Hungary’s calmest and most unique accommodations, Part 2
The theme of the second instalment of our article will be accommodations that were not necessarily built to house people, but people found some clever ways to transform them into genuinely unique and interesting places to stay for the night. Among others, in this article, you could read about an old watermill, a rectory, and even the top of a lookout tower.
Thanks to Travelo, who collected these interesting accommodations once again, you could turn your stay in Hungary into a one-of-a-kind experience if you visit any of these locations. They are all unique in some way and offer experiences not many conventional lodgings could. Some of them may not be as easy to get to as a simple hotel, but the adventure is what is important.
Szászi Birtok (Szászi Estate)
People do not just visit Hegymagas in Veszprém County for two days. You will want to stay for weeks once the tranquil landscape gets hold of you. At the Szászi Estate, people are mainly engaged in winemaking, so the guest houses are refurbished press houses where they once processed grapes. Several houses can be rented: Tercia and Natura are in the middle of the estate, but the Diófás (Walnut) and Hobbit houses are only about a 10-minute walk away.
These four- and six-person accommodations are fully equipped, so you feel at home. They have Wi-fi for those who cannot get off the grid, and there are firewood and everything necessary to prepare for a ‘bográcsozás’, a typical Hungarian style of outdoor cooking. You can read more about it here:
Naturally, you do not have to cook for yourself every night, you can also sit down for a few quiet hours in the Viridarium, which opened a few weeks ago. At the restaurant, they also recommend a wine for all dishes they have. For a whole trout fried in butter, served with strawberries and asparagus, ‘Kéknyelvű’ is best, while for a chicken soup with lemon and millet, Zenit would be a better choice.
Vízimalom Vendégház (Watermill Guesthouse)
You can stay at a small, white-walled cottage built on the bank of a real, trickling stream if you visit this accommodation in Nagybörzsöny. The history of the watermill can also be found on their website, but guests staying here are also welcome to take a guided tour about the history of this venerated watermill. The guest house is not a modern piece either; it was built in 1872, and its style fits the museum perfectly.
Although the atmosphere was calm, and you could feel like you have travelled through time, the owners made the place more comfortable for modern visitors with a couple of small things. The house has Wi-fi, a TV, and a fully equipped kitchen. If the weather starts to be cold, the fireplace can be lit, and in the summer, you can cook in a traditional oven in the backyard. This eight-person guesthouse can only be rented out as one, so you do not need to worry about strangers during your vacation.
Sirocave Barlang Apartmanok (Sirocave Cave Apartments)
The first cave accommodation in Central Europe is located in our humble country, Hungary, in Sirok, about 20 km east of Eger. Eight apartments have been turned into accommodations in these 300-year-old caves. The small double rooms that are carved into rhyolite tuff are simple and beautiful and can even accommodate an extra bed if needed. The walls are the original cave walls themselves, and the floor is covered with carpets so that you would not have to walk on the cool stones.
The accommodation is open all year round. The air-conditioned rooms can be heated in cool weather, but during the summer, they do not get too hot due to the natural insulating capability of the caves either. Guests can choose between a double or twin bed. Each apartment has a kitchen and a bathroom with a shower.
Breakfast arrives at your door in a pretty wicker basket every day, and in the evening, you can relax with a glass of Eger wine on the beds placed just outside the caves. You can choose from different packages and offers on the website. For example, the Kaland Barlangos (Adventure Cave) voucher includes two tickets to the Sirok Castle and the Bükkszék spa, while the Sirocave experience also offers a treasure hunt.
Homoki Lodge
This accommodation and the landscape on the sand ridge between the Danube and the Tisza is very interesting. This is the place where the horizon stretches to infinity, and the vast sky carries a sense of freedom. Homoki Lodge is located in the southern part of Hungary, between the Danube and the Tisza, and its main profile is equestrian holidays.
The accommodation is quite unique, and its cuisine is also excellent. They offer professionally equipped yurt accommodations – some have a jacuzzi, others a stargazer, an opening dome window, or damask bedding and underfloor heating. But you can rent out rooms at the boutique hotel, which is made from an old farm complex.
What looks like a beautifully tidy thick-walled, thatched-roof farmhouse on the outside is accommodation inside with all the amenities and comfort. The Lodge has everything: a wood-burning sauna, a library, and a swimming pool.
Cselling Udvarház (Cselling Manor)
The mansion has a history of more than a hundred years. The owners bought this mansion at Révfülöp as a vacation house, but they later decided to turn it into a guest house. They then bought the neighbouring former rectory and renovated it. They used every original building block of the house they could, the original beams, and heraldic bricks. The manor is a particularly comfortable combination of old traditions and the modern world, as it has everything a man looking for silence and peace wants but does not want to compromise about anything.
You can choose from a total of three suites, each decorated to strike a unique atmosphere, and the owners have an attention to detail, such as a welcome drink or an artisan soap.
Galyatető Turistacentrum (Galyatető Tourist Centre)
There are five different types of accommodation to choose from, on-site: apartment houses, en suite rooms in the main building, ‘boot camp’ accommodation – mainly for groups or school classes –, tents, and even an option for a bivouac. And that is what makes this place particularly unique. The latter is located in the 30-metre-high lookout tower, more precisely, on its top three floors.
The Galya Lookout has won several awards, and it is the highest lookout tower in Hungary, which means that its roof terrace is almost at an altitude of 1,000 metres high. The designers – Csaba Kovács and Áron Vass-Eysen – have created a building with a unique atmosphere that is modern yet fits into the landscape.
Honourable mentions:
There are some that did not quite make the cut, but if you are interested in other, similar accommodations, you should definitely check them out, and if you did not read our previous articles with even more unique places to visit when you come to Hungary, read this article:
Öreg Malom (Old Mill)
Bogács is located north of Mezőkövesd, where the apartment house, the Rural Magic Guesthouse, and the restaurant were built from the buildings of a former steam mill and miller’s house. There is also a campsite in the one-and-a-half-hectare park with ancient trees. All rooms at the Old Mill apartment house overlook the green garden, and in addition to the four- and five-person apartments, there is also a mini double-room.
Kerca Bio Farm
Kerca Bio Farm is an Andalusian horse breeding farm which welcomes visitors. The property is located in a village at the heart of the national park Őrség. The village has one main street. On 15 hectares, the property is delimited by a stream and surrounded by a forest, an idyllic landscape.
Source: Travelo.hu