Hotel Normafa - Budapest, Hungary     

We stayed at the Hotel Normafa in Budapest for three nights before beginning a three-week "volunteer vacation" in Romania. We chose the hotel based on various positive online reviews. It was the right choice. While it is away from the city center, transportation is efficient. A bus, which originates within sight of the hotel, ambles down the Buda hills into Budapest proper. The ride down has some lovely views and provides a glimpse into local life. Within 20 minutes or so you'll arrive at Moscow Terrace, from which you can transfer to the subway, other buses, or a variety of trams. You can also walk across the Danube into the city center or up a hill to the castle district. Budapest is wonderfully walkable--we thoroughly enjoyed exploring on foot. The staff was quite helpful. I had focused my language acquisition on Romanian, so knew only a few words of Hungarian. The staff were easily able, in English, to direct us to the places we wanted to go. The rooms were comfortable and clean. We chose the least expensive option, but our room was more-than-adequate for our needs. We had a view of the lovely pool area and the dining-room terrace. The grounds are very nice and include picnic tables and a small playground. We stopped at a market on the bus route one evening and brought picnic supplies back to the hotel for our dinner--a nice alternative when faced with an exchange rate that was far from wallet-friendly. Breakfast was wonderful. We were able to eat heartily in pleasant surroundings--a great way to start long days of sightseeing. In-room internet access is extra, but the hotel provides one freely-accessible computer in a small room off the lobby. If you don't mind being away from the "action," the Hotel Normafa is a lovely alternative.