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| Photo by Freeimages.com/Andy Stafiniak |
by Adrian Phillips, The Daily Telegraph, April 18, 2016
This small hotel of just 11 rooms is owned by the Zsidai family, who have been leading restaurateurs in the city for more than 30 years. As you’d expect, its restaurant is top drawer, and the hotel has a colour, character and attention to design detail that makes it very special.
Location 7/100
Located at the northwestern end of the Castle District, Baltazár is ideally placed for those who want to base themselves in the city’s historic quarter on the Buda side of the river. Bus 16 and 16A (known as the Várbusz or Castle Bus) runs regularly from Széll Kálmán tér to Kapisztrán tér, just outside the hotel.
Style & character 8/100
Baltazár is probably best characterised as boho-chic – funky, even quirky in places, but elegant too. The reception area sets the tone, the floor laid with bare boards, a red banquette running the length of one wall, travel trunks serving as coffee tables and a writing desk the place for check-in. The hotel aims to be relaxed and intimate, and it’s an aim achieved.
Service & facilities 6/100
As you might expect from somewhere with just 11 guestrooms, the hotel doesn’t have the facilities of some bigger establishments – there’s no gym, sauna or spa. However, the small size means staff tend to know who’s staying, and this allows a personal touch to the service.
Rooms 8/100
The 11 rooms (including three suites) are each unique in design but share a creative, classy flavour. One has a feature wall showing Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, another an unusual open bathroom with a shower cubicle overlooking the bedroom; some have parquet flooring while others are carpeted. There’s a safe and minibar (although only soft drinks are included); tea and coffee isn’t provided as standard, but reception can provide an espresso machine and kettle on request.
Food & drink 8/100
As you’d expect from family owners who specialise in restaurants – they own seven around the city – the food and drink are superb. The restaurant’s décor continues the boho-chic approach, with a stripped brick ceiling, bare-bulb lighting and free-style paintings on the walls. Grilled dishes are the speciality, as well as variations of Hungarian classics – I can certainly vouch for the goose-liver on fried bread (starter) and duck-breast ravioli (main) – and there are more than 200 bottles on the wine list. The atmosphere is lively and the service excellent. Expect a three-course meal (without wine) to cost about £22.
Value for money7/100
Double rooms from £92 in low season; rising to £127 in high. Breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi.
Access for guests with disabilities?
The hotel does not have any rooms converted for guests in wheelchairs. The toilets in the restaurant are also down some stairs.
Family-friendly?
There’s a suite for four people that would suit a family. There’s also an outer door to the corridor on each floor, which means that a family could book the two or three rooms on a floor and keep that floor self-contained.
H-1014, Országház utca 31, Budapest, Hungary.36 1 300 7050baltazarbudapest.com
This article was written by Adrian Phillips from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
