Hotel Collect

Though it may not be grand in scale, this Budapest hotel is extraordinary in its own way. Hotel Collect can certainly boast a prestigious location — it’s right across the road from the Károlyi-kert, the French-style garden that is the city’s oldest park. And that French influence is visible in the Hotel Collect as well, with both Belle Époque and Art Deco echoes in the rooms, with plenty of black lacquer and gold, combined with a bit of modernist furniture and a penchant for vivid colors and bold textures.

At just sixteen rooms it’s very much on the small side, and the intimacy suits it well, lending it a residential aspect — even if the rooms are unmistakably cut from luxury-boutique cloth. The courtyard is patterned after a Parisian café, and while the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant of its own, the lobby bar serves coffee, tea, and pastries. And just down the road is the Centrál Café and Restaurant, one of the city’s most famous spots, open from breakfast on through to late night. It’s also a short walk from both the National Museum and the incredibly ornate Dohany Street Synagogue, with plenty of other significant sights set within easy reach.