Hotel Palota Lillafüred

If you are looking for a different style hotel located in a beautiful nature area, then this is the perfect place. A castle that has been turned into a hotel is located on the shore of the spectacular lake. Hotel with friendly and helpful staff, with a large private parking lot (extra charge). The hotel offers accommodation on a half-board basis, a pampering spa with several different pools and saunas. In the area of the hotel you can visit a variety of different attractions: caves, waterfalls, hiking trails, boating on the lake and more. A simply magical corner of nature.

Appreciated the local cuisine at the buffet. Rooms were spacious but a tiny bit dated (fitting the vibes) and the lighting was harsh (too bright) in the suites.

A British friend and I (British-Hungarian) visited the lobby bar on Friday, 28 March, in the late afternoon. I have always loved the architecture and ambiance of the hotel, and I wanted my friend (visiting Hungary for the first time) to have a special experience at the Palota. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed by the inexplicable rudeness of the staff. It was Happy Hour, and when I dared to ask what it included, the grumpy response was "cakes and coffee." After discussing our options, we decided to order specialty coffee, assuming it would be part of the Happy Hour discount. However, we were informed that only standard coffee was discounted. While this itself wouldn't have been an issue, the lady we spoke to was extremely rude and patronizing, saying things like, "That would be going a bit far, don't you think?" (In Hungarian: "Az már egy kicsit túlzás lenne, nem gondolja?"). How was I supposed to know? It was just a simple question. Determined not to let this ruin our evening, we tried to enjoy the ambiance and ended up ordering cocktails and other beverages three more times (none of which were included in the Happy Hour and came with quite a hefty price tag). Not once did any of the waiters come to our table to check if we would like anything else, though they did attend to all the other guests. I always had to walk back to the counter. What's more, every time I went to order something, all three ladies serving at the bar looked at me with barely disguised annoyance. Did this happen because we were not hotel guests and just wanted to enjoy a nice evening in this beautiful building? In any event, my friend originally wanted to book a stay with his girlfriend for the summer because he admired the building greatly, but he decided not to due to the rude staff. We chose not to have dinner at the Palota and instead visited the Tókert Restaurant just opposite, which I highly recommend. The waiters there were polite, attentive, and made us feel genuinely welcome.