I stayed here with my partner for 3 nights from 20th - 23rd Feb 2010. Initially we had a bit of a disaster finding the hotel- probably just our navigating skills, so 1 train, 1 tram, 1 metro and 1 taxi ride later we finally arrived, can't really complain about this...it's all part of the fun isn't it?! We entered into a bright and well maintained reception area which was very welcoming, shame about the not-so-welcoming girl at the reception desk but this didn't really bother us, at this stage we were just thankful to be there!
Our room was on the 2nd floor, was very small and basic but very clean and all you need for a short city break. My partner had requested a double bed as opposed to two singles pushed together which is what we find in most hotels...we were pleased to see they had granted this. The one thing that we did notice about the hotel was it was very warm, despite it being freezing outside we slept every night with the window open! This seemed to be the case in a number of places in Budapest, perhaps they're not so conscious about saving energy?!
Breakfast was, as described by a previous traveller, no frills, but there was still enough to choose from...different types of bread and rolls, a selection of cold meats, cheese, jams and pate, a selection of cereals and tea, coffee, squash and water. We weren't fussed by this, to be honest it is so cheap in Budapest it wouldn't set you back much to venture out for breakfast if you wanted to.
We thought Budapest, as a city, was fantastic and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in culture and gothic architecture. There is so much to see and do, but not so much that you feel you are trying to cram everything into your trip; we did Rome last November and found that Budapest was a much more laid back city allowing you to see everything at leisure. Parliament is a must see, if you are staying on the Buda side just stroll down to the river and turn right, though to get the best views cross over to the Pest side.
If you like fine dining Budapest is definitely for you, not only for the outstanding cuisine but for the prices too! One restaurant I would recommend which is no more than 10 minutes walk from the hotel is the Magdalena Merlo, gorgeous food and a lovely atmosphere, for a fraction of the price you would pay in the uk...what more could you ask for?! There are also several good bars nearby and you'll pay little more than £1 for a pint, fab!
Public transport in Budapest is pretty straightforward once you've got the hang of it, you can purchase a 3 day pass for around 3850 HUF (approx £12.80) which then allows you unlimited use of the metro and trams, this was definitely worth it, you could probably walk most places however it was a little chilly when we went so we decided public transport was the way forward! A one way train to/from the airport is 350 HUF (just over £1)
All in all we had a brilliant time in Budapest and would definitely return. I would most probably return to the Central Dominik Pension, as it was excellent value for money and ideal location for exploring this amazing city.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC