Cheap Summer Flights from Malev

I just found a  nice deal on summer flights to Hungary on the BudapestAdventure website.

They are advertising 99 Euro flights to Budapest from major European cities, and if you buy a flight + hotel you can get an extra night free. I was immediately suspicious so I ran a few searches on Malev’s website. The bad news: I never got a 99 Euro fare, just as I thought it is a nice teaser number. The good news: the fares weren’t 99 Euro they were still pretty cheap. I got roundtrip fares of 120-200 Euro from major European cities. That’s EasyJet prices with a sandwich thrown in.

The promotion ends Aug 31 so book soon. Look us up if you come to town.

Hungary for vegetarians

Hungarian food is not the most vegetarian-friendly in the world, we have to admit. That said, Hungary can definitely offer you some delicious vegetarian (or even vegan) surprises.

The world famous gulyas can be found in vegetarian style (hús-mentes, literally “without meat”). Soup and Lecsó (stew) made with no meat and with main ingredients like mushrooms, carrots, etc. abound even in the meatier of restaurants.

Especially Budapest, being an international and multicultural city, it’s not difficult to find restaurants, cafes and dining spots that cater well for vegetarians and vegans. Some of the most popular ones are: Darshan Biopont, Napfényes Ízek, Eden or Hummus Bar, but you can find a couple of extensive lists on BudaVeg.com (which also offers accommodations and tips specific for vegetarians) or HappyCow.net.

And in case you should get tired of Hungarian cuisine there’s also plenty of Indian, Japanese and International restaurants, all offering a wide choice of vegetarian dishes. Bon appetit!

Photo of the week: Budapest in Winter

Walking around a roasting Budapest these days it seems strange that just few months ago it was so cold here..

Lake Hévíz, a unique natural phenomenon

Do you know what is  the largest thermal lake in Europe? It’s Lake Hévíz, located near the western end of Lake Balaton. Some even say it’s the largest in the world, or at least the largest natural one.

With an area of 47500 square meters, it’s quite surprising that the water of the lake is completely changed within 85 hours by its spring rushing up at a depth of 38 meters. The curative effect of the lake was known since the times of the ancient Romans, although it’s “only” in the last 200 years that there are treatments taking place there.

Lake Hévíz combines naturally carbonated medicinal waters with other kind of waters containing sulphur, calcium, magnesium, hydrogen-carbonate. Some waters even have a slightly radioactive content, while it is said that one of the possible causes of the curative effects of the lake is due to bacteria, which is indeed the dominant life form present here, thanks to the unique temperature (26C to 28C even in winter!) and chemical composition of the waters.  One of the best curative features is the Hévíz mud, which is a pretty unique kind of mud. It contains radium-salts and reduced sulphuric solutions, and it you can find both organic and inorganic substances; a rather unique medicinal combination.

Due to all these qualities in the waters and in the mud it’s no surprise that thriving health tourism industry has grown in the area, with hospitals, hotels and wellness centers. Whether you plan to go for health reasons, or simply to relax and pamper yourself, Lake Hévíz can offer you pure bliss.