Hotel Victoria, Budapest

In Budapest, we stayed in the excellent Hotel Victoria (Bem rkp 11, 1011 Budapest, Hungary; phone +36 1 457 8080, fax 457 8088, www.victoria.hu). It’s on the Buda side of the Danube, right on the waterfront.

During our stay in March ’08, a single room with facilities en suite cost €91 ($141) and a double, €96 ($149), breakfast included. Credit cards accepted. English spoken.

The views were terrific. The hotel is in an excellent location for catching a Danube river cruise boat. For example, the Uniworld dock was a 5-minute, 10-dollar taxi ride from the hotel.

• Budapest Airline Transfer (I. Kerulet, Budapest; phone +36 30 236 1419, e-mail info@budapestairport transfers.com, www.budapestairporttransfers.com) will pick you up at the arrivals hall of Ferihegy International Airport and transport you to any hotel in central Budapest.

They will monitor the arrival time of your flight and pick you up even if the flight is delayed several hours.

The cost was HUF9,000 ($58) for the three of us and our bags one way. You can pay in advance with a credit card.

WESLEY E. LINGREN

Belle­vue, WA