Prater Residence

The apartment itself was clean and tidy, with three bedrooms, six single beds, towels, free Wi-Fi, and an air conditioner in the living room. It looked fine on the surface, and the location was handy for the city and main roads. But the host’s poor communication and lack of reliability made this one of my worst stays, even though the apartment could have been a five-star stay. I booked mainly because free parking was advertised, which is hard to find in Budapest. Months ahead, I messaged through Agoda to ask for a high floor, a large bed, parking for one car, and possible early check-in. I mentioned we’d be coming from Lake Balaton. I got no answer. While we were at Lake Balaton, I emailed on Thursday about checking in early, then sent another Agoda message about check-in and parking. Still nothing. At 14:51 on check-in day, just before 3 pm, an email finally arrived with check-in instructions but no word about parking. We reached the property at 15:20 with my family. There was no reception staff, only six lockboxes in a side room. I called the host and was told I hadn’t arranged parking in advance, parking couldn’t be provided, nobody was there to help, and I’d have to find a spot myself. She blamed me despite the messages I’d sent months earlier, and offered no other solution. It was 36°C, and I was with three kids. We had to hunt for street parking, carry all our luggage, and figure out how to pay without coins or knowing Hungarian. After hours of stress, someone finally helped me download the VoxPay parking app. I later learned there were free spaces in the basement and the key card could open the garage door, but I hadn’t used it because parking wasn’t offered to me. Agoda said I could claim the parking costs later and eventually offered a goodwill gesture for the costs and inconvenience. The host never replied or explained the misleading free-parking claim. We stayed one night, but I lost hours of our holiday to the parking problem. Would I stay again? Absolutely not. The apartment itself was great, but with this host managing it, it remains one of the worst stays I’ve had. One star reflects my experience.

For the price and location, it was very good, and I’d recommend it. We only stayed one night, but the rooms were spacious and pretty clean. The apartment’s wear and tear made it feel a little dirty, though. Parking was a bit odd, but not enough to spoil the stay.

We thought the price was well worth it, and we’d book this apartment again if we return to Budapest. It’s right beside a shopping mall and metro, which was really convenient. The living room was huge, and the kitchen had everything. When we asked for a baby crib, they brought it right away. The one thing that could be improved is the lack of a place to sit on the reception floor.

The apartment was spacious, big, and clean, though we had some noisy neighbors upstairs. I didn’t like the plastic undersheet on the bed, but I guess it’s necessary since it’s hot as hell. Parking is nearby at Corvin plazza, or on the street for 600FT per hour.