Hotel Lion's Garden

The indoor swimming pool was the highlight for the kids, who made the most of every chance to use it. The hotel is in a very quiet neighborhood, with a bus stop less than a minute's walk away. Keleti train station, Blaha Lujza square near the famous New York Café, and the famous Vaci Utca shopping street are only a few bus stops away. We were two adults and three kids, so we booked two rooms at the Lion's Garden Hotel for the Easter holidays. We first booked five nights, then extended our stay by two more. A big thank you to the whole hotel team, from reception and the restaurant to the bar and service staff. We felt very welcome and had a lot of fun. I also want to sincerely thank the Hotel Manager, Mr. Imre Kover, for his kindness, for helping with our needs, and for answering our questions. Thanks again for a great stay. We highly recommend the hotel for business trips or family holidays!

I was locked out twice during my three-night stay, on 17 January, because only one key card worked at a time. Each failure meant going back to reception. The room itself was modern and generally clean, but the cup looked badly washed, and the bathroom glass had toothpaste marks on it even though it had been left upside down. There was no black tea or milk for tea and coffee. The leisure facilities were disappointing too. The pool felt uncomfortably cold, and the jacuzzi was nowhere near its advertised 34 °C. The sauna had no towels on either day, so I had to walk back to my room wet. In the tiny gym, there was just one weight machine and a treadmill, no bench, and the fan wasn't working. I know the controls, since the same model works in my room. There was no water dispenser there either. Guests had to buy small bottles of water at a high price from the bar after breakfast, or find water elsewhere. I asked about this twice and was told directly to pay at the bar or get it elsewhere, even though I could see dispensers used during breakfast and an accessible tap at the bar. This wasn't a misunderstanding. Breakfast had a decent range, but didn't feel like four-star quality. The scrambled eggs were cold, dry, and overcooked, as if they'd been sitting out since early morning. Taking any food or drink away cost €7 for a takeaway box, even for one pastry. One woman on the breakfast staff was excellent, though another staff member was rude and unhelpful, something I'd already seen mentioned in other reviews. For a hotel advertised as four-star, the facilities, service, and basic provisions fell short. I'd choose somewhere else for a proper hotel stay.

The breakfast buffet is a big reason we keep coming back to Lion’s Garden Hotel. There’s a broad choice of fresh, good-quality food, and the restaurant meals have been delicious and nicely presented each time. We find the location convenient for getting around Budapest, with public transport and major sights easy to reach. After busy days out, the clean, comfortable rooms are a welcome place to rest. The whole hotel feels very well kept, which gives us peace of mind. Most of all, the staff are kind, professional, and helpful from the moment we arrive. Their service makes this feel like our home away from home whenever we visit Hungary. We’ve stayed here again, and it exceeded our expectations once more. We highly recommend it to anyone after a reliable, high-quality place in Budapest.

The gym feels more like a tiny room than a proper fitness centre: there's one rack of dumbbells, two cardio machines, and a rusty all-in-one machine. Two people can barely be in there together, and there's no air conditioning. Breakfast could be improved too. The bread was stale, so at least consider adding a toaster for people to toast a slice of stale brioche. For the price, this doesn't feel like a four-star hotel. It's an okay three-star place, and calling it four-star only sets people up for disappointment.