It’s been nice. A comfortable stay, if not our normal style (whatever that is).

So, you are probably thinking, if this is not our normal style, then how did we end up here? And for six days, yet? It’s a very good question. The answer is complicated, involving the way Dan accumulates and uses various points in his business travel and our lack of any good clue regarding a more “local” establishment. Whatever the reason, I’m glad we stayed here.

The Budapest Marriott Hotel enjoys a central location, right on the Danube River on the Pest side, between the Elizabeth and Chain Bridges (Erzsébet híd and Széchenyi lánchíd). The room is light and airy and comfortable. And the front-desk and concierge staff absolutely couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful.

There’s only one drawback, and I’ll be right up front with it. From the outside, the Marriott’s architecture does not fit in well with its environment. As part of the riverscape, it is not in keeping with the historic city–and it’s worse on the side facing the street, which presents an unfriendly wall of concrete.

Trust me, though, it’s not nearly as out-of-keeping with the environment as the Intercontinental, two buildings to the north–for what that’s worth.

From the inside, the Marriott is a whole different story. The corridors have windows that bring in daylight and city views, and every room has a superb river view. This is a part of the view from our room:

We are looking across the Danube at the Buda side of the city, crowned with its royal palace.

What has made our stay even more enjoyable is that as a Gold frequent-stayer with Marriott, Dan is entitled to access to the Executive Club on the ninth floor, with its outdoor terrace overlooking the river. Here, we enjoyed the early morning mist and sunshine along with a full breakfast–juices, breads, croissants, cheeses and deli, scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes, fruit, cereal, yogurt, coffee, and tea.

In the evening the Executive Club offered a substantial (if limited in choices) supper–enough so that if we ate a hot dinner at a restaurant during the day, this completely served for a satisfactory evening meal (though there were a couple of nights when the hot entree featured beef or veal, which Dan and I don’t eat). It included cocktails, wine and beer; appetizers such as marinated mushrooms, grilled zucchini and artichoke hearts, duck breast and goose liver; a variety of cheeses and breads; a hot dinner such as chicken with potatoes, vegetarian ravioli, or duck stew with noodles; and a variety of desserts. It also included stunning late afternoons and sunsets from the deck. 

The evenings, too, were glorious from this vantage point.

Finally, I have to mention the staff at the Executive Club, who are charming and friendly. And the fellow guests we had a chance to meet and chat with.

The Marriott has been a pleasant place to stay, and though we’re eager to be going home, we’ll miss it.