TOP FIVE RESTAURANTS IN BUDAPEST
This weekend, Budapest is hosting an outdoor gastronomic festival at Millenáris Park, but you can still eat well in the Hungarian capital no matter what time of year you visit. Here are five restaurants worth checking out:
Aranyszarvas (I Szarvas tér 1;
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/53J4FAF47N6S4ERSE2WVLBIVFI.jpg)
[ aranyszarvas.hu ]
; mains about €15) At the bottom of Castle Hill, this 18th-century inn (the name means Golden Stag) is the ideal spot in fine weather: ask for a table on the outdoor terrace and try the delicious local dishes – how about ravioli filled with duck hearts and gizzards?
Borkonyha Wine Kitchen (V Sas utca 3;
[ borkonyha.hu ]
; mains €12-€24) An exquisite selection of local dishes (a pork called mangalica is a specialty) and one of the best cellars in town (more than 200 Hungarian wines) have caught the attention of the Michelin people, who have bestowed a star on the place.
Kárpátia (V Ferenciek tere 7-8;
[ karpatia.hu ]
; mains €11-€23) A stunning 19th-century building, authentic csárdás (gypsy-style folk music) and a menu of traditional and contemporary Hungarian dishes – it all makes for a memorable night out.
Kisbuda Gyöngye (III Kenyeres utca 34;
[ remiz.hu ]
; mains €9-€16) 19th-century elegance in a restaurant that is just 40 years old, but it works – as does the cooking, which delivers local dishes such as crispy duck leg served with ginger and plums.
Rosenstein (VIII Mosonyi utca 3;
[ rosenstein.hu ]
; mains €10-25) A small, family-run spot and a long-time favourite with locals, specialising in Hungarian dishes and Jewish delicacies like cholent, a type of traditional stew.
SUMMER SLIDE IN THE CITY
Slide the City, the 300m-long urban water slide that was a sensation in cities across the US in 2014, will be touring England this summer. The 300m water chute is laid out on a city street and anyone over five can slide down it on a rubber ring. It will visit London (June 13th), Bristol (June 20th) and Manchester (July 18th), as well as other cities including Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle. Dates for those have yet to be confirmed, as do rumours that the slide will make its way to Ireland. Prices start at £10 for a single ride, £20 for three rides and £35 unlimited use.
See
[ slidethecity.com ]
GREECE TO TRIPLE TOURIST TAX
Holidaymakers to Greece will be hit by an 18 per cent tax on food and lodging from July 1st as the government scrambles for ways to fend off bankruptcy– a dramatic increase from the current 13 per cent VAT charge on dining and the 6.5 per cent charge on accommodation. Tourism officials have denounced the increase, arguing that such a steep increase will scare off visitors: Andreas Andreadis of the Confederation of Greece Tourism told the Times: “You don’t kill the only cow that’s generating milk for you.” The new tax will not affect holiday packages that have already been booked (the cost will have to be absorbed by the resorts), but it will affect those who have booked hotels or private accommodation directly. This is expected to be another record-breaking year for tourists with 25 million sun-seekers expected, an increase on the 16.9 million of 2014.
UNIVISA EXTENSION
The Zambian tourism minister has announced that the pilot Univisa programme that has allowed visitors to enter Zimbabwe and Zambia on a single visa, will be extended to include Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. The visa, available at land and airport entry points in both countries, costs $50. Future plans will extend the coverage to include South Africa. See
[ kazavisa.info ]
ATHENS TRAVEL HOUSE
Athens has been chosen as the location of the Travel House 2015. An initiative by the Travel Club aimed at promoting independent travel and global culture, the Travel House gives free accommodation to travellers for up to four nights. Since its inception in 2012, it has hosted 800 visitors from 60 countries in Istanbul, Granada and Tbilisi. The Athens house will be open from July 1st to September 1st; see
HOTEL ROOM TRADING
You have a non-refundable room reservation but can’t travel: instead of losing the room, why not resell it online? Secondary market websites like Roomer (roomertravel.com) and Cancelon (cancelon.com) allow you to to sell (Roomer) or auction off (Cancelon) your room, albeit usually at a marked-down price. The model also benefits the buyer – Roomer offers a buyer protection clause, so if you show up and there is a problem, it guarantees a new room at the same hotel, one in a similar category elsewhere or a full refund (also offered by Cancelon)
GET AWAY AT HOME
The Cliff House (
) in Ardmore, Co Waterford, has a two-night midweek B&B break offer for two in a deluxe seaview room from €460 until the end of June. It includes a three-course dinner on one of the evenings. The Lodge at Ashford Castle (thelodgeac.com) has a two-night B&B package starting at €310 to include your choice of a bottle of Prosecco, a two- course dinner for two or a rose petals and chocolate-dipped strawberries turndown service. Finally, the luxurious Dunowen House (
[ dunowen house.ie ]
), the one- time west Cork home of Jimi Hendrix’s bass player Noel Redding, is available to rent from June 6th-13th for €2,400. It can sleep up to 16 people in six en-suite bedrooms.
MICRO-GUIDE: SEOUL
YOUR 60-SECOND CITY GUIDE
STAY
Chi-Woon-Jung (31-53 Gahoe-dong;
; rooms from €280). Exclusive four-room villa once owned by former South Korean president Lee Myung Bak.
EAT
Tosokchon (5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu; mains about €12). There’s always a queue for the excellent samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup).
DO
DMZ (USO Tour;
[ uso.org/korea ]
) Tour the surreal border with North Korea with a United Services Organisation tour