Opera Garden Hotel & Apartments ★★★★

Winter in Budapest is, for me, the most beautiful season to visit. The splendid architecture, domes, spires, ornate gold façades, gleaming windows and glistening river sparkle all the more vividly in the crisp, frosty air. Its old-world charm, cosy cafés and great indoor market become all the more appealing, and when the snow falls and dusts its ancient streets with white, it is simply the icing on the cake. There is no snow yet when I arrive, but the sun is out and glinting off the rooftops, the sky a vast expanse of blue above us and my heart leaps for joy as I am back in one of my favourite cities! It is an early Christmas surprise from my beloved, who knows how smitten I am with Budapest and has whisked me away from the mad fray back home for a couple of days of peace and romance. Just the two of us sojourning by the Danube.

I have been given the choice of hotel and I hope that we will not be disappointed, although I very much doubt we will be from all I have been lead to expect. In no time we are in the heart of town, on the Pest side of the river and I discover that the hotel’s name is quite appropriate as I look up at the fabulous Opera House, situated just a few yards away from The Opera Garden Hotel & Apartments. The hotel itself is a majestic, dusky pink building that gives way to a modern bright, airy décor within. Far from hiding its Art Nouveau heritage, however, it accentuates it in a refreshingly unique manner, maintaining refined details such as the decorative wallpaper and elegant ironwork, whilst juxtaposing them with a minimalist, contemporary finish. I am particularly taken with the marble floor and lofty ceilings and how they contrast elegantly with the sleek orange sofas and modern artwork adorning the walls. I sneak a peek at my partner's face to see his reaction, for he is truly old-fashioned at heart, and I am pleased to see he looks impressed. So far, so good...

We glide up above the interior patio in a glass lift to our room, which is the final major test and no sooner do we enter than it's quite clear the Opera Garden Hotel passes with flying colours. Very much in keeping with the decorative theme, it seamlessly blends old and new to create an urban yet elegant aesthetic that hints of the city’s classical past. The wide wooden floorboards, patterned wallpaper and warm palette welcome us in and before we know it we have succumbed to the temptation of the large 'comfort foam' bed. From our restful perch we survey our surroundings and observe a flat-screen television discreetly hanging on the wall, two safes, one ostensibly for our laptops, a menu offering a choice of pillows, optional dressing gown and slippers and complimentary shoe shine. My other half wastes no time in calling down to make his requests whilst I go to inspect the kitchen and bathroom.

The slick, open-plan kitchenette is fully equipped and includes a fridge and plenty of cupboard space. Perfect to whisk up a homely supper for two! In the bathroom I find a chic, dark tiled space with a large walk-in shower and complimentary L'Occitane bath products, which smell divine. Meanwhile I hear the door go and I emerge to find my man beaming in a dressing gown and slippers, bathing suit in hand. His plan is undeniably a good one. He suggests we go to explore the hotel spa area and get toasty warm before going out, in order to arm ourselves against the cold. His argument being that we can always go again to thaw out once we come back. A man after my own heart in more ways than one! In a trice we are stepping into the glowing cave of the hotel's sauna.

It is blissfully relaxing and an hour later we return to our room red-faced and steaming hot. This is the inspiration for the second of my love's brilliant ideas of the day. Why not take our small complimentary bottle of red wine and drink it on the roof terrace? The thought is ludicrous but romantic, so we stop off at our room to pick it up and head on up to the sunny, if frosty, terrace with its fragile orange trees and floating canvas umbrellas swaying in the wintry air. Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the... freezing cold in their dressing gowns. We do get a few odd looks but we toast happily to our magical Christmas mini break as we gaze at the glittering city around us and work out where we want to visit. We must go to at least one of the famous baths and I am keen to see the Christmas Market in Vorosmarty Square.

Yet our plans will have to wait a little longer as the chill suddenly gets the better of us and we rush back inside to change and ward off any menacing colds with a couple of glasses of mulled wine, which turn out to be free for guests with the hotel's compliments. So it is now, rosy-cheeked and tipsy, that we finally leave the confines of the marvellous Opera Garden Hotel & Apartments, happy in the knowledge that it is home in this magnificent city for these few very special days in Budapest.