You are spoilt for choice when it comes to visiting a spa in Budapest. On both sides of the river that winds its way through the city you can find yourself in hot and healing waters.
The Gellert Baths though are revered by many and their grandeur means they are the most iconic in the city. The image that stands out for me though is not the still blue waters flagged by magnificent pillars, but that of the outdoor pool and it's wave machine.
The turbines that drive this gear up every hour and their force is one unrivaled in any "no bombing, no ducking" swimming pool. A classic example of their power was seen in Micheal Palin's New Europe series when he is standing in the shallows of the pool doing a piece to camera and he is literally floored by the wave that comes his way. You barely have enough time to stand up before the next wave comes crashing in. Great fun!
Where the Gellert Baths rule supreme though is in mid-August when thousands of people descend on Budapest to enjoy the Sziget Festival. This isn't a weekend affair, but a week of camping on Sziget Island in the middle of the Danube and enjoying music and entertainment on twenty stages. Festival-goers might be able to get away with not showering for a few days, but when you're camping for a week and the shower queues as they always are at festivals, the Gellert is the best way to spend your day before the bands start.

www.gellertbath.com/
H-1118 Budapest, Kelenhegyi út 4
+(36-1) 466-6166
Google map: bit.ly/e3HW1w
www.sziget.hu/festival_english

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If you like music, and you can't quite bring yourself to fork out your life savings for a ticket to one of the UK festivals, then go to Hungary in August. The Sziget festival is simply brilliant. It's held on a stunning island in the middle of the Danube river just out of the centre of Budapest. They always have a varied programme of music, in 2007 this included the Killers, the Hives, Chemical brothers, Faithless, Nine Inch Nails, Pink and Razorlight to name but a few. They also have great world and dance music, and local Hungarian music. but even better than the lineup is the civilised way in which the festival is organised. You can get to a clean toilet at any time. The food is delicious, cheap, and easily available. Everyone is really friendly. A lot of the island is a beach, so you can walk around in bare feet and really feel like it's a holiday too. Accommodation is easy, either on the island - or do as we did and rent a beautiful and cheap apartment in Budapest itself. It's so easy to get to and from the island. Don't miss it. Get there before anyone else finds out about it!

Óbudai Island, Budapest, August every year. www.sziget.hu

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Open air music and culture festival every August. Cheap and excellent food & drink of all varieties. Popular, traditional, world and leftfield music as well as cabaret, puppets and theatre. Also has frequently cleaned flushable toilets, showers and its a week long. This year you got a week's worth of holiday on the Danube for 70 quid.

www.sziget.hu or Sziget Island North Budapest

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An (allegedly) 5* hotel right next to the Arpad Hid HEV. It has a great spa downstairs, a big buffet restaurant and a lot of elderly guests.
But it is fantastic if you are going to the Sziget festival. Super near to the festival island (one stop on the HEV, 20 minutes walking or 5 minutes if you have a cycle or will pay for a taxi to use the nearby vehicles entrance). You can catch the HEV or a bus into town too. Service is very friendly and it is so nice to detox in the spa all day and then to dance all night.

We got a very good price by booking early on www.booking.com. The website does make it look a bit more tranquil than it is tho'. If you have a front facing room then be aware that not only the HEV but also a major road is between you and the river.

www.corinthiahotels.com/hotel.asp?h=4

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