When traveling to new places, rather than staying in chain hotels which rarely have no charm or character we always try and find accommodation that has history attached to it and can tell a story. On our recent trip to Budapest, we found such a place, and we weren’t disappointed! The four-star hotel Palazzo Zichy is a former palace built in 1899 and was owned by a Hungarian nobleman Count Nándor Zichy who was once in-prisoned for one year for writing a critical political article ‘Fundamental Questions’, he was released after one month and his noble status was returned.
Palazzo Zichy is now a modern, boutique hotel located in the Palace District of Budapest. The palace facade is typical of the buildings found around Budapest, a grand entrance with high Windows surrounded by intricate carvings, with the lighting at night highlighting these great features. The interior is contemporary and modern while keeping in touch with the building’s historical past in mind. The chandelier in the entrance and the black balustrade spiraling up the staircase are all original features.
Hotel Palazzo Zichy Budapest…
Walking through the entrance we were made to feel at home at once, greeted by friendly, helpful staff we were quickly checked in and welcomed with a smile. This was probably the quickest and easiest place we have ever checked into, and throughout our entire stay, the service and politeness from the hotel staff were second to none. The main lobby of the hotel is made up of the central 24hour reception, where they are more than happy to make dinner reservations at local restaurants or to book you on the many tours. To the right you will find the lobby bar serving a selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks and before 5pm they serve free coffee, tea and drinking water which we thought was a nice touch. This was a great place to relax on the comfy sofas after a long day walking around Budapest.
The hotel houses 80 rooms with a mix between 75 superior rooms or 5 junior suites. We had a superior room and was very pleased with the size of the room and amenities included. All the rooms included WiFi which was very fast for it being free! a mini bar, 39″ flat screen TV with Blu-Ray DVD player, air conditioning and en-suite bathroom with a bidet. Two things which really impressed us was the blackout curtains that really actually do what they say, and the size of the safe. A lot of hotels we’ve stayed in, provide you with a small safe big enough to store a phone and wallet, the safe at Hotel Palazzo Zichy was big enough to store our MacBook and camera, it’s these little extra things that come together to make your stay more enjoyable. The bed was massive and really comfortable and the overall feel of the room was homely but slick and modern at the same time. Our room (310) had great views out onto the small square Lorinc pap tér and the nearby church, which looked great lit up at night.
Breakfast in bed? Of course!
While there is no restaurant in the hotel, room service can still be ordered and looking at the prices it seemed very reasonable compared to other places we’ve stayed at. Breakfast, which is included in the room rate and is freshly made, is served in the former courtyard turned breakfast room complete with a glass roof, below the lobby. The food was very tasty with a great selection of hot and cold food available, including a fine selection of meats and cheese’s. You can even enjoy a glass of fizzy wine with your breakfast. If you’re wanting a lie in you can request for breakfast to be delivered to your room, and enjoy breakfast in bed. Bliss!
Ready to work out??
Facilities in the hotel include a gym complete with cv equipment and dumbbells, plus locker room. Unlimited access to the sauna and relaxation area, while we didn’t get the chance to experience it ourselves, speaking to other guests they say it’s definitely worth the visit to unwind after a day in Budapest. The lobby bar as previous mentioned is great for a free coffee or tea during the day or a refreshing cocktail in the evening. You’ll also find an Internet area consisting of 2 laptops,2 iMacs, and printer, which is ideal for printing your boarding pass. There is also a large free working space area to use if you’re visiting the hotel on business and need to get work done. Airport pickups are available along with taxi service, which all can be arranged at the front desk.
Surrounding areas…
Hotel Palazzo Zichy is located on a quiet square in District VIII, an up and coming area with some great restaurants, bars, and cafes. We ate and had a drink at a couple places where the food served was a good standard and well priced. The hotel is close to the Hungarian National Museum and Central Market Hall, and a five-minute walk away is Kálvin tér metro station which will transport you to the centre of Budapest in minutes. We really enjoyed the laid back feel of the neighbourhood and the surrounding architecture, a great place to choose if you want to stay away from the very centre of the city.
We really enjoyed our stay at Hotel Palazzo Zichy, we felt although this is a contemporary hotel it had a very homely feel surrounding the place. The service was excellent throughout our stay and we couldn’t have picked a better place to stay in such a beautiful city. We would definitely recommended it to others.
If you would like to stay at Hotel Palazzo Zichy, rooms start at around €80pn (depending on the time of year) and can be booked via the hotels site here.
Thank you to Hotel Palazzo Zichy for hosting us in Budapest, as always our honest opinion is our own.
