Hotel Balaton

We had a great four-day stay and I’d recommend the place. The private beach has free sunbeds, shallow water, and a sandy bottom. There’s also a nice warm pool where you can spend the day, and prices are good. Breakfast and dinner were fine, but the food was similar each day, which could be an issue over a week. Parking costs more and isn’t right at the hotel.

You can step straight out to the lake, and the location is great. The updated rooms were clean, with a nicely sized balcony. Breakfast and dinner had a decent selection, and it felt like good value. I’d recommend it to any travelers.

The location is great, and most staff tried to help, though not many spoke English. We didn’t feel welcome or comfortable, and I’d pick another hotel next time. There were notices with rules all over the place, and the reception area looked dark and cluttered. The two main people responsible for the hotel didn’t look very professional either; a more professional dress code and clearing away the unnecessary stuff would help. Dinner started sharply at 19:00, which was new to me. It led to long lines and almost a fight for food, and once a dish ran out, they didn’t bring more. The room was a disaster: the air conditioning was very noisy, its control didn’t work, and we couldn’t sleep properly. The lights also switched off whenever there was no movement.

We still have one more night here, and I hope we make it through. The overall stay has been awful. I’d suggest avoiding both this hotel and this town. For a lakeside break, I’d choose a campsite or a smaller town that cares about quality instead of just taking your money. The town is extremely tourist-focused, with souvenir shops and “restaurants” everywhere. Prices are high for tourists, but the quality doesn’t seem very good. The hotel’s “private” beach is only reachable through the restaurant. It’s a patch of grass and concrete beside a lake that looks nice but is very shallow. We reached the buoys and the water still didn’t reach our stomachs, so it might suit kids. The water was a very pleasant temperature, and the lake, swans, and summer heat made for a refreshing swim. The hotel pool was warm, but tiny and shallow, with no real room to swim. Breakfast was disappointing. There was hardly any choice, and when we came at 8AM, the time staff and signs said it began, much of the food wasn’t ready. What did arrive was gone within minutes, and a lot of it was never replenished. There was no fruit, the coffee machine was broken, and the rest seemed bland. In our room, water from the shower wouldn’t drain. I showered around 10.30PM, and it was still pooled at the bottom at 8AM. The bathroom ventilation fan was taped to the ceiling, and the tape was visibly coming loose. The air conditioning barely worked when we arrived, though it kept the room just cool enough despite the 37-degree heat outside. It broke during the night. When we told staff, they seemed annoyed and unhappy we’d mentioned it. They said they’d fix it in about 30 minutes and claimed it was a problem on their side, though everyone else seemed to have working air conditioning. After we returned from swimming in the lake, it still wasn’t working. We got it to restart by fiddling with its four buttons, but it kept turning itself off even while the room was hot. After our third complaint, about 12 hours after the first, they moved us to another room. The air conditioning there worked, though it squeaked. We also had a view of the ferris wheel instead of another hotel, which was nice. The man who looked at our unit seemed to be the only staff member interested in helping. Staff came to clean at 3.30PM while we were in the room. The hotel has no “Do not disturb” signs for the doors, so we had to ask them to leave. We’d just got back from walking around town and were showering because of the heat. The hotel entrance is in the middle of souvenir shops, and at check-in the receptionist asked for documents we’d already sent ahead because we were traveling in a group. Near the elevators, signs everywhere said no food could be brought to rooms, no matter where it came from. They reminded us of old communist signs from CCCP times.