the waygabounds

Hungary is not only known for their dentists (when it comes to that, Hungary is our Mexico) and successful water sports teams but also for having some of the oldest thermal baths in Europe. Emperors used to spend some relaxing time there and you can still see the traces of the long gone heydays in the architecture and well groomed gardens. Budapest, the countries capital, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, for example. As I haven’t been there for wellness reasons I decided a few months ago to give it a try. My choice was the four star Hotel Európa fit in Hévíz.

Cleverly taken picture…

I had heard of that small village, because it is home of the biggest thermal lake in Europe and the hotel of my choice was just a few minutes of walking away. It was early October when I headed east, on a Friday right after work. Now it’s not that far distance-wise but still it was a bit tedious to get there as you’ve got to take streets that are not in the best condition. It was already dark outside when I arrived. At first I was impressed. The hotel looked really nice and so did the lobby. The people at the reception were nice and welcoming and my room did look okay. It was not the most modern one but also not shabby. It did smell a bit weird though. Couldn’t find the source.

After I had my stuff unpacked, I went downstairs to get dinner. It was served in the form of a buffet and featured a variety of traditional Hungarian dishes. Now the food was not bad per se. It was just too rich for my taste. Furthermore the service team seemed like they hadn’t noticed me or had made the decision to just ignore me. I ate a few bites and then decided to go upstairs to my smelly room to read instead.

On the next morning I wanted to go to the spa and pool area. That’s when everything got complicated. There were no slippers or bathrobes provided in the room; something that’s just a no go in my opinion. If you are a wellness hotel you just have to provide those items. Also, you need to get a card from the reception; and in exchange for it you get a towel at the pool area. The pool area is rather small and not equipped in a cozy spa style but more like a simple indoor pool. Deckchairs were made of plastic and as the relaxing area was too small for the number of guests too, you kinda lay like sardines next to each other. No privacy or charm at all.

The other guests were either old farts or old farts with their grandchildren. The hotel offers a huge variety of medical treatments and spa treatments; most of them done in a very professional way, I have to give them that. The area outside was already closed as I was there in autumn, but during the summertime there’s another pool outside, mainly for kids (and closed during the winter!) So if you’re maybe a grandparent yourself and looking for some sort of cheap getaway with your grandkids during the summer days, this hotel might be the right place for you. Or if you have a skin condition and want to get it treated.

If you’re none of the above mentioned, I don’t see why you should go there. Sure, the thermal lake is not far away, the surroundings are rather nice and the food is somehow okay. But if you want to spend your hard earned money a better way, just go to (or stay in, that is) Austria. We have a huge variety of amazing thermal baths and wellness hotels. All of them with better food and service and more modern amenities. The price-quality-ratio is just nuts, as you can get rooms from about 180 Euros/night up. Again I just don’t understand where all the good ratings on booking.com are coming from… The last day there I spent outside, enjoying the lovely fall day and foliage.

More information:
Hotel Európa fit****s
Jókai u 3,
8380 Hévíz, Hungary
www.europafit.hu