Budapest
Hungary


The Experience

Budapest's most classic, least trendy luxury hotel started out as the 1918 Adria Palace, then did time as an Italian insurance company and police headquarters before housing paying guests in 2000. The designers stayed true to the building's early 20th century heritage, and the lobby is formally decked out with oriental carpets, damask drapes, sparkly chandeliers and an abundance of gold-framed paintings and mirrors. Enter the atrium, and you're immediately captivated by the spectacular Art Deco glass dome. Despite the formality, the overall feeling is warm and comfortable, and the location puts you within walking distance of the Danube, Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica.

The Rooms

The Art Deco-influenced rooms are decorated in soothing earth tones with blue and cream accents; oil paintings contribute to the subdued elegance. All rooms have bathrooms with heated floors as well as separate showers and marble bathtubs long enough to thrill NBA players. Skip the smallest rooms (a paltry 258 square feet) in favor of the twice-as-large Executive rooms which are located at the building's corners with large picture windows or French balconies overlooking Erzsébet Square. For a splurge, the Diplomatic Suites on the top floor have private terraces overlooking Castle Hill, a dining room that seats eight and a living room with a decorative fireplace.

The Service

As Budapest's influx of visitors increases, so does the friendliness of the city's service sector. Although not all of the communism-hardened residents have lost their Eastern European sangfroid, the staff at Le Meridien is definitely on the friendly end of the spectrum.

The Highlights

Le Meridien's pool, though lovely (thanks to natural lighting and decorative mosaics), is quite small--lap swimmers will not be pleased. There's also a slight, but adequate, fitness center as well as a Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. Chef Laurent Vandenameele serves French food in elegant, oak-paneled Le Bourbon as well as outside on the terrace, where you can watch the pace of modern Budapest grow faster each day. Then walk through the Deco lobby and enjoy a nightcap at the cozy, Old World Adria Palace Bar, where a nightly jazz trio harks back to the building's earlier incarnation.

-- Robin Cherry

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