Best Western Premier Hotel Parlament

Perfect location, Modern and Friendly

by TripAdvisor Member foz_e_bear

We're just back from a long weekend in Budapest. Didn't want to spend a fortune, so got a good deal online for the Best Western Premier Hotel Parlament. And it was really value for money.

Location: Firstly, the location is great, we were just a short walk from the Parliament building and the Danube. Also you are very close to the Opera house, the theatre, a good few restaurants and bars - I'd recommend the cellar bar just up the road on the same street.

Staff: Very friendly and helpful, recommended nice restaurants (and booked ahead for us), were not pushy, but there when you needed them.

Hotel: Very modern and classy. Our room was very spacious and clean.

Downfalls: Not much, it was a little noisy at night. there was a buzz from the fridge all night, and we did have noisy neighbors, but it wasn't worth giving out about. Wasn't overly taken by the breckfasts - but that I think was just a cultural difference.

Overall I'd really recommend this as a mid-price hotel in Budapest, unless you'll be staying in the fancy hotels at the bridge - this I would imagine is as good as you'd get.

A little gem - what great value

by TripAdvisor Member Skizz

Stayed in room 301 (a double room) for 6 nights in April 2007.

The hotel has rooms over 5 floors. The top floor has only 3 (?) rooms - the deluxe rooms I presume. The hotel rooms overlook: (1) the road over the front of the hotel (noisy, I guess, with buses going up and down, rooms 311, 312...), (2) the side of the hotel and (3) an internal courtyard (301 has a balcony over the courtyard and I think 302, 303 as well, and also the rooms on the floor above). Would stay in room 302 or 303 (and possibly 402 or 403 I think - but am not sure) if I had the choice of any non deluxe room in the hotel in the future.

Liked: staff service (generally very good - Istvan (Steven) in particular was superb - one of the best anywhere we've stayed). Only one unhelpful (relatively) member of staff and I didn't get her name. Staff so good that I would recommend calling the hotel directly to try to book a room (we managed to get an excellent deal as a result). We asked Istvan about a tour of parlament, and he immediately phoned up and booked a place for us (free to EU passport holders).

Liked: attention to detail. Free apples at reception, replenishing the breakfast buffet even at 9.55am even if breakfast finishes at 10am, flexibility in our late checkout (the hotel wasn't busy), mineral water and towels in sauna/jacuzzi.

Disliked: lack of soap/shampoo in showers in sauna/jacuzzi areas (bring your own from your room)

Liked: free internet access in the room (plug your lead into the phone - leads available from reception) and on the two computers in the reception.

Liked: sauna and jacuzzi. Small area suitable for 3 people or so in each facility. No gym.

Liked: cable TV, (but note no pay per view).

Liked: safe in room big enough for my laptop (14 inch screen)

Liked: lots of hangers in cupboard in room (which are not 'hotel' hangers so that it is possible to hang clothes up in the bathroom to remove the creases)

Liked: free coffee/fruit teas/tea/green tea/hot milk. No mineral water or decaff available.

Disliked: being asked to leave the bar ("please drink your free coffee in the library")

Disliked: Room was next to the lift. There were gentle rumblings of the lift when everything was quiet (ie the mornings and late at night), but it wasn't too troublesome.

Disliked: Lack of heating. A previous reviewer wrote that the air conditioning was turned off during the Autumn. We experienced a similar problem in April - the heating was turned off on 16th April and we were there after that date. Having said that, the reason this is done is that the heating is not usually needed after April. Still leaves a potential gap though...

Disliked: lack of radio in the room

Disliked: maid rather noisy in the mornings - the downside to having carpet free, ikea-like styling.

Location: there have been mixed reviews on this. We found the location great. Not noisy and busy. Good (not perfect) access to the metro and buses, sights (Szabasag square and Parlament nearby). Basically, the things you need within a 5 to 10 min walk. Fine, but not on your doorstep. Small shop on street one block along from hotel. Would not let the location put me off at all.

Overall, very good, and well worth the price. Thanks and compliments again to Steven.

Garry & Katja

PS Highlights of Budapest for us were
-tickets to the Opera (v cheap compared to opera in the UK). Get returned tickets at the box office at the last minute. Budapest Opera House is supposedly one of the most beautiful in Europe.
- going for a run around the 5K tartan(?spelling) running track around Margit island.
- surprisingly okay audio guide around St Matyas's Church
- views from Gellert Hill and from the castle
Next time we would avoid:
- a Parlament tour. Superficial and bureaucratic.
- the erkel opera theatre (okay but dowdy - nothing special. Might be better after soon planned refurbishment)
Other tips:
- taxi from the airport is 4100 HUF per vehicle (5500 for the hotel booked return journey); airport minibus is 2500 HUF per person. bus/Metro/walking is the cheapest option - but struck us as troublesome.

Very good hotel

by TripAdvisor Member russ7

Very clean and well presented hotel and rooms.
stayed on 4th floor in twin room, no view from windows as they are skylights, but not a problem because of location.

But please note the following

Bathroom has bath/shower, great except if you have difficulty stepping over the side of a bath.

Location is near parlamant (as name suggests), for evening meal you will need to have a walk around the area to find a restaurant or head into more lively part of town.

Hotel bar expensive, small bottle of lager (heiniken) was 1100 forint (~5 euros) and dont forget the service charge which is applied wherever you go but not on price list.

Overall if you are ok with location then recommended.

Very friendly, stylish and conveniently located

by TripAdvisor Member loulou_falk

My husband and I have just returned from a 3 night stay at the Hotel Parlament in Budapest. It was a 40th birthday present for me and my husband had booked the flights months ago not realising at the time that it was the Grand Prix weekend. So when he tried to book the Grand Cornithian as he had planned the rates had quadrupled. He decided on this hotel as he liked the modern interior and knowing it was only a year old helped too.
We couldn't fault this hotel. It was immaculately clean inside and as I have said the staff couldn't have been friendlier. The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms ultra modern. The breakfast room is lovely situated within the attrium and the quality of the food was great. The hotel is close to the Parlament and the Danube and is in a quite street - we certainly didn't hear any noise from the street and we were on the front of the building (room 312).

I would also suggest booking your taxis via the hotel as they are very expensive off the street, also there are lots of unregistered taxis about. The hotel is right between 2 underground stops (5mins) and it isn't very far to walk into the centre of the city. The main railway station is 10 mins walk and behind it is the citys largest mall. The Terror Museum and the Buda castle are musts amongst manyother things to see and do.

This is a beautiful city and we would definately return to the city and this hotel.

Very very nice

by TripAdvisor Member NYorkers

We stayed at this hotel for a night when we were en route from Southern Hungary back to NYC. It was a very nice stay. Superclean rooms. Quiet location behind Budapest's parliament. Close to the city center. Modern design. AND THE BEST BREAKFAST WE'VE HAD IN ANY HOTEL IN A LOOOONG TIME! Seriously: an excellent stay. My mother and stepfather stayed along with us, their room was even nicer, with a balcony. The 4th floor rooms are maisonette style, with the windows high up in the slanted ceiling. If you want a full view, ask for a room on the 2nd or 3rd floors.
Best deal in Budapest, no doubt.

A Charming City ... With Some Hazards To Avoid

by BillNJ

"Bad First Impression"

My problems started in the planning stages. When researching for my trip, I found information that seemed to indicate that my train from the Vienna Westbahnhof would arrive in Budapest's Nyugati Pályaudvar (train station). Since I had read many warnings to avoid taxis in Budapest, I decided to book a hotel (Best Western Premier Hotel Parlament) within walking distance of Nyugati -- and I prepared directions for the walk from Nyugati station to my hotel.

I didn't obtain a train ticket from Vienna to Budapest until the morning of my departure -- at which time I learned that I would arrive in Keleti Pályaudvar instead of Nyugati Pályaudvar. Therefore, my plans and directions were useless. At Keleti, I was able to get a map at the small tourist information office -- and I initially thought about either walking or taking the underground metro. However, without knowledge of the city or the language, I felt a bit lost. In this moment of weakness, I decided to do what everyone warns you not to do -- take a taxi from outside the station. The good news is that the taxi took me from Keleti station to my hotel. The bad news is that the short taxi ride cost more than my train from Vienna to Budapest. For me, the worst thing about the incident wasn't as much the exorbitant charge for the short ride (approximately US $40) -- but the fact that the rip-off created a bad first impression of Budapest for me.

"Budapest is a Great City for Food and Desserts"

My impression of Budapest improved greatly while eating my first meal. Of course, I started with the world famous Gulyásleves (goulash soup). For dessert, I had a Gundel palacsinta (pancake) which is stuffed with walnuts, served in chocolate sauce with rum, and flambéed at your table. When visiting Budapest, be sure to look for this great dessert on the menu!

"Spectacular River Views"

Budapest is a very visually appealing city -- with beautiful architecture and impressive monuments. Unquestionably, the most spectacular views are found along the Danube. While many cities are located near a river, few cities have as many wonderful photo opportunities along the river as Budapest. Unfortunately, there was rain and fog on my main day for sightseeing. Even with the fog, though, the views along the river were awe-inspiring.

17 August 2006

by SueWarwick

"Flying"

Following the recent security alerts, the trip to Budapest started early, getting the taxi at 7am.
Things didn't quite go to plan.
The traffic on the M56 motorway was at a standstill following an accident, got to the airport with an hour to spare. After check-in and the increased security checks got to the gate about 5 minutes before boarding. Got window seat in row 2....on some flights thats first class travel!

"Arrival"

The first thing I noticed on landing was the heat, back in Wirral it was about 16 degrees, it was in the 30's here - lovely!!
The airport itself seems rather small but its been a while since I've been through such friendly border control at an airport.
After going through the customs area I headed to the Airport Minibus (turn left and head to the front doors after customs)
For 2300 single trip or 3900 return, they will drop you off outside your hotel.
Very handy especially since there didn't seem to be many other options using public transport

"The Hotel and Around"

The Best Western Hotel Parlament is a classy hotel. Very modern in design and comfortable. The staff a friendly and provided some information about the city.
The rooms are a good size and very clean. The LCD flat screen tv shows the usual channels, Sky News,
After un packing, I headed out the the main shopping area and walked along the banks of the river.
Spotted one of the Red Bull aircraft on the back of a truck - think some work needs to be done on it before Saturday!

"Food"

After a good wander round the city, went to Pertu Station for some food. This is on the main stretch of Vaci Street.
As the weather was so nice and warm, took a seat outside. Ordered a nice Hungarian red wine, goulash soup (with huge chunks of meat and potato), steak with goose liver and baked potato.
As portions are so big just has coffee for desert. Everything was very tasty.
Meal for two with wine is about £31.
After the meal, it was starting to get dark but everything was very nicely lit up including the cows.....after vistiting Prague, New York and London, 54 uniquely designed cows placed all over in Budapest until September 10th 2006.