Can anyone give me any information about the spa? What is available and costs? Do you recommend this spa, or would you recommend another one in Budapest? Also, what do I need to bring with me besides money? A bathing suit, bathing cap, towel? Is it exhausting? Should I plan to go to a spa at the end of a day or is it a full day event?

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I suggest you look at:<BR>www.primenet.com/spareporter/buda.htm<BR>and<BR>www.budapesthotels.com/hotels/gellertspa.asp<BR><BR>The first has some evidence of less-that-careful spelling (eg: Margarita for one reference to an island ), but is worthwhile reading. The second is probably more precise but not as colorful.<BR><BR>I think you'll find that spas there are more oriented toward health and medical treatment, and not so much toward beauty and pampering.<BR><BR>I've used the baths at the Gellert and elsewhere, but not had a massage (where, I understand, the style is less gentle than most Americans may expect). For the indoor baths alone, you don't need even a bathing suit as they are single-sex, though a suit is not unacceptable. Use of the outdoor pools or swimming pool will require a suit, possibly one available for rent, though I brought my own so don't know.<BR><BR>Exhausting ... no ... but quite relaxing, so you simply may not want to do anything but go to your room and sleep. However, even when I've gond i the middle of a workday and returned to the office, that night's sleep was superb.<BR><BR>Rod

For the swimming pool (as opposed to the bathing pools), you will need your swim suit as it is mixed and also a bathing cap. They will sell you the latter if you don't have one.<BR><BR>The swimming pool is in a beautiful hall with columns supporting the ornate ceiling. I just saw a photo recently but darned if I can remember where.<BR>

Here's a link to view the indoor pool..absolutely beautiful. Click to view on photo 2<BR><BR>http://www.worldlandmarks.com/europe...t/gellert.html

Hi-<BR>We stayed at the Gellert last year and use of the spa facilities was included (I'm not sure about the more medically oriented facilities--that might have been extra). The pools, inside and out, are beautiful, and we loved it. We took our own suits and the Gellert furnished the bathing caps (the photos of us wearing those caps are hoots!)<BR> It added one more dimension to our enjoyment of Budapest. By the way, the hotel itself was vewry nice--we had rooms on the front overlooking the Danube.<BR>Ahh...remembering makes me want to go back and stay longer!<BR>Byrd