This hotel was way below our expectation - the whole place smelt of unappealling food and was dull and depressing. We'd booked a week's holiday with 3 nights in Budapest and 4 nights on the Lake. We arrived at 8pm on Sunday Evening after a wonderful stay in the Hotel Carlton in the capital to a tired looking hotel that was in desparate need of an overhaul - it reminded me of Butlins/Pontins and was full of families. There was an old guy singing elevator music in the lobby/bar area for entertainment.

Our room on the 8th floor was large but basic - the carpet hadn't been cleaned in years but the sheets were clean. The only positive was that the bathroom was new and towels new. The doors to the rooms opened out-over so it felf like a prison - I'm sure it wouldn't meet health and safety standards in this country. Safes were in the reception area - they held one key and we held the other - a bit of a nuisance. The patio door in our room was archaic, an old wooden thing that turned on a central pivot to open - the glazing hadn't been washed that year. There were no chairs on the tiny balcony even if you had dared to sit out. No air-con also meant it was boiling and the smell of breakfast cooking woke us up at 6am (even on the 8th floor).

The restaurant was awful - full of flys/mosquitos. The red carpets were filthy and disgusting. Holes in table clothes and dirty cutlery. Buffet style food that wasn't nice at all. My decision to leave came not long after breakfast when I saw a dead mosquito sandwiched in between two slices of butter. I knew from that moment I'd not be able to eat there comfortably.

We went for a short walk around the area to see if we'd be able to grin and bear it for a few days but we weren't impressed with the area that we saw either - there didn't seem much to do in the evening either. The Lake had a stagnant smell about it too, we'd expected it to be similar to Lake Garda and heard lovely things about it - perhaps we were in the wrong area, after all it's the largest lake in Europe.

We aked about tranfserring to another hotel and our Ingham's rep said there was one which was 4 star but it wasn't on the Lake and didn't have aircon. We decided to head back to the city. Our rep was really helpful and found us a deal on the internet in the Kempinski Hotel (5 star) it cost us 150 euros in a taxi and we had to pay for the hotel ourselves but we weren't bothered - Budapest was beautiful and we couldn't wait to get back there. We had the last three days in luxory at the Kempinski instead of enduring the hell-hole we'd found ourselves in.

We probably could have endured it if there had been air-con and we could have escaped from the permanent smell of food which seemed to hang around. We'd have just gone elsewhere to eat but we just couldn't bear it. We left as quickly as possible.

I've been to quite a few places and written quite a few reviews on Trip Advisor and this is the only hotel where I'd say stay away.

Stayed at the Helikon as part of a two week package holiday (1 week in Budapest) for seven nights. Overall, the experience was very enjoyable. Our double room was a standard and of a decent size, comfortable, and clean, had been painted but noted some parts of the hotel looked tired. The bathroom was also nice & clean, plenty of towels and replacement given every day . The location directly on Lake Balaton and the lake views from the room are just fantastic. About a 15 minute walk into the heart of Keszthely. The downside, no air conditioning (as noted by other reviewers, is the nightly invasion of bugs that take place). Best to keep a “lights off ”, if you want to keep them to a minimum ie. window open. All the staff very helpful most of them spoke English so was not a problem . Buffet food for breakfast and evening meal could not fault. Plenty for all to do both in the hotel and around, bus and trains worth using. If you are from the U.K. and are a senior citizen, Bus / Train free if you show your U.K. passport to driver or pay desk. (not you do not get a ticket ).Be careful on trains, and check as you may have to change trains or move to another carriage from one destination to another. Some boats trips allow concessions on fares so check. Note this is a family hotel and you will find families from all around Europe , this did not cause us any problem in fact is some ways was quite amusing to see them and what they all did.

Stayed at the Helikon for two nights as part of a cycling tour. The hotel was chosen by the tour company. Overall, the expeience was enjoyable. My room was a decent size, comfortable, and clean. The bathroom was also nice & clean. The location directly on Lake Balaton and the lake views from the room are just fantastic. And it's only about a 15 minute walk into the heart of Keszthely. The downside, as noted by other reviewers, is the nightly invasion of bugs that take place. Although they look like mosquitoes, they actually aren't mossies and don't bite. But that doesn't make their presence in your room or the dining room any more welcome. This could be alleviated if the hotel had central air conditioning.

Stayed 7 nights at this hotel on half board basis in September 2008. There were 4 of us in our party, 2 of which had single rooms. All the rooms were the same size with twin beds, however, our room was in the renovated part of the hotel. It was much better than the 2 single travellers rooms, freshly painted and newly carpeted. All the rooms had the same layout and faced some part of the lake. The bathrooms were nicely appointed with bath, rather on the small size, with an overhead shower, WC, basin and hair dryer - very clean, all be it a little cramped. Balcony was rather small. There was a problem with ventilation as the only opening was the large balcony door. It was very hot the first few days of our stay and it was difficult to leave the door open because of the insects, it would have been nice to have some aircon.
Rooms were cleaned daily. My bed was in desparate need of replacement, springs were almost coming through ! however, the others in the party were quite satisfied with theirs.
The food in our opinion was very good, both breakfast and the evening meal were buffet style, and there certainly was a great variety of food, nicely cooked and presented. Plates were cleared away very efficiently by the dining room staff who were all very friendly as were all the staff we had dealings with.

Negatives -
My dreadful mattress
No Tea/Coffee facilities in the room
There appeared to be only one means of escape if there was a fire, and that was in the centre of the hotel- not very good!