Hello all,
We are considering Budapest for our next mother-daughter trip in April 2011. We want a 4 or 5 star hotel in safe area, preferably with nice cafes and restaurants (and hopefully a supermarket) nearby so we can go by foot at night without using transportation. Proximity to shopping area would be great also but an area that is safe at night is the most important aspect.

Thanks

I stayed in the Buda Hilton by the Castle. I am a single female and walked around at various times of day and evening and felt very safe. There are restaurants, pastry shops, etc. nearby, but I don't know about a supermarket. One of my favorite things about the hotel was the location (right next to St. Matthias and Fishermen's Bastion). It was wonderful being in the area before and after day visitor's arrived, and the views of Pest, especially at dawn, were beautiful.

I have enjoyed the Marriott Executive apartments and the Sofitel, both on the Pest side. I also went with my mother, we did take a few taxis as she cannot walk far, but there is public transportation , even a bus that goes up to Buda Hill, very near these two hotels.

Metros and trams also nearby.

I would not stay in the area near the new Opera/concert Hall. It is quite a ways down the river away from the core of most places you will want to see.

I stayed at the full-service Marriott overlooking the Danube and Castle Hill. Great location, great views! Close to good restaurants. But, didn't look for a grocery store.

I believe all rooms have a Danube view. Mine was fantastic! Exec Lounge was excellent if you're a MR member, free internet access on that floor also.

Hello all,
Thanks a lot for the replies. Lincasanova, my mother can't walk far too and I am sure we will use transportation often but it's nice to just do something nearby in the evening. Joannyc, the Marriott is a great choice, I always book from the website and it's around 150 Euros without breakfast which is within budget for us. I wonder is there breakfast any good as this is a must for us.
Does anyone know or recommend Best Western Parliament Budapest.

Thanks

Il like where the Marriott is .. you have Spoon café across the street practically and great views of chain bridge.. although the parliament itself os nicely lit up. Not sure where the BW is.

The Sofitel is right next to the Marriott and quite nice .

If you do an advanced search there are any hotel rec threads for Budapest. Go back a few years and you can find them.

>>>Does anyone know or recommend Best Western Parliament Budapest<<<

Yes, we stayed there for a long weekend last year. It gets rave reviews on TripAdvisor (a very large number of which are from first-time posters, which I do find a bit suspect). We thought it was OK for the price, but not brilliant. Rooms were small with fairly basic IKEA-style furnishing, the way it's described on their website as a boutique hotel is IMHO rather misleading. The location is OK but there are no restaurants/cafes in the immediate area (which is mainly government buildings), so you have to walk about 1/2 a mile or so to reach areas with these facilities.

lol, I didn't eat at Marriott's restaurant so can't help with that. I had breakfast in the Exec Lounge each morning.

Try doing a search at marriottrewardsinsiders.com on the Budapest property. You may find more info on breakfast... although I think you could find it much cheaper at a local restaurant.

I also just returned from a stay at the Marriott. The hotel was really nice and the room was great. The view was fantastic. We had lunch in the restaurant and all enjoyed it. Since we were on points, breakfast wasn't included, but we did get a look and it all looked good.

But, the hotel is a few blocks walk to get to the shopping/restaurants/sightseeing areas. We liked being on the Pest side because there were more options for restaurants, transportation and sites.

There is a tram stop right outside the hotel and you can take it to the covered market a few stops and a one block walk away. There's a supermarket on the bottom level.

We just returned from Budapest and we stayed at the Hotel Gerloczy. It's small, but the rooms are lovely and it's got an old world charm. It has a wonderful restaurant and it's just a few blocks from the river (on the Pest side), and a block from Vaci Utca, a popular (albeit touristy) pedestrian street with shops and restaurants. As I recall, there was a grocery store around the corner from the hotel. We did a lot of walking at night and it felt very safe. I hope to return to Budapest, and I'd definitely stay there again.

Sorry for the late reply as I was in London for the week. Thanks a lot for the suggestions.

We actually booked through, www.onlyrooms.com, choosing hotel president, http://www.onlyrooms.com/en/hotel/in...dent_budapest/ . it was only 89 euro a night for the two of us including breakfast. the hotel just opened and its actually a 4 star plus. they have a swimming pool and excellent restaurant. just be careful and make sure you ask for the 4 star plus category, because their building is divided into two sections.