My house in Budapest

George Ezra’s song was playing in my head for the last couple of days. It was an early start for most of us to travel on a Monday morning to Budapest but the arrival and warm welcome at Liszt Ferenc Budapest International Airport felt like a good morning coffee. Microcosmos’s personal meet and greet and transfer to the city presented a great story telling opportunity for Refi Dori, the DMC’s co-owner and managing director of operations. For a few of us this short passage Budapest was a ‘revisit’, for most of the group, a first introduction of a fantastic meetings and incentive destination.

Pauline Bergé, my colleague for a former life and the team of The Ritz-Carlton Budapest stood guard at the door when we arrived and refreshments were served in the spacious and impressive Kupola lounge. The Ritz Carlton Budapest is a great mix of culture and heritage meeting modern elegance. The hotel is located in the beating heart of the city and offers exceptional service, spacious rooms and suites and authentic culinary moments. Budapest is known as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and a walk along the blue Danube, amid the majestic buildings and through the historic heart, illustrates why. Set within a 20th-century building, the luxury hotel is surrounded by history, with the UNESCO World Heritage Buda Castle nearby and five star views of St. Stephen’s Basilica and Erzsébet Square from many guest rooms and suites. The design concept of the luxury hotel blends the local environment with a timeless, contemporary five star interior. The lunch that was served for our group in the Deak St. Kitchen was excellent to say the least and presented and served in the most original way.

Following lunch we were invited to discover the downtown area of Pest (on the left bank of the river) by the means of a Tuk Tuk ride and we discovered several great event venues such as the imposing Ethnographical Museum. The grand hall is ideal for elegant gala dinners and award ceremonies. From there we travelled on to the VAM Design Center, again an option for gala dinners which can accommodate more relaxed as well as a formal setting. Our final stop was at a brand new venue. Today was the opening day of the fabulous rooftop 360° Bar/Váci 1 - overlooking the city. We closed the long day with dinner at the Spoon Restaurant. The Spoon Restaurant is a barge docked by the foot of the world famous Chain-Bridge and offers a front-row seat to the best of Budapest’ sights. It’s an entertainment in itself.

Day two allowed us first of all to enjoy a wonderful breakfast in the Kopula Lounge. But then it was time for action. In cities like Budapest you can walk a lot but if you want to move quickly to see the sights and venues which are not in the downtown area, one needs wheels! These came in the fun form of Monsterrollers. These bikes allowed us to leave by one of the bridges crossing the Danube to the Buda side of the city, effortlessly up to the Citadel and the Castle District. Here the group was invited to take part in a fun rally, using iPads and answering trivial questions. This involved teamwork, quick thinking and decision making. The winning team received fame for a day and respect from the other competing groups. After the fun interactive exploration of the area, the group was rewarded with some bubbly stuff on the Fishermen’s Bastion’s terrace, offering an incredible view of the river and the Pest side of town.

Lunch time and the afternoon were dedicated to a culinary discovery experience. We started off with a stop at the Main Food Market Hall, where a tasting of Hungary’s different meats, sausages and cheeses were served followed by a huge portion of the signature dish of Hungary: the Goulash Soup. Next stop involved wine tasting at the St Andrea Wine Bar, tasting Hungarian wines from the St Andrea Winery We now understand why Hungary does not export much because they are just too good and the locals prefer to drink the excellent wines themselves; I guess… After this, it was time to be a little more active and the group was taken to the next calorie adventure, involving Hungarian Strudel making. With the group participating in rolling out the dough, we came to some crazy and embarrassing situations. They will never ask us again I guess and some pictures have been banned from Facebook. Next door to the Strudel Bakery we also discovered a brand new and fantastic restaurant which only opened recently. The place even has its own folklore museum in the basement!

After so much activity, food and drink, it was good to look up the spa at the hotel for a refreshing dive in the pool, a relaxing massage or some free time to do retail therapy in the shopping streets at the back of the hotel.

After this, it was time for new wheels again and a caravan of Trabants were lined up to take us to dinner. These old fashioned East-German cars, provide a unique experience for just a transfer or it can be activity on its own. On the way to our dinner, along the grand Andrassy Avenue, we discovered some more venues including the Opera House, the Robinson Restaurant and the Szechenyi open air thermal baths and swimming pool. We then walked over to the Gundel Restaurant for dinner. Every major city has its iconic and historic restaurant and this is the place to be in Budapest! Food and service at this grand classic were as one would expect, involving some of the restaurants classics. What we did not expect was the chef inviting us to join him at the Chef’s Table in the kitchen to sample delicious and opulent deserts. After dinner our guests were transported to the Szimpla Garden, one of the most famous ruin pubs in Budapest, where guests enjoyed drinks, good music and experienced this unique face of the Budapest nightlife. Some of us made it back to the hotel in time for midnight, others did not…

The final day of our Budapest discovery involved a stroll through the shopping district to pick a tram ride along the Danube (an activity on itself) and visit more venues, like the contemporary Whale or a short walk along the Danube. This venue has a modern aesthetic, in which the dominant element is glass, and serves as a perfect location for larger groups for conferences, product launches, cocktails and dinners. Next to this venue we boarded a ‘luxury speedboat turned cocktail bar’ which gave a brand new meaning to our cocktails being ‘shaken, not stirred’… The freshness of the river and the drinks of course allowed us to sample a last look on the banks of the Danube River and all the historic buildings and venues. Farewell luncheon was served at one of the coolest places in Budapest, the Kiosk Bistro. It is located in the centre of the city and with its laid-back vibe and trendy interior, it attracts a hip crowd.

From here, we took a short stroll through the pedestrian shopping streets again, back to the hotel, where the entire team of the Ritz Carlton bid their farewells before our partner Microcosmos DMC took us back to the airport.

“My house in Budapest

My hidden treasure chest,

Golden grand piano

My beautiful castillo”

There was that song again for the rest of the day!

 This Budapest educational was organised by the team of Microcosmos DMC, the long-time Ovation Global DMC ‘s exclusive partnership for Hungary. Big thanks go to our partners in crime Ritz-Carlton hotels, our media partner BBT Online and SN Brussels Airlines to fly us there like an eagle…

You can find the BBT Online picture report here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BBT-Online-342354577225/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155405462817226

@OvationGlobalDMC 

For more information on Ovation Global DMC destinations, check out www.ovationdmc.com