Passage to Eastern Europe: Trip Introduction
Flight Review: LOT Polish Airlines 797-9 Business Class, ORD-WAW
Lodging Review: Hampton by Hilton Krakow
Our Time in Krakow, Poland
Flixbus from Krakow to Budapest
Lodging Review: Corinthia Budapest Hotel
Our Time in Budapest, Hungary
Our Time in Kalocsa, Hungary
Our Time in Osijek and Vukovar, Croatia
Our Time in Belgrade, Serbia
Our Time in Golubac, Serbia
Our Time in Vidin, Bulgaria
Our Time in Ruse, Bulgaria
Our Time in Bucharest, Romania
Lodging Review: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel
Flight Review: SWISS Airlines 777-300 ZRH-ORD
Our taxi dropped us off right in front of the Corinthia Budapest Hotel. As the hotel is on one of the major thoroughfares, there’s not much in the way of parking so we were glad we didn’t have to deal with a car. The bellmen took charge of our luggage right away, which was nice because just inside the double sets of front doors is a staircase that leads up to the main level. If you have mobility issues, don’t be concerned. There is an elevator to one side mostly used for luggage transport but it’s available for people too.
(photo courtesy panoramatours.com)
Lobby
Before reaching those stairs there are waiting areas on either side of the door. This is also where you can find the Orfeum Club which, as I understand it, has cabaret shows in the summer but it did not seem to be in operation during our October visit.
Once up the first staircase you’ll find the front desk on the left side. As our stay was booked through Viking we first went to the back of this floor to the Viking desk where we received our packet and then returned to the front desk to check in. There was only a small line and we were assisted quickly and efficiently once we reached the counter. Our luggage was later delivered to our room, which was wonderful.
The focal point of this main floor has to be the grand staircase. It was quite imposing but the whole hotel is just lovely in a rather old school sort of way. Lots of golds, creams, and maroon colors everywhere.
I only have this one photo of one of the seating areas because there were always people sitting around the lobby. There were a number of small seating groups that really made it a pleasant place to gather. There is a bar on this floor as well but, once again, it was always busy and I was not comfortable taking photos there.
Guest Room
Our room was on the 3rd floor. This hotel is massive and it’s easy to wander around a bit while looking for your room. I will say the elevators were fairly large, were fast, and there were several of them which helped a great deal. To reach our room we turned right off the elevators, went down the hall until it split and then we took a sharp left which paralleled the route we’d just taken and our room was on the right, overlooking the back of the hotel.
Our twin room had a surprisingly long interior corridor from the main hallway until the room opened up. As is standard in most hotels, there was the bathroom on one side and closet space on the other before opening into the area with the beds.
Before reaching the closet there was this alcove which was handy for leaving keys, etc. and below it was the minibar.
Next to that was the wardrobe which had surprisingly little hanging space but had several shelves and the safe.
In the main part of the room were the twin beds with a night stand in between. In the far corner was a chair and a floor lamp. The beds were very soft; too soft for my liking but my friend thought they were great.
The problem with older hotels is that they don’t have nearly enough electrical outlets. We each ended up having to use outlets that were not near the nightstand but were on the side walls.
Across from the beds was the desk and the TV was in the far corner.
The desk had just one shallow drawer and that’s where the hair dryer was stored. It’s one of those weird setups where the hairdryer actually plugs into something within the drawer so you can’t remove it and dry your hair elsewhere. At least there is a mirror there.
To the left of the desk was the connecting door to the next room. I don’t know if anyone was staying there but thankfully we never heard any noise.
The bathroom was quite large, even by American standards. Upon entering, the sink was directly ahead. While it didn’t have a lot of counter space, we were only there for two nights so it wasn’t a big deal. Underneath the sink were a couple of pairs of slippers. On the back of the door were a couple of robes. One annoying thing was that the bathroom door would not stay open by itself, it always swung closed.
On the left side of the bathroom was the bathtub and a shelf with some of the giant fluffy towels. They were wonderful. I also loved that actual wash cloths were provided. It seems those are quite often overlooked at hotels I frequent overseas but then again, this one was a step or two above our usual type.
On the right side was the toilet and the shower stall.
Toiletries were by The Botanist & The Chemist. They worked just fine though were not memorable. There were separate toiletries already in shower.
One thing about older hotels, even high class ones, is that they often still need a bit of love. That was true here as well. Our sink was cracked and the wallpaper was peeling a bit above the tub. Deal breakers? No, but it just contributes to the “I’m old” feeling in the room. We were also concerned that the room was going to be too warm. When we arrived the thermostat was set to 18C/64F but there is absolutely no way it was that cool, and it was quite humid as well. We opened the window and that seemed to help. But I’d be cautious about booking during hotter weather if you like a cool room for sleeping, like I do.
Public Areas
This is a convention hotel and the first floor, the one above the check-in desk, had conference rooms as well as a restaurant though we did not eat there. There were so many people milling around it was nearly impossible to get shots without people in them.
The hotel also has a spa, a fitness facility (which was occupied when I tried to photograph it), a sauna, steam rooms, hot tubs and this gorgeous pool.
Breakfast
Breakfast was included with our stay. To reach it, go through the atrium – where there is seating available – and into the dining area where there is also a lot of seating available.
Atrium Seating
Breakfast Room Seating
The buffet is massive with tastes for many different cultures. If you leave here hungry, you weren’t trying.
In the end
This is a lovely old hotel and is not cheap. While I didn’t check what list rates were for the nights we stayed, rates for the equivalent nights in 2026 start at 383 EUR for 2 nights with the prepaid rate, just for a twin room without breakfast. With breakfast the total was 470 EUR. Since their loyalty program is not one I can easily earn points with I doubt I’ll ever stay here again but if that’s not something that you focus on, by all means enjoy your stay.
2B Traveling 
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