Romantic Danube: Hilton Castle District

Romantic Danube: Overview
Romantic Danube: Flying United from Chicago to Brussels
Romantic Danube: Brussels and continuing to Prague
Romantic Danube: Marriott Courtyard Prague
Romantic Danube: Exploring Prague
Romantic Danube: Boscolo, Autograph Collection
Romantic Danube: Prague to Erlangen
Romantic Danube: Viking Longships
Romantic Danube: Nuremberg, Germany
Romantic Danube: Weltenberg Abbey and the Danube Narrows
Romantic Danube: Regensburg, Germany
Romantic Danube: Passau, Germany
Romantic Danube: Wachau Valley and Göttweig Abbey
Romantic Danube: Vienna, Austria
Romantic Danube: Budapest, Hungary
Romantic Danube: Hilton Castle District

As I mentioned in the prior post, we spent a good part of the day on Saturday exploring the flat Pest side of the city before collecting our bags from the concierge on the Bestla and taking a taxi up Castle Hill to our hotel.

We arrived in the late afternoon at the Hilton Castle District by taxi and made arrangements with the driver to pick us up early Monday morning for our trip to the airport.

This hotel has been remodeled within the last couple of years and a lot of the areas still looked quite fresh, including the lobby.  I like the marble floors and the stainless steel-and-wood interior of the lobby.  The bellman took care of our bags while the front desk staff assisted us and very soon we were on our way to our room.

Lobby of the Hilton Castle District
The front desk is at the far end

The front desk is at the far right side of the lobby so we went left a bit before turning to the right for the elevators.  Across from the elevators was this sitting area where all the colors were quite a contrast to the cool metal in the lobby.

Sitting area across from the elevators 

I suppose our twin room was technically an upgrade because we had a partial view of the Danube.  If we had paid cash (instead of using points) for the room I'd be sure to get one with a view of the river or at least of Buda Castle.  But considering how little time we spent in the room I guess it didn't really matter.

Upon entering the room there was a short hallway with the closet and bathroom on the right before the room opened up to the beds.  We really appreciated that there were two nightstands.  With each of us having a phone and a tablet it's nice not to have them balancing on top of each other as they recharge each night.

Twin beds, each with its own nightstand

Beyond the beds was a bit of extra space with the desk and an easy chair with an ottoman.  The extra floor space beyond the chair was large enough for me to open up my suitcase, which was handy.

Desk and Easy Chair

Our welcome amenity featured a piece of cheese, a sweet and some fruit along with a bottle of water.  Really?  One bottle?  For a room with two guests?  Seems a little cheap to me.

Welcome Amenity

Across from the beds was the TV sitting on a 4-drawer chest.  Since we never turned it on I can't comment on the quality of Hungarian TV.

Chest and TV

The bathroom was a nice size - not too big, not too small.  It could definitely have used some more shelving - even just something under the sink.

Bathroom Sink

As is standard for Hilton, the toiletries were by Peter Thomas Roth.

Peter Thomas Roth toiletries

The shower stall was a little smaller than I'd have liked, though I guess I could have used the hand-held showerhead in the tub.  I did like that the showerhead could be raised or lowered.  My biggest complaint was my shower in the wee hours of Monday morning as we prepared to leave for the airport.  I don't know if we'd just been lucky the day before or what but I was nearly scalded before getting the water temperature under control.  C took her shower after me and said she had no issues so I guess it had worked itself out by then.

Shower stall and Toilet

The soaking tub was on the other side of the sink but we did not have time to use it.

Soaking Tub

The closet had both an area to hang clothing as well as some shelves and the safe.

Closet, Shelves and Safe

In the corner between the closet and the beds was the coffee station and the mini-bar.

Coffee or Tea?

Mini-Fridge

We had breakfast at the buffet on Sunday morning.  It was quite busy so I didn't take photos.  But there was quite enough variety for us to eat our fill.  On Monday we had to leave well before it opened, sadly.

There is a small gym with some cardio and weight equipment.

The lounge and business center were located on the other end of our floor.  We stopped by and while they did have some soft drinks, there wasn't much in the way of food other than some crackers.  However we did not drop in during a traditional cocktail hour to see if there was more on offer.

The business center had a couple of computers and we were able to check in for our flights.

Back down on the ground floor, the bar is at the far left end of the lobby.  This photo is just of one-half of it as there were people in the other half and I did not want to disturb them.  It wasn't crowded but this is a tourist area and it was a Sunday night so I guess it's not a time it would normally be crowded anyway.

Hilton Castle District Bar

This hotel is just so convenient when exploring Castle Hill and made a great base for us as we could pop back to the room any time we needed.  However, if I ever get to come back I'd likely stay on the Pest side as I suspect there are lots of things over there I didn't get to do/visit and a hotel there would be more convenient.

Next up: the trip home