Danubius Hotel Gellert Budapest

I booked my stay at the Gellert Hotel online after seeing the photos of the baths that are located downstairs. I had read many reviews online (mainly on Expedia) that had mentioned some negative points, however I decided that I should make up my own mind and try it for myself.

I think the location of the hotel is great, as it is far enough away from the tourist trap areas and yet still close enough to be able to get around Budapest. There is a bridge about 50m away from the hotel and across the other side of this bridge is the main shopping street of Budapest. The Palace which is on this side of the river is only a 15 minute walk away as well so i was able to cover a large area all within an easy walk from the hotel.

I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful and all the staff i spoke to understood German and English perfectly.

I was disappointed with the room however, now I only stayed in a single room so I have no idea if a double is much different. The size of the room wasn't the issue as I had plenty of space, a desk to sit at, a fridge and the usual amenities. The problem for me was the bed, it was quite hard and uncomfortable and the pillow is one of those where as soon as your head rests it becomes flat like a pancake. The biggest Issue by far however was the lack of Air conditioning. The room comes with a free standing fan which helps a little bit, however i found it far too hot to get a good nights sleep.

The other issue i had with this hotel was the lack of Internet in my room, I have stayed at around 60 hotels in my 6 months of traveling and very few do not have Internet in the rooms. There is a business center downstairs with a few internet computers however i found them to be expensive. It costs 1000 Forints for half and hour and 2000 forints for 2 hours or internet usage.

Ok, now that I have gotten all the negative things out of the way its on to the reasons why you should stay here. I paid $110 Australian dollars per night to stay here which is good value when you get breakfast in the morning and free access at anytime to the Gellert Baths downstairs.

The breakfast is the usual continental style with cereal, fruit, breads, eggs and bacon which is great.

The Baths are what make this hotel a great place to stay, included in the price of the hotel is a Bath pass that allows you entrance to the baths whenever you feel like it. I have no idea how much the cost would be for someone not staying at the hotel but I took advantage of the card as much as I could. There is a lift in the hotel that takes you directly down to the baths.

The Gellert baths has a range of services (all free for hotel guests), including an outdoor pool, indoor pool (my favourite), thermal pools, different types of Saunas and different massaging services.

so at the end of the day if you can live with an uncomfortable bed with no air conditioning for the length of your stay I would recommend this place. I enjoyed my time here and will stay here again when I return to Budapest in the future.