Festive Budapest Deluxe

Budapest

"A highly relaxing hotel, situated in the centre of the Danube and only a short taxi ride from the historic heart of Budapest"

Jonathan Plumridge,

Managing Director

Hotel description

Danubius Health Spa Resort Margitsziget ****

4-star | Budapest

The highly unusual Danubius Health Spa Resort Margitsziget on Margaret Island offers both a full array of resort facilities and a location close to the heart of one of Europe's most fascinating historic cities.The island on which it stands is almost entirely given over to a vast, attractive, tranquil, and highly varied park. The majestic Danube flows on either side, cushioning it from the hustle and bustle of Buda and Pest, to which it is tightly connected by grand bridges at either end. The hotel's public areas are both spacious and comfortably appointed and its buffets feature both intriguing local dishes and staple international fare. The stand-out facilities at the hotel however are its immense spa and its sharing of public areas with its 'Grande Dâme' adjacent elder sister, The Grand Hotel Margitsziget, a protected national monument and the very first 5-star hotel to have been constructed in Budapest. Highly redolent of 'times gone by' the Grand Hotel offers a marvellously atmospheric dining experience to the accompaniment of live traditional Hungarian music performed by a small resident band of musicians. The hotel’s extensive and highly acclaimed spa facilities include a large indoor pool (27-28°C), a vast thermal bath (36-38°C), a sauna, a steam cabin, an aroma cabin, and a salt cave (constructed from Dead Sea salt). A wide range of health and beauty treatments are also available. 

Rooms: Its 267 comfortably appointed air-conditioned bedrooms all offer the following facilities: a balcony, a bath/shower, television (cable & pay-per-view), safe deposit box, mini bar, hair dryer, coffee and tea making facilities, a bathrobe.

Other Features: We shall be dining at both the hotel’s own Platán restaurant and at the Széchenyi restaurant in the neighbouring Grand Hotel. The hotel also has a bar and coffee shop, and we shall additionally be benefiting from a private lounge in the evenings. The hotel’s extensive spa facilities include a large indoor pool (27-28°C), a vast thermal bath (36-38°C), a sauna, a steam cabin, an aroma cabin, and a salt cave (constructed from Dead Sea salt). A wide range of health and beauty treatments are also available.

Wi-Fi: Free in public areas and bedrooms

Margaret Island

Margaret Island sits scenically in the centre of the Danube only a short taxi ride from the historic heart of Budapest. For centuries, in the absence of a bridge connecting it to either bank of the river, it served as a place of religious retreat, having been settled by the Knights of St. John in the 12th century. In the 13th century a canonised daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary opted to live out her life in a Dominican Convent on the island, which was subsequently named after her. In modern times it has served as an attractive haven of tranquillity close to the centre of Budapest, and has been the city’s most expansive and beautiful public park since 1908. Home to festivals and public performances during the summer, it contains the city’s largest open air swimming complex, houses many sports facilities, and is a mecca for local runners and fitness fanatics.

Budapest

Once one of the twin capitals of the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire, Budapest abounds with impressive architecture. Remarkably it is an amalgam of three formerly independent cities, each dating from a different period, and each retaining a distinctive historical character. Óbuda, or ‘Old Buda’, was an ancient pre-Roman settlement that was developed by the Romans into a provincial capital known as Aquincum (the remains of the amphitheatre and other buildings can still be visited). Buda was then built as a fortified citadel in the Middle Ages in reaction to a devastating invasion by Mongol tribes. Pest meanwhile, having been largely destroyed in drastic flooding in 1838, has largely a 19th-century feel to it, and is characterized by grandiose buildings and expansive avenues. The three cities were unified as Budapest, the second most significant city within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1873. 

Excursion descriptions

Budapest City Tour (included): A full day tour of Buda and Pest taking in a guided tour of the opulently decorated coronation church of St Mátyás, a visit to the delightful Fisherman’s Bastion viewing terrace to enjoy awe-inspiring vistas over Pest and the River Danube, and a fascinating tour of the world’s third largest parliament building, revealing many fascinating facts concerning the history of Hungary. A two-course restaurant lunch with drinks is included during the tour.

Danube Mini Cruise (included): Embarking from a pier close to the hotel on Margaret Island we shall cruise to the furthest extremities of the city before returning to Margaret Island for an afternoon at leisure. Both Buda and Pest present extremely well from the river with many of their most emblematic buildings clearly visible. Most spectacular of all on the Pest side is the Hungarian parliament building, overlooked from Buda Hill by its fascinating and harmonious ensemble of historic buildings. On the river itself it is the Széchenyi Chain Bridge that above all else catches the eye, leading from the impressively laid out Széchenyi Square in Pest to a tunnel that was carved beneath Buda Hill at the same time as the bridge’s construction. Beyond that lie the dramatic hilltop statues of Gellert Hill and the Art Nouveau gem of the Gellert Hotel & Spa.

Danube Palace Theatre (included): Enjoy an evening performance of Hungarian folkloric music and dance at the Neo Baroque 19th century Duna Palota Concert Hall.

Budapest Christmas Markets (included): Explore the city’s two most interesting Christmas markets, both located in areas of significant touristic interest. The first of these takes place in Vörösmarty Square, in the heart of historic Pest. Váci Street, the city’s most elegant downtown shopping street, leads off this square, and the internationally renowned Gerbaud Pâtisserie sits on the square itself. Our second Christmas market stop of the day finds us in Saint István’s Square, before the highly impressive Saint István’s Basilica.

Organ Recital (optional) - The organ concert is a 40 minute optional component that will be offered at the conclusion of the included Christmas markets’ tour and features both an organist and a singer (mezzo soprano). The programme is a wonderful selection of highly popular pieces from the baroque and romantic eras and should resonate magnificently in the highly appropriate setting of St Stephen's cathedral. The concert is a weekly event and examples of the pieces which can be performed are: Albinoni’s etherial Adagio, an aria from J.S. Bach’s Magnificat Et Exultavit, J.S. Bach’s Fugue in B flat minor, César Frank’s beautifully melodic Panis Angelicus, Franz Schubert’s heart-wrenching Ave Maria, and J.S. Bach's magnificent Toccata & Fugue in D minor.

Lázár Equestrian Park (optional) - The Hungarian Empire, later to become incorporated within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was largely won as a result of the ferocity and incredible horsemanship skills of their cavalry Hussars, the most feared combative horsemen in the western world. These are most entertainingly presented in full traditional dress at the Lázár Equestrian Park, the brainchild of two Hungarian brothers that were both, in their youth, equestrian world champions. This is the day trip of all day trips for people staying in Budapest long enough to want to see a little more of Hungary. The intimacy, skill, and understanding exhibited in the relationship between the riders and horses is truly astounding as they perform a historical pageant describing the unique role of horses in the evolution of Hungary. The story is extremely skilfully wrought and features both jaw-dropping spectacle and humour in equal measure. Visitors are first lubricated with Hungarian ‘fire water’, a fruit brandy known as ‘palinka’ and offered a traditional Hungarian snack. They then enjoy a hearty traditional country lunch with included wine to the accompaniment of a small band of musicians whirling their way through traditional dance melodies and ballads. Suitably warmed and primed, visitors then proceed to the Lázár Equestrian Park show ground to enjoy the unforgettable show. Prior to departure a tour of the stables is also offered which includes a mini-museum to the achievements of the Lázár brothers. Before arriving at the Lázár brothers stables, this exceptionally colourful day of immersion in uniquely Hungarian culture begins with a visit to the most charming castle in Hungary, Gödöllö Castle, the country home of the Austro-Hungarian Empress ‘Sissy’, much beloved of the Hungarian people with a similar intensity to the British public’s relationship with 'Lady Di'. It is an utterly endearing and highly picturesque bijoux castle that tells the tale of the final decades of the great Austro-Hungarian Empire in a thoroughly compelling, entirely human way.