Lit by pink, green and purple lights, a three-man band, consisting of a maniacal drummer, a didgeridoo player and a third guy playing the decks and what looks like an electronic thermos flask, play at the foot of the iconic chain bridge across the Danube River. To the side, a makeshift bar serves sour-tasting wine spritzers and cheap beer and spirits. Hammocks, cushions and crates are clustered under a few trees and the riverside. It’s bohemian, it’s fun, it’s Budapest. What makes it all the more surprising is that this pop up alfresco gig is just an eyeball away from the Four Seasons Gresham Palace.
Just like the band playing to a mixed crowd of locals and tourists, Gresham Palace manages to combine its Hungarian roots with all the expected hallmarks of a five-star hotel from the Four Seasons outfit.
From our room at Gresham Palace, not only do we have a great view of the Danube and the iconic Chain Bridge, but the following night when rain – and tiredness after an all-nighter – forces us to our super-comfy beds, we can still hear the live music drifting up to our open balcony doors, but this time it's a rock band that's taken to the river.
The Four Seasons Gresham Palace is perfectly positioned between all the main sights of Pest (one half of the city) including the Basilica of St Stephen and the Houses of Parliament. It’s also a straightforward walk across the Chain Bridge to reach Buda and the museums and cobbled streets that surround the Royal Palace.
And in a city with more baths than you could shake the proverbial rubber duck at, the hotel’s own top-floor spa gives a modern, luxurious take on the Hungarian thermal experience (think loungers, fluffy gowns, herbal teas and fruit to snack on).
At the buffet breakfast, unable to decide between Eggs Florentine and blueberry pancakes, the waiter suggests we have half a portion of each. And that sums up staying at Gresham Palace: enjoy all that Budapest has to offer but also indulge the traditional holiday comforts – there’s no need to enjoy one without the other.
From around £200pn, fourseasons.com/budapest
