The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest
Splashes of blue throughout The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest pay homage to the Danube River, just a short walk away. (So is Andrássy Street, the city’s famous fashion boulevard.) Indeed, the 200-room hotel, housed in a historic building along Elizabeth Square, exudes a true sense of place with its traditional architecture and stained-glass cupola. Yet the fresh, modern décor; 48-inch flat screens with Apple TV; and heated marble floors in the bathrooms clearly appeal to the 21st-century traveler. Deak St. Kitchen serves Hungarian comfort food with a twist; the light-flooded pool is a treat.
Views stretch across the city and Buda Hills from the wraparound terrace of the ninth-floor Ritz-Carlton Suite, the hotel’s largest.