauty of the rest of the hotel, but I'm probably being very picky here.

We decided to have a wander of the hotel then and explore more.

The Brasserie and Atrium restaurant

The public areas of the hotel are large and are divided by two glass atriums which give the building lots of light, and the height also adds to the grandeur of the hotel. The attention to detail was amazing, the tables for dinner were set up with precision with white tablecloths, high-quality tableware and napkins that were folded 'just so'.

Immaculately set up tables

There are a number of restaurants in the hotel including the Brassiere and Atrium, The Rickshaw restaurant and Bock Bistro.

The Brasserie and Atrium serves an extensive buffet breakfast, as well as dinner and Sunday lunch, I heard the breakfast was excellent but didn't have the chance to try it out.

The Bock Bistro serves tapas style food, a mix of Hungarian and Spanish dishes. This restaurant was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin guide for affordable well-priced food that is carefully cooked and prepared. We tried to get a table last minute for the Bock Bistro but they didn't have a reservation available, our fault for not planning well enough in advance!

The Rickshaw restaurant

The Rickshaw restaurant serves Far Eastern cuisine and we were lucky to be offered the chance to review a meal there.

Inside The Rickshaw Restaurant

You can read about it on my blog soon! The service by Brigitte was excellent and nothing was too much trouble for her. The food was cooked well and presentation of the starters and desserts were exceptional.

Amazing scallops at The Rickshaw Restaurant

Le Bar

Le Bar is the main hotel bar which is stylishly decorated. We had drinks here a couple of times during our stay and the staff was professional, service was quick but drinks were expensive especially for Budapest. The cocktail we had was 3200 HUF, which is around £10. You are in a 5-star hotel, though, just budget for drinks if you like a nice glass of wine or cocktail or two.

They have live music in the bar in the evening. I was serenaded by a violinist one night, which was a lovely touch, and they also had a pianist there another night. It makes for a nice ambiance when you are having a drink and they play a combination of classical, jazz and modern songs like Abba and the Beatles, so something for everyone really.

The Brasserie where breakfast is served

The pool

I kept one the best parts of the hotel until last, the spa and pool area. This area which is over 1000m2 boasts a dedicated fitness room, saunas, steam bath and jacuzzi. Again the beauty of the pool and spa area makes it a joy to use the facilities. My photo doesn't really do it justice.

This trip was part of our Budapest and Vienna vacation that we booked with British Airways. Flights, 3 nights accommodation in The Corinthia Hotel Budapest and 3 nights accommodation at The Guest House Vienna came to £600 per person for two.

Check out the video my husband made on the travel blog we write together, Fly Drive Explore

Standard rates at The Corinthia Hotel Budapest start at 99 Euros a night. When you think that you could easily pay four times that for a stay at The Corinthia Hotel London, you can see, for a five-star hotel, that it is a complete bargain if you get the right price.

The public areas are stunningly beautiful, and we felt, we were so lucky to be able to stay in such a historic hotel. Twice a week they do a free tour of the hotel where they talk about the history of this grand hotel. The facilities are excellent, with the spa area being particularly great. If we went back again we would upgrade to a better room, as the standard room did not have that WOW factor and was small in size.

In summary, we would definitely return and feel that for a five-star hotel you get tremendous value for money. Just bring extra cash for the drinks! Highly recommended.

The Corinthia Hotel Budapest

ERZSÉBET KÖRÚT 43-49
Budapest H-1073
Hungary
TEL: +36 1 479 4000

http://www.corinthia.com/en/hotels/budapest