Edwin Santiago: My Accidental Budapest Staycation

During the past holiday season, I was on a road trip through four countries in Europe when I got sick with a stomach flu. Oh, it was awful. I kept praying to God, please . . . Jesus, Take the Wheel. But he declined. I had to endure the long drive from Munich to Budapest.

My friend and I stayed at the Ritz Carlton Budapest and I couldn’t have gotten sick at a better locale. The place is not only incredibly well designed, it was also very comfortable and elegant without being pretentious. Amenities include a gym, an indoor pool and saunas. Event space is also available.

I stayed in the hotel for three days and I felt really safe and comfortable. Staff members were so friendly and helpful that they catered to my every whim, from meal service to my room to finding a pharmacist, getting a cab and booking my short excursions. They were on top of everything.

The elegant rooms feature free (and powerful) Wi-Fi, a Nespresso machine and marble bathrooms with large tubs and plush robes and towels. Many suites offer city or park views and my room was right above the Christmas market and I could smell cinnamon bread from the streets and slow-cooked meats. It was good for my healing process. And perhaps best of all: there was room service available around the clock.

Overlooking the park at Erzsébet Square, one of the best parts of Budapest, this luxury hotel is a minute’s walk from a metro station and an eight-minute walk to the Danube River. I recommend, if you want to feel at home in a foreign city, stay at one who will pamper you: Ritz Carlton Budapest.

Enjoy new highlights of travel photographer Edwin Santiago’s journeys each week.