Margaréta Balatonfüred

The wellness area was wonderful, with saunas, jacuzzis, and a swimming pool, and the food was delicious. The staff were friendly too. Still, we came away with mixed feelings, as several things brought down our impression of Hotel Margaréta. The room Wi-Fi barely worked, so we had to go onto the balcony or down to the first floor to get online. There was also loud renovation work right by our balcony for two days. A room farther from the construction would have spared us the noise. For a hotel of this level with a wellness center, not having slippers in the room was a significant drawback, and having to rent bathrobes felt unusual. I work in this field, and I think the wellness area has a lot of potential, but it needs more attention. The floor was often wet and rarely cleaned; there were no plastic cups, lemon water, or extra sheets (plahts), and once the saunas had been forgotten and weren’t turned on. We were also surprised by the rule against putting our own food or water in the fridge for “hygienic reasons.” It seemed illogical when most places in town close at 8 PM, and we’ve never run into this rule at another hotel. We did get a good rest, and hope management will take these comments on board and improve the service.

The reception staff were friendly and helpful, and the spa was lovely and free to use. The rooms could do with updating. Breakfast was good, but the dining room staff weren’t friendly. At the evening meal the salad was good, while the main course was cold and sometimes past its best. Go at 6 pm. Nobody smiled or looked happy!

Our weekend is ruined, and I’m very sorry the hotel’s policy was written so unclearly. It didn’t say that pet-friendly rooms were limited, only that a request was needed for one. The hotel’s wording and sentence construction could easily mislead guests. Please don’t claim you didn’t charge our card after saying you wouldn’t offer a free cancellation. If the policy was changed because of this case, that indirectly admits the fault. Since I can’t reply to the hotel’s response, I wanted to add this. Thank you for your understanding. We filtered for pet-friendly places on Booking and booked this hotel. The conditions said we needed to announce that we were bringing our dog, so we contacted the hotel and were told there were no pet-friendly rooms left. They refused to cancel for free, and we couldn’t leave our dog home alone for two nights. That meant the hotel and Booking received 50% of the price without providing any kind of service. The hotel changed the conditions to “not pet friendly” immediately after our call, which seemed to confirm my point. I’m a lawyer, and my professional habit is to screenshot everything. This behavior goes against competition and consumer protection rules, and we plan to escalate the matter. Beware, as the hotel seems to deceive guests in all kinds of ways.

We spent a week here as a family of four and had a great vacation. The little pool has less than a meter of water, which worked really well for babies and small children. There’s also plenty of outdoor space for kids, and the whole area is fenced, so we didn’t have to worry about them wandering off. The beach, which is paid during high season, and the city center are both within walking distance. There’s a Penny grocery store nearby too. It’s the best hotel in Hungary I’ve visited so far.