I'm sorry, I wouldn't go NEAR those Gellert baths-see the pretty Art Nouveau exterior-yes, you can pay just to look around this room, if you want-but get in there with those big fat hairy people? And looking at some of those treatment rooms at Gellert, which looked left over from the Third Reich? Oh Nooooo! Not me! I think the spa on Margarit island is supposed to be very clean, newish and nice-but it was sufficient for me just to look-I wouldn't be caught dead getting in there with that population!

I just posted the segment of my trip report that includes a trip to the Szechenyi Baths on May 25 of this year. To see the details, click on my name...then the trip report...then go down to the section I posted on 8-31-07. Given the chance, I'd definitely go to the baths again!

shangrila wrote: "When it comes to Taxi, have the hotel call one for you to start with and always use the same company. Unfortunately many will try to literally take you for a ride"

I wondered if that was a good idea. SomewhereOutThere reports in a separate thread that at least one hotel is prepared to book expensive operators for its clients.

I use City Cabs in Budapest (not very often, because public transport is so good and easy to use). Three reasons:
- they are cheap
- the have English speaking phone operatives
- their number is easy to remember: 2 111 111

If you call more than once from the same number (I use a mobile phone in Budapest) they, or more exactly their system, remembers you, and you will be addressed by name. It gives one a feeling of belonging!

bookmarking

We stayed at the Gelert hotel and the baths are free for guests, not the massage. We were there in the winter and I loved the baths. We swam in the area with the mosaics, the Turkish part, which was for men and women. There were segregated parts for with smaller soaking baths. I thought it was a great experience. I do think that swimming in the large pool behind the hotel in the summer might not have the same feel.

Enjoy, Yipper