The Ritz-Carlton group has finally landed in Budapest. Its new home is a suitably grand pile – built just on the cusp of the First World War as the HQ for an Italian insurance company – that eventually became the Le Meridien. Now renovated into a suitably grand hotel with views of St Stephens Basilica and a stone’s throw from the Danube, the 200-room property features two centrepieces, both of them designed by the incredibly prolific London-based B3 Designers.
Deak St. Kitchen, named for the retail fashion strip on which it fronts, is a warm expansive space lined with antique mirrored walls, rose gold trim, walnut tables, leather sofas, patterned wallpaper and Hungarian timber floors. Here, the seasonal menu is unapologetically Hungarian with an emphasis on grilled meats and fish, paired with local wines and beers – an experience best enjoyed, especially at this time of the year, on the al fresco terrace. Interestingly, B3 also took charge of the restaurant’s branding to design even the logo and menu presentation.
Next door, just off the lobby, B3 has taken its aesthetic cues for Kupola Lounge from the classic stained glass domed ceiling from which dangles a huge crystal chandelier. Here, the mood is appropriately grand, the immensity of the space accentuated by the low-slung furniture and a long plush banquette that runs along the entire length of the room.
ADDRESS
Erzsebet Ter 9-10
Budapest
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Brunello Cucinelli’s festive takeover of Harrods turns the department store into a cashmere wonderlandUnveiled this morning, the Umbrian fashion house has taken over the store’s iconic Brompton Road windows, celebrating the spirit of its home town of Solomeo in fantastical fashion
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Each mundane object tells a story at Pace’s tribute to the everydayIn a group exhibition, ‘Monument to the Unimportant’, artists give the seemingly insignificant – from discarded clothes to weeds in cracks – a longer look
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Discover The Legacy, Hong Kong’s eye-catching new condoThe Legacy, by ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, is a striking new condo tower that aims to ‘create a sense of community and solidarity among people’
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Modern Hungarian folklore awaits at the Marcel Wanders-designed Kimpton BEM hotel in BudapestKimpton BEM Budapest, a 19th-century mansion turned luxury hotel, begins an exuberant new chapter in the capital’s old town
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Dorothea Hotel in Budapest fuses contemporary elements with patrician panacheRenovated by Lissoni & Partners, Dorothea Hotel occupies a trio of historic buildings in the Hungarian capital
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Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
