Jane Wilson checks out boutique luxury in Budapest
Budapest is Hungary’s capital and is uniquely divided into two districts by the River Danube. The hilly Buda district is connected by a 19th-century Chain Bridge to the flat Pest district. It is the second largest city on the Danube and the ninth-largest city in the European union, with a wide range of cultural sites to explore.
There are also many styles of accommodation, but one in particular merged history with contemporary luxury – The Kozmo Hotel Suites & Spa.
The Kozmo Hotel is West Central of Budapest on the Pest side. It sits just on the outskirts of the centre and served by trams and buses or a walk of 20mins to the heart of the city. Close by is the National Museum and the Great Market Hall near the Trinity Bridge.
The spire-shaped tower of the hotel makes it the tallest building in the vicinity, with 360° views of Budapest, including Buda Castle and the Citadel from the small viewpoint on its lowest floor.
Huge laced iron gates, imposing and monumental represent the significance of the building. Inside reveals neatness and minimalism, a signature of boutique luxury, yet the smile and warmth of the reception team dispel any concern of minimal hospitality. With base and drum music in the background, the ambience is calm and cool.
The Kozmo Hotel Suites & Spa is independently owned allowing for unique artistry found in every space. The lobby is coloured in a restful, sophisticated grey with a splash of orange in the form of a velvet “fall-into” sofa in the middle of the room shadowed by a modern chandelier, all dwarfed by the high ceilings that roar above. Behind the reception glass, there’s a courtyard in the open air with tables which spill from the bistro – a perfect choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner and very popular!
I am one of many individual leisure travellers looking for something a little different and stylish to stay the city. I understand fellow Brits are also regulars here along with Spanish (the owners are from Spain) and the US. When the hotel opened in 2021, just after covid, its first major event was the MTV awards and since then it has attracted individual purveyors of fashion and music, including the likes of Ed Sheeran.
The Hotel’s History
The building that Kozmo Hotel Suites & Spa occupies today is a historical landmark. It was the largest telecommunications centre in Eastern and Central Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. This protected bourgeois building has kept its original elements such as the reddish material of its facade, its infinite palatial ceilings and the imposing staircase that presides over the lobby which is the second largest staircase in Budapest, next to the Parliament building. It was a huge state project to restore it to its former style. Careful attention to detail is evident in the restoration to preserve its precious history: red tiles were brought from the Zsolnay porcelain factory (established back in 1853) and the ceiling hand painted. The tunnels leading to the spa were once the bunker.
Each member of staff is proud of their hotel as they lead guests to their rooms while relating the history of the hotel and highlighting its features.
Rooms & Suites
Each room type has its own character but space is the common denominator. Suites have a dressing room, a huge modern bath, while the separate walk-in shower and toilet room are masked by tinted glass doors with a modern version of art deco slim panelling design. There’s a seating area in the middle. Hair straighteners in the bathroom sit next to a Penhaligon toiletries.
The spacious lounge is flooded with light and accommodates designer furniture as in keeping with an independent hotel that aims to retain a uniqueness such as the personal touch of the Kozmo table book on the table opened to the page which corresponds to the black & white picture on the wall and the chef’s Kozmo cookie – yummy. In the corner stands the private mini bar in a stylish wooden cabinet which was voted the best private mini bar of the year in 2023 by a Hungarian architect and inside, to purchase, vegan and gluten-free products and organic red wine. There are 84 rooms 63 doubles and 21 suites of various types
Dining
The Kozmo is legendary for its breakfast – from freshly cooked to order a la carte dishes to a selection of freshly- baked local delicacies served in the courtyard or inside in the Bistro Restaurant.
Dinner includes Hungarian flavours such as Foie Gras Torchon, Beef Cheek Goulash and Deconstructed Rakpczi Turos (apricot, cottage cheese, meringue and linzer).
Amenities & Activities
The library, adjacent to the lobby is the place to chill, especially in winter with the centre piece open fire. And, uniquely, there’s an entertainment floor on the first floor with a billiard table and tables which circumvent the famous staircase with the walls displaying the original tile design.
The Spa
A labyrinth of tunnels in the basement, dark but gently illuminated, lead to the spa, passing mounted black and white pictures of the Gellert Bath on the Buda side of the city. Here you can admire the painted stained window (1910 -1917) of the original building and part of the glass brick wall. The inviting swimming pool is a channel of water 17 m long and 3m 5 wide in a backdrop of calming grey. Opposite is a Finnish sauna and jacuzzi. There are 3 treatment rooms. The spa uses Valmont products. The well-equipped fitness room is open 24 hours.
Green Scene
The hotel has a number of green initiatives in place such as a limit on the towels in the bathroom as well as two types of water pressure, (water saving mode for hand/toothwashing). It’s a plastic-free property too. The hotel has a preference for local ingredients and uses zero waste kitchen technologies and energy-saving double insulation.
So, if you are planning a visit to Hungary’s capital and want a blend of contemporary style with historical relevance, then consider the Kozmo experience..
+36 1 701 6300
Horvath Mihaly ter 17, 1082 Budapest
A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Key Places To Visit From The Hotel
The Dohany Street Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world, seating 3,000 people and is a centre of Neolog Judaism.
(20 mins walk)
St Stephen’s Basilica is a Roman Catholic church which is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary, whose right hand is housed in the reliquary.
(35mins walk)
Central Market Hall is also known as Great Market Hall. It is the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest.
(20 mins walk)
Heroes’ Square is one of the major squares in Budapest, Hungary, noted for its iconic Millennium Monument with statues featuring the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders.
(45 mins walk)
The House of Parliament is richly decorated both inside and out, was inspired by the Houses of Parliament in London, thus it was designed in New-Gothic style, although is bears Renaissance and Baroque stylistic flourishes. It is the third largest parliament in the world.
(40 mins walk)
Hungarian National Museum collects, preserves and presents the historical relics of the Carpathian Basin and Hungary.
(15 mins walk)
Margaret Island provides a peaceful hideaway from downtown Budapest with green areas, gardens, a musical fountain and entertainment venues.
(50 mins walk)
