Marmara Hotel Budapest

Revolving doors lead into the hotel’s spot-lit lobby, where a light-wood reception desk runs the length of the area, and gold-flock print adorns the wall behind it. Contemporary white leather sofas, and potted plants mix with ornate silver-edged mirrors and side tables. The stylish Lobby Bar offers guests a place to congregate. Popular with couples and families, the Marmara has a meeting room that's a nice perk for business travelers.

The Marmara is in the heart of the city center, located on a quiet, narrow street off the Grand Boulevard, a major artery. It’s a seven-minute walk to the banks of the Danube, and there are theaters, shops, and cafes nearby. Sir Lancelot Lovagi Etterem, which offers an unusual medieval dining experience and a live show, is an eight-minute walk away. Restaurants in the surrounding streets range from Japanese to Greek and Italian. There's plenty of entertainment in the area too -- the Comedy Theatre of Budapest is a five-minute walk away, and the popular Budapest Jazz Club is within a seven-minute walk. Kossuth Lajos Square and the Parliament building are within a 10-minute walk of the hotel, as is the Museum of Ethnography. The nearest metro station is Nyugati Palyaudvar, which is a five-minute walk, and for shopping, the large West End City Center mall is within a 10-minute walk. 

Guest rooms, which include Superior Double Rooms with balconies and Junior Suites with separate living and sleeping areas, are quiet, and have light-wood furniture and flock pattern on the carpets, headboards, and wall lights. The warm color scheme is deep red and gold with touches of black. Each room has tea- and coffee-making facilities, air-conditioning, laptop-size safes, minibars, small desks, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. They overlook either the street or the hotel’s atrium patio. Bathrooms are small with mismatched peach and pink tiles, streamlined vessel sinks, hairdryers, toiletries, and walk-in showers, but no tubs. 

The restaurant only serves breakfast -- a continental buffet with limited choice (the few local dishes, such as Hungarian frankfurters, didn't seem popular with guests). Included in the room rate, breakfast can be taken in the dark and dramatic dining room, or in the light and airy breakfast room, which has a glass ceiling, white tables and chairs, and colorful touches of teal. Contemporary copper and chrome light fixtures hang from the ceiling. The stylish Lobby Bar is open all day and serves hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, and cakes. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and business travelers can make use of the meeting room. On-site parking is available for a daily fee.