Corinthia Hotel Budapest

We’ve got a lot of time for modern hotels, minimal hotels, funky little small hotels — but there’s still nothing quite like a proper classic grand hotel. It’s a phenomenon that’s becoming thinner and thinner on the ground, in Western capitals at least, but in Central Europe you’ll find some gems. Among the most ornate is the Corinthia Hotel Budapest. Refurbished but not reimagined, it is, for the most part, the same as it ever was; only now, after some extensive renovation and rejuvenation, it’s in simply sparkling form.

It was built in an era where “grand” was very nearly synonymous with “French,” and so looks perhaps more classically Parisian than you’d expect from Budapest. Inside, however, it’s toned down the Francophilia, substituting a calm, contemporary style that would suit just about any capital city. They’re as luxurious as you want them to be, from swanky Superior rooms up through suites (including the Presidential) and on up to the two-bedroom Royal Residence Apartments.

Cuisine ranges from modern Hungarian to pan-Asian to traditional tarts and cakes in the Szamos Marzipan Royal Café; and it wouldn’t be a Budapest grand hotel without a grand Hungarian bath, this one converted into a thoroughly modern spa complete with fifteen-meter indoor pool. Contemporary classic, indeed.