Was recently in Budapest for a conference that was held in the Intercontinental Hotel along the Danube so I needed a hotel in the vicinity. Picked the City Centre branch of the Mercure, and I must say, the location could not have been better. It was a short hop away from where the conference was held, and therefore, a short hop from the banks of the Danube. It's located on the main shoping avenue, and you literally step out of the hotel straight into shops! There were restaurants and eateries galore about the place and there was no shortage of things to do in the neighbourhood. Everything was easily reachable including any tour buses that left from Andrassy Ut. The room however was very very small for a double. The airconditioning was useless and extremely noisy, leaving you with a sweltering room in which you can't sleep! You could just about turn in the bathroom as well, it was so small! Breakfast was not included but was added onto your bill, and they ask you if you had any breakfast on checkout, before deleting the price from your final bill, which seems very dodgy to me, but probably the norm in Hungary. Don't bother with hotel breakfasts, head out and there are a dozen plus places to eat just down the road. The staff were very friendly though, and could not have been more helpful in booking a taxi to the train station for my onward journey to Vienna afterward. Guide books will tell you, the Hungarians don't speak much English. That's a fallacy, they were all well versed in the hotel. Good hotel but would have preferred a bigger room.

We were at the Mercure city Center for 4 nigths . It was our first time in Budapest and we realy enjoyd our visit to the city . The Hotel is realy on a very good location , very nice service but rooms with a standart decoration . Breakfast was not so good , but ok !!! Every one at the reception try to help us with all the informations . The bar is small near the reception - but there you can find a nice expresso coffee . We really liked Budapest - Beautifuul city !!

Booked the hotel through the airline as a 4 star (Anywhere else I would rate it as a 3 Star, MAXIMUM). When we arrived the room we were given was VERY small, NOT very clean and not even a kettle. We paid 20 Euro per day to upgrade (Much cleaner and a fair bit bigger) which made it about ?75 a night. FIRST THE GOOD POINTS. 1. The staff are very friendly (Except one on reception) and they all seem to speak several languages. 2. The hotel was generaly very clean and It's location is perfect. THE POOR POINTS 1. The beds are VERY hard. 2. If you like a cup of tea or coffee in the morning take it with you and buy milk each day as the Tea/coffee facilities in the rooms are very limited and milk is not supplied. 3. There is not a restaurant and the food that is available is EXTORTIONATE. 4. Breakfast is 16 Euro's (about ?14.50)(eat out) 5. AVOID the bar (It is also very expensive) 6. Scrutinise your bill (We were charged for breakfast every day but had never had breakfast) 7. Be prepared for the taxes that you pay for the room (These are added at 15% per day. (about ?6.00 a day) GENERAL INFO ABOUT THE AREA 1. Make sure your take a whole day to explore the Castle Hill Area in Buda (IT IS FANTASTIC) 2. When you visit the Citadel DON'T be tempted to go inside (Advertised as German Bunker) it cost HUF1,400 (About ?5) and is a total rip off. 3. If you want to go INSIDE the parliament building get there VERY early as there are only a limited amount of tickets per day and they sell out quickly. 4. Make sure you visit St stephens Basilica 5. A good place for breakfast or light lunch is upstairs in the Great Market Hall at the end of Vaci Utca. 6. For a meal of GIGANTIC proportions go to the "Fatal" restaurant at 67 Vaci Utca. You will be amazed. 7.For very good Authentic food at a Moderate price Visit "Avocado" 8. The "Fusion" on Vaci Utca is also very good for Asian food. 9. Go for a drink at "Montmatre" near St stephens Basilica (Don't be put off by the interior, the staff and owner are very friendly) 10. Two places to avoid are "Casablanca" on Vaci Utca (VERY EXPENSIVE and not that good) and "La Porta di Taormina" on Persti Barnabas Utca (VERY POOR service and EVEN WORSE FOOD) 11. DONT expect any bargains in clothing or Bags/Handbags they are very expensive (Cigarettes are very cheap) 12.Take ENGLISH POUNDS with you as you will get more Forints per pound there than in UK. There are hundreds of places to change money but shop around as they all offer different rates (Oh, and don't be afraid to haggle to get an even better rate) at the time of writing this we were getting 314 HUF to ?1 in UK. (We got 357 HUF for ?1 in Budapest and managed to haggle up to 365 HUF) FINALLY. TIP WELL. It is very much appreciated as the pay in Hungary is terrible. A GOOD INCOME is ?400-?500 a month and then they pay 50% tax (That is not a mistake, 50% tax)

Great hotel extremely well placed for most of the attractions. Staff at front desk spoke good English and were very helpful. Room a little small but clean and fine for the two of us. Would most certainly stay again

We were in Budapest for a conference and our Hungarian host recommended this hotel due to its central location and reasonable prices for business travellers. I cannot dispute those merits, and as other reviewers have pointed out, the young staff members are very friendly, polite, and fluent in English. Likewise, I have to agree with the reviews concerning the small rooms; the standard rooms themselves are not exactly tiny, but the bathrooms are not much larger than a phone booth (remember those things?). In all seriousness, I stood in the center of the bathroom and could touch all four walls. That said, the bathroom had obviously been renovated fairly recently (someone told me within the last year), so it was bright, had all new fixtures and tiles, and was very clean. I'm a little puzzled by the other reviews about the dirty rooms, though, because mine was always clean, with just a few scuff marks on the wall. There is no restaurant in the hotel, but there are many restaurants in the area that are a just a few steps away; the buffet breakfast was fairly nice by European standards, but it should be for the 16 Euros that they charge for it! I only had two major complaints during my stay here: 1. I had difficulty getting the reception clerks to understand that my bill should be the same as what the reservation was quoted for, but the two didn't match (and the bill is still under dispute). 2. Avoid the hotel bar like the plague! As another reviewer pointed out, they are more expensive than an airport bar; to wit, I ordered a local draught beer (.5L) and the bar maid charged me 1,200 HUF (almost 7USD!). These two issues ruined an otherwise pleasant stay.