My wife and I spent a couple of nights in this classic example of a communist era upmarket hotel. During the communist era it was virtually impossible for Hungarians to travel outside of their own country, so in-country tourism was very popular, especially walking, but don't be fooled into thinking that everyone was equal. There were workers hostels (excellent for their function) and there were places like this, where party apparatchilks could relax in beautiful surroundings.

The hotel is slightly faded, but the gardens are a delight and the food was excellent. We paid about 12,000 forints (30 pounds) for a double room plus breakfast: a superb supper was about 8,000 forints for the two of us. The hotel has fabulous views, and is surrounded by forest with lots of well marked forest trails. If you are visiting Hungary and want to see a bit of the country outside Budapest, hire a car and nip up the M3 to this hotel, it's only about 90 minutes from Budapest. An unexpected... more