One Snowy December Weekend in Budapest

---

---

This past weekend I took another road trip from Cluj, Romania to Budapest, Hungary. It's a simple 8hr drive with enough highway to keep up some pace. I had planned to take a flight out to Dallas via London the following Monday but the weather did not permit it. Still, this was a nice trip spent in the comfort of the Hilton WestEnd Budapest (which is attached to the WestEnd Mall) and plenty of snow flurries.

We made a similar trip in November around Thanksgiving, stayed in a different part of the city centre and continued our journey on to Vienna. It was balmy out in November but the snow had not yet arrived so we got in all our city sightseeing and photos then. I think we walked around the city for a good 6 hours that trip. This trip was more for tracking the route from Romania to Hungary with Trip Journal, and some much needed relaxation and dining once we arrived in Budapest -- which we did.

The Apps. So here's the app rundown on this trip:

- GuidePal Budapest (city map + POI guide + travel contest)
- Cityscouter Budapest (city map + POI guide with location-based recommendations + reviews & rating)
- TripIt (full trip itinerary)
- Hilton HHonors app (hotel member details)
- Trip Journal (track my route, record notes, photos, video and share the trip)
- Animoto (video of the trip)
- Worldmate (my trusty currency converter USD, EUR, HUF, RON)
- Foodspotter (sharing dining experiences)
- Foursquare (checkins)

I used TripIt Pro to record our trip itinerary (cities, hotel, flights, etc) and track my flight information. It's a good thing I did because the airlines never notified me about the cancellation of my flight. I found out only through TripIt. I used Trip Journal on iPhone to track my trip, record notes, add photos and video, and share my trip on Facebook. Animoto let's you drop in your pics and create an engaging video. I created one to highlight some of my favorite travels including the Budapest photos.

The Guides. The guidebooks from GuidePal and Cityscouter led us to some great eateries this trip and it was nice to not bother with the paper map. It was as though 14000 forints was the magical number during this weekend getaway. That was the cost of each dinner, and parking in the hotel garage for three days. I cannot get along without Worldmate to make my currency conversions.

The Hotel. The hotel stay was gratis my AA miles, so no charge there. The room included breakfast. We were able to bump that up a bit with free drinks and light foods in the Executive Floor lounge thanks to my Hilton HHonors membership status. This also provides free business center services and free internet.

The Hilton has a door that lets you enter straight into the mall. It was bustling with people as malls often are at Christmas time. The WestEnd Mall is right near the West Train Station. Honestly, I think it has just about anything you want to buy and great for window shopping. We hit a few shops. There are plenty of restaurants and fast food eateries. There's a movie theatre on the third floor and an ice rink on the rooftop.

The Food. We were a bit wiped out by the journey so the first night we just chose an place in the mall for dinner. The Hungarian (Asian/American) chain Leroy in the mall had a great atmosphere, interesting food presentation (which we caught for Foodspotting), and very fine service (free palinca even). Unfortunately, the food itself was just okay tasting. Nothing I would eat again. On Saturday we decided to brave the cold a bit. For the foodie in us, we went to the sushi spot Wasabi. I found it in the GuidePal app with a nice review and handy map. It was not far from the hotel at all and it was seriously delicious. Lastly, on Sunday I gave my boyfriend a taste of the US chain TGIF (Thank God It's Friday). It was worth a Foursquare checkin at least. After finishing off the TGIF burger, he commented that he now understand why Americans are so fat.

All in all, it was a good trip. I wanted to relax in the city with my boyfriend before grabbing my early Monday morning flight to London (which didn't happen). As I mentioned, the flight was canceled. After a call to American Airlines, which I've not flown in quite some time, I was put on a Friday flight out and so we will do again the drive to Budapest this Thursday to get me there by Christmas Eve. I'm not convinced that happy travels await but I am certain it will be a white Christmas Eve.

---