Hotels in Budapest & Vienna
 

Seeking recommendations for Hotels,after Danube river cruise.
Two nights Budapest, two nights Vienna, prior to flying home to Australia.
Three/four stars in Budapest, close to the river and
Four/five stars in Vienna to "go out in style"
Many thanks,

I just stayed at the Hotel Am Schubertring in Vienna a few weeks ago, and not only was it ideally located (literally a 5 min. walk to Karlskirche and the subway, but more importantly, to the Musikverein-home of the Vienna Philharmonic, and the "Goldene Saal" (Golden Hall-fantastic, really-check it out here:
www.mozart.co.at/hall_en.htm).

The main shopping drag-Kaerntner Strasse, (which leads to St. Stephen's Cathedral) also about a 6 min. walk. Of course, you can also hop on the tram to take you around the Ring-located just outside the door of the hotel. Comfortable rooms,(a bit tired-but great new bathrooms) friendly personnel, very Austrian (maybe a bit overpriced, but so what else is new in Mitteleuropa?)

Definitely go to Cafe Central-great home-made apple strudel, friendly service and wonderful ambience-wouldn't give a toss about the touristy Cafe Sacher or Demel-the Viennese don't care for these places either, (or so they tell me).

It is the year of Mozart now in Vienna, so Mozart is what you get-everywhere (my question: but when is Mozart NOT heard in Vienna, huh?-it's not exactly like you'll never hear his music played there any other time!)

I went to Mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral-which was where Mozart was married and where his funeral was held-and Mozarthaus is just a few steps away(this "Haus" being one of many places Mozart lived in Vienna, I might add).

Hotel Am Schubertring is a 3 star, however, the Hotel Imperial is probably more in line with what you're looking for-it's no more than 300 yards away from the Hotel Am Schub., and it IS a five star, equally ideally located with quite the grand lobby and rooms-you might want to consider the Imperial for your luxe hotel stay. Make sure and check out the reviews on tripadvisor.com.


As for Budapest, as I've said many times before, it is the Budapest Marriott, and no other. It's quite Hungarian, despite being a Marriott, and every room has a drop dead gorgeous view of the Danube and the Castle District, all lit up golden at night- virtually all rooms have balconies (I don't believe this is the case for any other hotel in Budapest, and those that do have balconies are exceedingly pricey), so you can sit outside on your balcony with some wonderful Hungarian red or white wine and just drink in the view-literally!

The Marriott is is a wonderful hotel in every way, the personnel, the food, (their breakfast buffet is fantastic-and the locals all come for the Sunday brunch buffet). The outside biergarten, views, and ideal location to the shopping area of downtown Budapest, the "vaci utca"- you really can't go wrong here.

I second the Budapest Marriott, so splendid. Check British Airways Holidays; my room for this fall was 125 US!

We have The Victoria Hotel booked for June. It is on the Buda side of the Danube, right on the banks with all rooms having a large window overlooking the river. The rooms are large, and 118€ rate includes a full breakfast. The reviews on tripadvisor are excellent.

Vienna is jam-packed with four star + five star hotels. You want to go out in style, but which style? Modern, traditional? A palace hotel?
Le Meridien used to be the leading contender for fans of modern style, but it's become steadily more corporate and now the Style Hotel is top dog in that sector (has its own bar full of bright youngish things most evenings and is located across the street from the popular and touristy Cafe Central). No great views though.
Of the five-stars, I've stayed at the Imperial, the Grand and the Intercontinental. The Grand and Imperial face each other (almost) across the street on the Ring. The Imperial is the top dog of the palace hotels, but the Grand is also very impressive AND is more likely to offer price specials. However, the current favorite among the five-star set is the uber-chic Palais Coburg: http://www.palais-coburg.com/html_en/start1.php. My husband and I tentatively plan to celebrate our 20th anniversary there next year. For just two nights, though, I'd go with the Grand or Imperial. I lean toward the Grand only because I stayed there a lot longer, the staff were very helpful, I got a great rate, and I did getting doubles and triples of their excellent Bulgari toiletries every day.

One five-star I'd recommend against is the Intercontinental. Very bland building, the rooms I've stayed in were bog standard, and I had staff interactions that went beyond indifferent to downright antagonistic. Not worth five stars, IMO.

Of the many 4-stars, I'd also recommend against the Sofitel. Nothing wrong with it per se, it's just nothing special either. Also, it's a frequent Priceline option. I've stayed at the 4 star Kaiserin Elisabeth many times and always like it BUT the singles are just that...singles (sngle bed, etc.). The larger doubles are much nicer and some have an excellent view of the roof of St. Stephan's (but you have to ask for it or most likely you'll be staying in one of the rooms overlooking the inner glass domed lobby salon). Also, not all rooms have AC either, so if you're traveling in warmer weather, you need to make sure it's confirmed your room does have AC.
Have heard good things about the Hotel Altstadt, but haven't stayed there yet.

FYI, both the Kaiserin Elisabeth and Le Meridien have a computer set up for free Internet, etc. I prefer the KE's setup because it's off the lobby in a secluded corner while the Meridien's is right out in the entrance area of the hotel. And when convention attendees are taking up big blocks of the Meridien (which happens often enough), the desk gets usurped by the welcome staff of whichever corporation has booked all those rooms. The company I work with has been guilty of that sin.

For price comparisons, I checked on a date in September (my husband will be going to Salzburg and Vienna for several days). In the five star category, the Grand was available for 279 euro per night, the Imperial for 424 euro per night, and the Coburg for 550 per night (from www.hotel.de). The 4-star Kaiserin Elisabeth, in contrast, had a single available for just 105 euro per night, inc. breakfast. In the mid-price range (about 140 to 190 euros per night), I found rooms available at the Ambassador (five stars) and many of the other "greater" 4 star and "lesser" 5 star hotels.

We stayed at Hotel Victoria at end of March - beginning of April and we loved it. Every room has a view to Danube (Parliament and Chaine Bridge). Very good breakfast, large rooms. 118 Euro. Ask for a room at the corner (there are only three rooms per floor, so two are on corners) - they are very large. Ask for 6 - 7 or 8 floor for the best view. There is also the 9th fllor, but the elevator goes only till 8th.

Thank you all!

Researching suggestions. Victoria looks good for Budapest.

The Grand sounds, well grand.

It is pretty grand: among the things I liked about the hotel (beyond those mentioned above) were the afternoon piano music in the lobby salon, the fitness center (which provides free bottled water, so just pop up there for a bottle instead of raiding the minibar), and the choice of Viennese or Japanese options at the breakfast buffet.
During peak periods, discounted rates like the one I found for 279 are not available and the rack rate is closer to 500 to 600 euros per night. The convention calendar at Vienna's tourist office web site can tell you when the conventions will be held, which will have an impact on hotel availability and rates.

http://www1.vienna.convention.at/cal...d=1&lang=2

Thanks again BTilke!

While in Budapest in May, we stayed at the Corinthia Aquincum Hotel -- ****. Excellent in all respects, overlooks the Danube upstream and opposite the Parliament Bldg.

Go out in style in Wien:
http://www.kvu.at/
Koenig von Ungarn...right in city center next to Figarohaus. Traditional excellence.

Operman - great recommendation! Had sent a request, but they are unable to provide non-smoking rooms (as many others). Please tell me - was that not a problem for you? Any specific room suggestions? e.g. windows that open, balcony, etc.

USNR - thank you for your recommendation.

If you want a more Austrian experience, the Kaiserin Elizabeth is a great choice - you walk out the door and are right on the Kaerntnerstrasse by the Stephansdom. We're staying there again this fall. However, we've also stayed at the Ambassador a couple of times and find the rooms much more comfortable with more amenities. It's also on Kaerntnerstrasse which is a great location for shopping, walking, eating, cafes, etc. Just a little bit farther up than Kaiserin Elizabeth.

I'll second the recommendation for Hotel Altstadt in Vienna. DH & I stayed there for a week in March, and it was fabulous. We had a huge suite (the Suite Privee), which was beautifully decorated with modern art and furniture. The hotel staff were extremely friendly, the breakfast was outstanding, and the location can't be beat. I posted a review on TripAdvisor.