Three Prominent Budapest Hotels--How Small Are Certain Rooms--Have You Stayed There Recently

Have you also checked reviews and photos on Booking dot com? 2 of the 3 are also listed there. Do remember to sort reviews to 'recent' as the default is 'best'...so all the 10s show up first. You can also search reviews for key words which may pull up any issues about too tiny....and the review generally also lists the room the reviewer booked.
You may be able to google search the actual size of the rooms...but 'cozy' tends to just mean 'small'. The size of bed in the room may also give some insight.

Actually booking.com often lists the sizes of the rooms in the room description. For instance the cozy urban at the K & K is listed as 215 square feet. No personal experiences with any of those hotels though.

When is your trip? I'll report back after October when I go.

Next year so I have time.

I stayed at the K&K Opera last October for 8N in a Solo Urban room. I had to change rooms after the first night because the shower was clogged to near overflowing.

The staff were very nice about making the change...I got the sense they were aware of the shower issue. At first, they switched me into a room that wasn't the same room type; we quickly sorted that out. But it gave me a glimpse into another room, which may have been Cozy Urban. It was smaller, as detailed on their site. But it didn't seem uncomfortably small... still plenty of room for luggage and to move around. More noticeable, and the reason I knew it was the wrong room type for what I had booked, was that the Cozy Urban was an interior courtyard room with a window that looked across the HVAC system towards the rooms opposite. The Solo Urban room had an exterior view of a side street.

I'm not certain if that's a defining difference between the rooms, or just those I happened to see.

I trust the reviews on booking.com because all the reviewers are verified as having been guests at the hotel. I think the same is true of hotels.com and maybe others. After a stay, booking.com sends a request to the client for a review. AFAIK that's the only way anyone can post a review or rate the hotel. The only thing to be wary of on review scores is that people are reviewing based on their expectations. Wonderful ratings for a 1-star or superbudget room may be very high, meaning only that it's much better than comparable rooms. The same goes for all other levels. You can also filter reviews on booking.com - for instance you can select one-person stays or time of year. I always filter by date - newest first.

Tripadvisor has no such restrictions. Anyone can write a review.

I cant answer on rooms. I have stayed in two of the three but its been a long time. Also worth noting that these are converted apartment blocks so there may not be a lot of uniformity of room sizes. Dont know.

TTM rags on me about beating hotel selection to death. Glad I am not the only one. All three are a 9+ for location, but I value my evenings a lot. Evenings where I want a place very close to sit outside and eat and drink and watch the world go by as I contemplate the events of the day. With that in mind.

LOCATION
Budapest W Hotel Solid 10
K+K Hotel 9.7
Casati Hotel 9.3
Hotel Moments 9.0

BUT, right now I would think hard about the Casati Hotel. Someone bought the apartment block next to the hotel and its being converted to a ......... I am guessing Boutique Hotel. The street is a bit of mess because of the construction. The hotel itself is an Adult only hotel. I like that. The bar in the hotel is pretty sweet and you can find me there from time to time (nice selection of Gin).

The K+K has been around for at least 25 years. First place I stayed in town. So maybe its showing a little age. But to be able to walk out the door and in 1 minute be at Hajos utca in the evening makes it worth while. Probably where I would stay and I would put up with what ever the rest of the stay is like.

The Hotel Moments is fairly new and shiny and really a beautiful example of local housing converted to a very nice hotel. The lobby is all I have seen and if the rest is the same its lovely. But, its sort of at the sterile end of Andrassy ut. Yes, closer to the things to see by one stop on the M1 and in past years the price has been very, very good. I just like, no love, the area closer to the Opera House a lot more. But you can walk up Andrassy ut or take the M1 one stop and be at the Opera in 3 minutes.

I stayed at the Hotel Moments last year. Nothing negative to say.

I didn't stay in the cheapest room but my room was of good size. Didn't feel cramped at all.

The hotel itself, I thought, had a great location, good service, was clean, had a coffee and filtered water machine in the lobby for guests to use free of charge, and an excellent included breakfast buffet. I"d stay there again.

The layout of the inside of the hotel is in a square with the center area an open atrium to ground level.

On TripAdvisor, I usually ignore the individual reviews. I look at the overall ratings and how big the excellent and good numbers are. If there are a lot more good than excellent grades, I usually move on. If the number of excellent grades is three times greater--not to mention six or 10 times greater-- than the number of good grades, I feel comfortable booking. The overall grades for the K & K Opera are fine, though the overall grades for the other two properties are even better. But I was struck that the recent reviews for the hotel seemed less than positive.

Chani, I went to booking.com. The overall grades for the three hotels are comparable to those on TA--good for K & K, outstanding for the other two properties.

Mr. E, I saw two or three reviews for the Casita mention the construction, but in the context of once the construction ends, this hotel will be perfect.

I editied out anything that might start an off topic argument.

And I found myself walking past the Casati Hotel on the way home this afternoon.

So, the first video shows what the construction looks like.
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ai7Zk-szxfTJi9gN-sNjxydX07E5dQ?e=2dXmgU

The construction immediately adjacent is more than a simple interior renovation. It appears a company purchased the building and tore down all but the front wall. It will be another botique hotel. I am guessing 3 to 5 years. The construction further down to the right of the Casati is a vacant lot that has been that way for at least 15 years that I know of. Probably vacant since the war. It will be new high end apartments. I am guessing 3 to 5 years. The construction further up to the left of the Casati is the conversion of a basement into a parking garage and an exterior renovation. Should be done in a few months.

The second video is a walk from the Casati (almost) walking to Anrassy ut. Maybe you can see why its such a good location.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ai7Zk-szxfTJi9gMArx1fMovJtDVww?e=EaUTJH

BUT, at about the midpoint of the second video, if you were to walk up the side street along the Opera it would take you to the K+K Hotel. Both are about equal distance (about 100m) to the same spot in the middle of Andrassy ut. by the Opera House. The area of the Opera House and the Budapest W Hotel across the street is I think the most beautiful place in town in the evenings. Sorry, didnt walk past the Moments but its onl 200m to the same point and a lovely walk up Andrassy ut; so not bad either.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. All three have merit. All are reasonably close the to Kadarka Wine Bar so not much else matters.

How do i know all of this. I live about 100m from the Casati. I've stayed in the Casati once too. But 15 years ago and it was called the Hotel Pest back then and it was a dump.

A little side note. Budapest does more tourist a year than Prague. But since the tourism area is so large we dont get the tourist crunch that Prague does. Here we are in the second week of August, high tourist season, standing at the one spot in Budapest that every single tourist comes to see (video two) ... notice the lack of tourist crunch. And the August weather? It was a beautiful day.

I am just answering because I spent a couple of nights in a cozy urban room at the K+K last October. I have not stayed at the other two hotels. While it is one of their smaller rooms, it was fine for me traveling solo - my suitcase (a clamshell) could lie open without me having to walk around (or over) it and it had a window (without a good view). The room was comfy and the breakfast was good. Price matters to me and it was less expensive than the other two - but prices change at different times of the year. Had I been staying a whole week, I might have spent more for a bigger room, but for 2 nights it did all I could want.

Location for sightseeing is great for all three.

We’re sitting in a room right.now at the K + K Hotel. It’s rated a four star but I don’t think so. The room is cozy urban really 70’s wood. Wood half way up the wall around the doors with matching end tables and desk. The bathroom has a tub but needs upgrade. Everything is clean smells good just really needs a major up grade . Air is strong mattress is the newer thicker one. We got breakfast with the room. Let you.know how it is.

Just to let everyone know, I am inclined to book a double room at the Casati. The single room at Casati seems small, and the price difference between a single and a double is only 10 euro per night. The price difference between the Casati Hotel and Hotel Moments is roughly 20 euro per night, and I will be booking a room for five nights.

The grades for Hotel Moments might be a tad higher, but we are talking a tad, and the ratings for both hotels on both TripAdvisor and booking.com are exceptional. Thanks to Mr. E, I am aware of the construction next to the Casati, and the hotel seems a bit on the funky side. But again its online grades are uniformly high. Factoring in price, I think it offers a better value.

You choose well. With that list you couldn’t do wrong.

So, some things in the immediate area, within about 300m of the hotel:

On Paulay Ede utca (hotel street)
Tuk Tuk Bar. The Casati Hotel bar. Great collection of Gin.
Vak Varju Restaurant. Nice sort of local place. https://maps.app.goo.gl/oyuoyrXV6YZ2gsa2A
Giero Pub. Basement bar with gypsy music late in the evening. https://maps.app.goo.gl/qYbWbXScoD1xQBuS7
Vasvari Pal utca where you will find:
The Lions Locker. For breakfast. Run by a local family, Marci, Agi, Magi and Arpi ….. and they are doing well enough where they have hired a few as well. All friendly lovely people. Breakfast is good too. https://maps.app.goo.gl/PXxWRmbW8Q86ixav8
Óceán Ruhatisztító Szalon. A dry cleaner and laundry service should you need it. https://maps.app.goo.gl/L3BZg6SSHPbn48H56
Shas Chevra Lubavitch synagogue. https://maps.app.goo.gl/UbPkXPLi7dKuNgar6
Kadarka Wine Bar. My favorite in town. These folks have been taking care of me for over 10 years. Good selection, good prices, very good service. https://maps.app.goo.gl/uhp4RZX23HXguaT67

On Hajos utca
This particular street that runs along side the Opera has a number of nice places to eat and drink. The area attracts a pretty nice crowd.

Cork Breakfast and Wine. A short menu but everything Ive had so far has been very well done. As the name implies its open from breakfast util 11pm. And I love it because the Ukrainian kids that own it are really good people. https://maps.app.goo.gl/GKBLKBZyrBqMS9b5A

On Nagymező utca
N28 one of my favorite restaurants close to home. https://maps.app.goo.gl/6SgAXp9S9CSuNNE98
Spar Grocery and DM which sells personal hygiene products, soaps, etc. Both located, on opposite corners of Andrassy ut and Nagymező utca

Thank you!

Rick should hire you as a consultant for the Hungary chapter in his Eastern Europe book. Seriously. Who else can bring a College Station perspective to the banks of the Danube?

If you are in town and you see an old guy in a white Aggie cap, say hello.

RJ, I stayed at the Casati Hotel as a solo traveler in a double room in May 2022 and was thoroughly delighted! The room was spacious for two people much less one. Breakfast was extensive, changing daily and included bubbles. Slurp.
How can you fault a hotel with a personalized pillow menu? Genius. Tuk-Tuk, the lobby bar, has been written up as one of the best gin joints in Budapest.
Funky? Yeah, a little. Like this old lady felt a bit hipster staying there. Not like, that grout is a little funky.

The block is definitely going through rehab but what block of Budapest isn’t?
I’m diving back in. I’m returning with my husband in tow in two weeks. If things have changed, I’ll give you a heads up.