“Good Budget Hotel”
The best things about this hotel were the gentlemen behind the front desk, the breakfast buffet, and free internet access. The personnel were very nice and helpful and the buffet was a good size with many selections: bread, granola, yogurt, sliced meats, cheeses, jam/butter, sausages, scrambled eggs, tea, milk, and a nice coffee/espresso machine. The building is old and could use better lighting at night in the hallways (but is shared with other residences and may not be able to?), but we had what we needed as far as beds to sleep in and warm showers. The bathrooms were nice. The rooms could be cleaner (specifically carpets) with working a/c that has cool air or at least an oscillating fan in the room. It was warm enough at night in August even with the window open that we sweat some while sleeping. The room we had should have been non-smoking, but there was still a strong smoke smell from somewhere inside. Good hotel for those on a budget, we would stay here again.
Area recommendations
The area where Matyas Hotel is located (on the Buda side) is very convenient for walking to nearby sites, jumping on the Metro (about 2 blocks away), and for taking a walk alongside the Danube River. There are also restaurants, grocery stores, and ATMs within short walking distance. The surrounding area of the hotel is not the nicest (seems a little dark and gloomy), but I think several areas of Budapest are like this. It didn't matter too much to us as we still felt safe and weren't in our hotel that much to need a pretty atmosphere anyhow, so it was fine.
Getting around
Walking and the Metro are the best ways to get around. If you are in Budapest for 3 or more days it is good to get the 3 day pass so you can hop on and off the subway, buses, and trams (I think trams are included too, can't remember). Or there is also the 24 day pass for shorter stays too. Be prepared for unfriendly service with little patience for questions!!! We were so amazed at this. No matter how polite or friendly we tried to be, most people working in any service industry (train/bus stations, restaurants, shops, tourist venues, etc.) seem like every day is a bad day for them and are not very interested in helping you if it takes longer than 10 seconds (esp. if you don't speak Hungarian)! The exceptions were one man at the ticket booth on Castle Hill (Fisherman's Bastion) and our hotel staff, which we were pleasantly surprised at. Thank you so much Hotel Matyas staff - it was very much appreciated :-) Excellent tip: greet workers with Servusz /SAIR-voose/ or Servusztok (for more than 1 person) as they seemed to appreciate that. Also, if you need to purchase train tickets to another city you will be visiting after Budapest, plan for 1-2 hours of wait in the train station to purchase them. All in all, Budapest was nice to visit and we would go back in the future.
Must see
A friend of ours lived and taught school in Budapest for about 4 years and recommended several places for us to see while we were there:
1. Terror Haza Museum (very sobering, but super awesome, probably the best thing we did) - building was the actual SS/Arrow Cross party HQ during WWII and has now been made into a museum of what people went through during that era. This is on Andrássy Ut which is also pretty to walk along.
2. Margit Sziget (Margaret Island) - in the middle of the Danube, very pretty with gardens, petting zoo, convent ruins, 12th C chapel, waterpark, fountain that flows to classical music, etc.
3. Dohany Street Synagogue (tour with cemetery, memorial, & museum) - largest synagogue in Europe and 2nd largest in the world!
4. Castle Hil/District
5. Parliament Area (including building in front of Parliament that still has bullet holes from 1956 revolution and 1940's era bronzed shoes memorial for holocaust victims located South of building on the concrete wall at the Danube).
6. St. Stephen's Basilica.
7. Gerbaud Kavehaz
All of these places were very nice to see and we enjoyed the adventure around the city :-)
Also recommended that we did not have time to see are: Central Kavehaz, Oktogon Cafe, Cave Church, Gellert Hotel, Ajka Crystal shop, Vasarcarnok (shopping market), and Szechenyi furdo (mineral baths). We also did not have a chance to taste palicsinta (stuffed crepes).
Dining
There was a nice pizza place on the block in front of Central Kavehaz (which was closed when we were there), but I can't remember the name.
Gerbaud Kavehaz and TGI Friday's on the corner near (on?) Andrassy Ut. This Friday's is a MUST stop if you are dying for more than .25 - .3 liters of drink at a meal. They actually have bottomless soft drinks!! This was the only place we visited in Central Europe that did. Granted, the food was a little expensive, so maybe that is how they recoup their drink costs.
Otherwise, make sure you bring a bottle of water with you everywhere for a drink supplement if you are used to being well-hydrated! A complimentary glass of water is not the norm at restaurants....they usually gave us one when we asked, but at room temperature, and it seemed like a big inconvenience.
We definitely have a much greater appreciation for customer service at home now.
