Mirage Fashion Hotel ★★★★

The location of the Mirage Fashion Hotel really couldn’t be better. It is right in the heart of this lovely city, a few hundred metres from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Andrassy Avenue, on the Varosliget Park which forms the green core of the city. You arrive to see a pretty central European city mansion with pillared balconies and the typical semi-domed roofline. So far so good, but it is when you step inside that you appreciate the contrast which has transformed the traditional exterior into a fashionable, ultra-modern interior.

We settled, after a warm welcome, into a cosy bar and lounge to enjoy our welcome drink. We sank gratefully into comfortable cream leather armchairs, surrounded by regency striped walls and imposing portraits of illustrious former occupants of the mansion before its transformation into a hip city hotel. We then chatted with the reception staff about the services on offer to help us make the most of our visit, and decided there was no shame in being real tourists – we should go for the whole package! So we booked a city tour for the next day, as well as the hotel’s Budapest Card which would give us free transport in the city and lots of discounts in restaurants and shops. Budapest here we come! 

We had booked a family room for the full girls-together experience; it was lovely and spacious so we didn’t feel we were crowding each other. Furnished in smart stripes and checks, the bedrooms had pretty little details like crushed velvet cushions in glowing colours and hanging jewel decorations. The smart clean rooms had Burberry-patterned flooring, chequered wing armchairs around a little coffee table, and enough working space for parking the laptop – all very stylish! We had a twin and a double bed with two bathrooms between us. They were fresh and clean with pale terracotta striped ceramic tiling and nice luxury touches, such as filling up the shampoo and toiletries each day. We also enjoyed the luxury facilities which ensured our comfort, such as the mini-bar, tea and coffee-making facilities and a laptop-size safe.

We found a great little restaurant almost next door for dinner that evening after taking a stroll around Heroes’ Square, and lingered over our desserts planning the sights and shopping of the next few days, not forgetting to make time in our schedule for a visit to one of the city’s most famous attributes; the thermal springs. Next morning after a really great buffet breakfast in the hotel, with a huge selection of hot and continental-style breakfast goodies, we set off. We loved the tour of the city and seeing the sights, and the shopping just as much. My favourite however, was luxuriating in the thermal spa. We returned to real life cleansed, relaxed, refreshed and with suitcases full of souvenirs of brilliant Budapest!