First a big thanks to all who helped with suggestions, websites, etc. to assist me in my never-ending overdose of trip organization.

We were very excited about going to budapest and we were not disappointed.

We stayed at the millenium court marriot apts. which IMO were excellent value for money with their 135 euro /two bedroom /two bath weekend rate. we had emailed asking for a room higher up hopefully with view, and we got it. although this is not directly on the riverfront, i had a corenr view of elisabeth bridge.

Well situtated lodging with plenty of shops/restaurants/transport nearby for those unable/not interested in trekking too far for a meal or metro. abundant, simple continental breakfast with cheese, juice, teas, coffees, cereals, croissants and pastries and bread.

Taxi from airport was 5,200 HUF (about 22 euros). taxi driver was very nice and spoke reasonable english. (from official taxi stand, although we were approached by others)

This city is in disrepair, as far as maintenance of official/residential buildings, but the hidden beauty of the the monuments and architecture still shines through the years of pollution residue.

We set out on longer than expected walk to our restaurant choice up at the city park. (lovely grounds,lake, agricultural museum, and castle). all lit up at night just beyond heroe's square.
We ate at Owl's Castle. (enjoyed all our meals everywhere, BTW.)

This is around the corner from gundel, and we did have a few specialties, dessert and coffee. price: approx. 75 euros for 4 persons.

Next day was sunny so we ventured up to szentendre by train. this is an easy excursion.. and can be done in a few hours. train takes about 40 minutes to get there. and once there, this small town can fill a morning easily. we took a carriage ride,(16 euros) which was a good way to see side streets without all the up and down on the cobblestones.

Food and souvenirs (even the chocolates)were a tiny bit cheaper here than in budapest we realized as we later compared. our quick lunch for 4 was about 30 euros .

I won't get into everything we did and saw.. as any tour book can describe that. The trams in budapest that follow the river(2, 19) are a nice way to get a feel of the perspective. also, bus number 16 from in front of the meridian hotel takes you UP to the castle hill .

We enjoyed a ballet at the spectacular opera house. then a highlight of our dining, entertainment experiences was a dinner at BELCANTO, next door.

I wish we had this type restaurant on all our journeys. The singing... piano, violin, cello, bass, playing not only hungarian music, but famous international songs, and bits of opera . we were there for HOURS and didn't even realize the time. it was a wonderful way to say goodbye to such a lovely weekend.

Other restuarants we tried:

-Baraka.. food here is tops.. service ( as noted here on other posts).. not up to food, which to me, brings the whole experience into another realm. ( no tablecloths..and totally understaffed) but the BEST salad, and duck breast i have had. all food was worth the visit but they have some problems to work out IMO. P.S. this was also the most expensive meal in four days.

-Kehli.. very nice. near a great plaza of interesting buildings and vasarely museum.

-Gundel sunday brunch.. food was o.k., but a jug of water ..6 euros????

-Foccacio--food was good. view was nice.. it is convenient but not atmospheric in itself. staff very pleasant. excellent grilled goose liver dinner.

And for after dinner drinks and coffees, SPOON CAFE floating river restaurant is fabulous. the views across the chain bridge/castle are just exquisite.
closes at 2. am.

So much more to tell. Will let you rest.
Going to unpack!

forgot another highlight.
after walking castle district, we came upon café pierrot, best described as upscale bar/restaurant with live piano music, that was just the right note after our long jaunt up there.

it has a little outdoor terrace, also. it has all been newly remodelled and is just a great example of interior design.

it is at the "lower" end of castle area, before the hill DOWN to the mosvkva metro station, but still on the hill. you can take a castle hill bus down to that staion where there are all types of transport to continue your budapest adventure.

we also enjoyed the walk along the residential /embassy row of houses on backside of the military museum, looking out over the remaining hills of buda. what views those people have.

we would have liked to have gone to the hungarian house of wines for a tasting, but were running late for our lunch reservations in OBUDA (Kehli).
i did not realize until same morning this restaurant was further out.

so remember to keep time for that if you are into wine. also, the hilton hotel has a cloister in the hotel that should be seen.(so i am told).

Welcome back, Lin! That was fast. And it seems like you went to more restaurants in three days than we did in a whole week there! I'm so glad you enjoyed Budapest, as I hoped you would. I'm looking forward to reading more details of your trip.

we also took a short tram ride(2) west( hev train also goes)to the new palace of the arts complex, concert hall, convention center,ludwig museum next to another new national theater complex.

this is quite a complex. we were unable to attend anything there, but as my husband is an architect, a lovely hostess helped us get a small quick last minute tour of the concert hall.

lit up at night it is very impressive as it has playful light wands across most of the ultra modern facades. it is only a few months old. just minutes down the river side.

Places we hope to go to /eat at next time:
great market hall. we visited it early on our morning walk, but a taxi driver has convinced us we MUST eat a snack/meal there one day next time.

horse farm: with more time, i will try to visit one of the many stud farms as i adore horses. just not enough time.

next trip: i will organize and research for more restuarants with music/jazz.

it is the highlight of this city. there is more music easily found, but many of the restaurants we chose did not have it during our eating time. worth it to me for the atmosphere.

always leave enough time for a stroll along the pest side to look up at the chain bridge/castle area all lit up. it is such a divine view. the lights however, were turned off at castle it seemed fairly early on thursday. don't remember if on the weekend they were on longer than midnight.

most of our evening taxis were about 2,000 huf (8 euros)or more from a distance of city park down to the elisabeth bridge. seemed high to me compared to the 35 minute airport ride.

we probably did go to more restaurants than most normal people. we certainly did spend a lot of time eating. i didn't mind though because i know we will be back. it was a perfect trip.

i must say, sometimes the servers do not seem very content with what they are doing. this was a general attitude.. didn't matter what level .
when you find a smiley waiter it is a relief.

if i had been travelling with a woman friend, i can tell you i would have lost 5 pounds instead of gained it!!

my husband and our friend do enjoy a sit down meal, slow.. etc.and not into pastries/coffees, etc. as substitutions for real food!! I just chose to go to places mentioned on here with good reviews hoping to prepare a surprisingly pleasant weekend for two dear friends. and i did, thanks to all.

however, the cheapest and NOT BAD at all, even in touristy szentendre, restaurant.. was very appealing. so, i think you can eat well everywhere.. and the budget-minded person ( me when alone) can probably do better with a recommendation from someone in a shop.

all in all, we were very happy with all choices.. but i will be more adventurous next time and eat at some of the locals' places, until it disappoints me.

So did you check if the New York Coffeehouse is open yet?

you are going to kill me.
forgot to write it DOWN on my "organized" agenda of things to do.. and we probably were near it, but i TOTALLY forgot!

realized it when i was reading some more literature on plane back!

Next time.
maybe someone else can tell us all!
sorry! really don't know how this happened!!!!!