Continental Hotel Budapest

Call it a Budapest hotel which is, if not grand, precisely, then certainly not entirely lacking in grandeur either. The Continental Hotel Budapest occupies the site of what was one of Budapest’s most famous baths, and it’s got the over-the-top architectural personality to prove it; part art deco, part art nouveau, part modern international boutique hotel. And while it’s not the most lavish lodging in town — they’re scrupulous about their four-star status — whatever it lacks in traditional luxury it just about makes up for in character and personality.

With something approaching 300 rooms it’s anything but small, but that allows for a certain amount of variation in accommodations. In terms of style they’re fairly consistent throughout, with parquet floors, art deco styling, and a reliance on earth tones, liberally interpreted. But from the compact and efficient Standard rooms to the more spacious Executives there’s a near-doubling of square footage, and the suites keep on expanding from there, culminating in the truly lavish Continental Suite, which is practically a self-contained residence.

Some of the old spa’s best spaces are reserved for the ARAZ Restaurant and the Gallery Café, the latter under a distinctive arched ceiling. There’s seemingly no end of common spaces, from covered courtyards to the open-air roof garden. And while it’s a bit less grand than the traditional Hungarian bath that the Continental replaced, the spa itself, which opens onto the roof garden, includes an indoor and an outdoor pool, a jacuzzi, and a pair of saunas.