A Taste Of Luxury In Brilliant Budapest And The Magic Of Sziget Festival 2016

23 Oct A Taste Of Luxury In Brilliant Budapest And The Magic Of Sziget Festival 2016

Budapest, Hungary’s capital is a beautiful city that is split by the River Danube, and the 19th century Chain Bridge connects its hilly Buda district with its flat Pest.

This vibrant metropolis offers so much from its gorgeous architecture, spectacular spa’s, excellent cuisine, marvellous museums, zesty nightlife right through to its charming parks, serene art galleries and home to the award winning Sziget Festival to name but a few attractions.

The luxury landscape within Budapest is very impressive with a number of five star hotels, a variety of high-end luxury designer shops and currently boasting five Michelin starred fine dining restaurants to choose from too.

I am curious and excited in equal measure to learn more about the luxury on offer in Budapest and experience the amazement and wonder of Sziget Festival during my visit.

I arrive at The Ritz-Carlton which is an eye-catching luxury outpost set within a 20th century protected historic building, located on the famous Elizabeth Square with outstanding views over St Stephens Basilica.  Constructed in 1914 as the headquarters for an Italian insurance company, the building has seen many incarnations,  however, this handsome luxury hotel property now consists of 170 delightful appointed rooms and 30 suites.

My check in was smooth and gracious and I was looking forward to spending the next few days at The Ritz-Carlton.

My room was a fabulous Deluxe Room located on the 6th floor and was beautifully decorated and furnished in a fresh and contemporary fashion.  A generous sized room, quiet, calm and relaxing with tall windows that blessed the accommodation with good natural daylight.  The room consisted of a heavenly kingsize bed, comfortable seating with an inviting sofa, a working desk area, 48-inch flat-screen HD TV, complimentary Wi-Fi, fully stocked mini-bar and a stylish Nespresso coffee machine.  The marble bathroom quarters were equally just as grand with a separate bathtub and rain shower.  A plush terry bathrobe, soft slippers and luxurious Asprey bath products completed the room.

I was also impressed by the variety of dining options at the hotel such as the Kupola Lounge, Kupola Bar, DEAK St.KITCHEN and The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge level.

My personal favourites were the Club Lounge and DEAK St.KITCHEN which really epitomized luxury and excellent personal service.   The Club Lounge is situated on the 8th floor and its surroundings are intimate whilst offering a personable and exclusive concierge service for those guests seeking an extra premium service. The Club Lounge décor is in keeping with the rich style and classy look and feel of the hotel and I was delighted to sample an excellent complimentary breakfast, a light lunch, a variety of hors d’oeuvres and tasty desserts during my stay.  All Club Lounge guests receive this level of service including a good selection of free soft drinks, juices, wine, beer and spirits too. There is also a personal executive boardroom,  free wi-fi and a complimentary garment pressing service of two items per day for Club Lounge guests should they require these services.

My dining experience at DEAK St.KITCHEN was second to none and the waiting staff were exceptional too. DEAK St.KITCHEN is the hotel’s standalone restaurant and serves Hungarian inspired dishes using the finest local seasonal ingredients.

The atmosphere is very relaxed and casual and it is this informal style that welcomes guests from the hotel and local passers by on busy Fashion Street.

For my starters I ordered the DEAK St.KITCHEN Goulash Soup, Beef Cheek and Roasted Celery which was really special.  The traditional Hungarian Goulash was deliciously spicy and the beef chunks were succulent on the palate.

Before my main course arrived I was served a variety of local and regional dried and fresh hams, charcuterie, farmers cheese and bakery bread which was well presented and very enjoyable.

My main course consisted of a sumptuous Hungarian steak which came with an assortment of sides and tangy sauces.

By now I was absolutely full and I could just about squeeze in a fresh fruit salad as dessert all wash down with a juicy non alcoholic cocktail specially made from Pineapple and a variety of citrus based fruits.

DEAK St.KITCHEN was a wonderful experience and the staff, food and service was nothing short of immaculate.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at The Ritz-Carlton Budapest and the level of luxury service on offer via the hotel facilities and its superb staff are nothing short of first class.  The excellent concierge service at the hotel called a complimentary taxi for me to whisk me off to my next destination.  The luxury tone had definitely been set and I was looking forward to discovering further richness within Budapest and of course,  experiencing the adventure of Sziget Festival.

After a gentle stroll along the lavish Andrassy Avenue which is home to the Hungarian State Opera House, Heroes’ Square, Museum of Fine Arts and high end luxury boutiques stores such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry, I headed towards the hip and trendy 360 Bar.  This ultra swanky spot is Budapest’s highest rooftop bar with a 360 degree panoramic view of the skyline.  After admiring the incredible views,  drinking a swift apple juice and tasting some appetizing snacks I am was firmly on my way to Sziget Festival.

Sziget is Budapest’s crown jewel Summer festival and one of the largest music and cultural events in Europe. A multiple winner of a number of awards over the years, including Best Major Festival and Best European Line-Up at the European festival Awards. This incredible carnival took place on Óbuda Island, Northern Budapest which is dubbed the ‘Island of Freedom’  for the duration of 7 days, located in Budapest’s 3rd District, during mid August and party goers who attend are simply known as Szitizens.

The sheer size of this fantastic and friendly festival is on a grand scale and a record breaking number of 496,000 people attended this year from more than 100 countries.

An outstanding line up of international stars from a wide range of musical backgrounds and genres graced the variety of stages on offer.

Artists that performed during the week included Rihanna, Muse, Sia, John Newman, Bastille, Tinie Tempah, Kaiser Chiefs, Jess Glynne, Skunk Anansie, Tourist, David Guetta and Manu Chau to name but a few, plus there were cultural programmes, cool DJ’s and a memorable party atmosphere with installations, sculptures and out of this world light shows to keep festival goers cheerful.

Whilst walking around this vast site there were also a number of other attractions that caught my eye such as the Collosseum, a large venue where Szitizens could hear cool electro music from an impressive line-up of DJs, Cirque Du Sziget offering amazing shows during the week, a Ruin Pub quarter re-creating the ambience of Budapest’s unique ruin pubs, an Afro-Latin-Reggae Village and a chess tent to test your skills against fellow festival friends and family.  And if that wasn’t enough to keep revellers happy, there was also a Jazz Stage, Comedy, Museum Quarter, Luminarium, Gamelandhub, Sziget Cinema,  Sports Zone, Travelling FunFair, Street Theatre, Classical Opera, Art Zone, plus the Sziget Beach where people could rest and relax from the non-stop hustle and bustle of the festival.

I had a number of stand out moments during my time at Sziget Festival and during my Budapest adventure too, such as, meeting and greeting so many people from so many different nationalities from around the world and enjoying this global event together, arriving VIP style at Sziget via the Danube with Dunarama water limousine, interviewing the lovely and very talented artist Roisin Murphy before she went on the OTP Bank A38 Stage to perform a stellar set, right through to enjoying an exquisite lunch at the magical and famous Pierrot restaurant frequented by VIP’s and celebrities located at the Castle district, to wishing Tinie Tempah the very best of luck backstage before he delivered a pulsating and tireless performance on the Dan Panaitescu Main Stage.

However, my ultimate highlight of Sziget Festival has to be my exclusive interview with Sziget Festival founder and main organiser, Károly Gerendai, a kind and very generous man who explained to me the very essence of Sziget Festival, its history and his overall take on luxury lifestyle too.  After my time with Károly he kindly arranged for a small select number of VIP’s including myself to watch the magical David Guetta set from a VIP backstage area which was simply spellbinding and a memorable experience I will hold dear for many years to come.

My final stop during my luxury journey through Budapest was to discover the fashionable Brody House Group which was founded by Will Clothier and Peter Grundberg.  The Brody House Group is a collection of cool, private members boutique luxury lifestyle arthouse properties. Within the impressive Brody House Group portfolio is the award winning Brody House which is a dashing rough lux boutique hotel.

Brody Apartments are chic serviced apartments designed for short stays, Brody Studios are a private arts club with international affiliations and host a number of exclusive parties and events.  The ArtYard is a print studio and art gallery and The Writer’s Villa is a glamorous accommodation which can be used for stays for families and groups of friends looking for that deluxe private experience.

Brody Apartments are Ideally located in downtown Budapest and is a short walk from Andrassy Avenue and other cultural hotspots.  There are a host of neoclassical 1 – 3 bedroom apartments on offer, fully furnished in the Brody House latest and sophisticated style.

I was staying in a large, bright and airy one bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor of the building which was calm, relaxing and facing the quiet courtyard. Decorated to a high standard together with shabby chic soft furnishings, high ceilings, lots of natural daylight, original parquet flooring and a double bed built on a raised mezzanine level.  A spacious open plan combined lounge with large TV, free Wi-Fi and a seated dining area gave that home away from home feeling.

There’s also a smart fully fitted open plan kitchen which consisted of a fridge, oven, microwave, dishwasher, toaster and a number of utensils that covered all my cooking requirements. A roomy shower area with fresh towels, washing machine, iron and ironing board completed the facilities on offer within this dapper apartment. Breakfast at the apartment was so convenient and enjoyable too with the staff ensuring that it was delivered to my apartment the night before ready for the morning which was another lovely touch.  Overall the staff at Brody House and Brody Apartments were exemplary, warm and very friendly too which added to my sterling experience. I am already looking forward to revisiting Budapest and sampling further properties within the Brody House Group.

All in all, Budapest offers so much when it comes to luxury and is a brilliant destination that welcomes you with open arms. It is ideal for weekend city breaks or longer holidays and definitely appeals to the single traveller, a couple or a family seeking that superior affluent experience.

I am also looking forward to Sziget Festival 2017 and the preparations for the 25th Anniversary are already underway.  This will be without doubt Sziget’s biggest festival to date and I eagerly await the opportunity to renew my Szitizenship to this remarkable festival.