Opened in 2016, this fine conversion of an old Pest apartment block now conceals a hotel of considerable charm and style. Merging understated chic with sleek design and impeccable hospitality, Rum is a top-drawer addition to Budapest's stock of accommodation. Moreover, its super-central location means you're within easy walking distance of all the city’s key attractions.
Spread over 6 narrow floors, off an elegant central spiral staircase, are 38 modern rooms. They come in 4 sizes - Light Rums (Small), Spiced Rums (Medium), Gold Rums (Large) and Black Rums (Large Plus) - though furnishings and facilities are more or less the same throughout. The buzzy rooftop restaurant serves modern cuisine paired with killer views, and doubles up as a flashy little cocktail bar. Or head to the ground floor to find a Hungarian fine dining restaurant with a chef's table. Anyone looking for a relaxing city break will find Rum an enticingly spicy proposition.
Highs
- Great value
- Staff are fantastically attentive and courteous
- The central location couldn’t be better and yet it’s still incredibly quiet
- Rooms are refreshingly uncluttered and stylish, with designer lighting
- Buzzy restaurant-cum-cocktail bar on the top floor, popular with locals, and a ground-floor fine dining concept with chef's table
Lows
- Rooms on the first floor have rather dull street views
- Glass-walled bathroom doors, though they are frosted for privacy
- The moody, predominantly dark colour scheme might be too oppressive for some
Best time to go
Budapest is beautiful all year round, but at its best in spring, early summer and early autumn. In spring, the natives emerge from their post-winter slumbers and the city’s premier annual event, the Budapest Spring Festival, swings into action. In September, the searing summer heat has dissipated, yet the days remain long and pleasantly balmy. Crowds are thinner too, and you’ll have the city’s attractions almost all to yourself.
Our top tips
Hop aboard the number 2 tram for a scenic trundle along the Pest embankment - the views across the water to Buda are terrific. The tram winds up at Mupa (Palace of the Arts), home to the illuminating Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art; fans of Picasso and Warhol will particularly enjoy this.
- Boutique Hotel
- 38 rooms
- Breakfast + restaurant (open Wed-Sat)
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
Rooms
The most striking aspect of Hotel Rum is its heavy-tone decor. Various shades of black and grey are used throughout, though this is alleviated by the occasional burst of brighter colour. Otherwise, there’s nothing overtly flashy here: just good-sized beds with high-quality cotton linen (and the obligatory half a dozen cushions), tree-trunk bedside stools, small armchairs and designer lighting. In a nice touch, all furnishings were manufactured specifically for the hotel, in Hungary.
Bathrooms - typically separated from the bedroom by a sliding frosted-glass partition - are well designed, with black and white metro tiles, rainfall showers and big mirrors.
There are 4 cleverly titled categories of room, differentiated by size: Light Rums (Small), Spiced Rums (Medium), Gold Rums (Large) - which is what I slept in - and Black Rums (Large Plus Triple). Facility-wise, there’s little to distinguish between them, though Large and Large Plus Rooms also have the perennially popular Nespresso machines.
Features include:
- Air conditioning
- Minibar/fridge
- WiFi
Eating
Cast up on the top floor, TOPRUM skybar is your one stop shop for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's new since we last visited, but we hear the vibe is youthful, the food is trendy, and the views are outstanding.
Breakfast is fairly modest, consisting of the usual suspects: fresh fruit and juices, pastries and breads, cereals, cheese and salamis, plus a handful of hot choices, such as sausages, bacon and eggs. At weekends, you can pick from an extensive brunch menu, which includes millennial favourites like avocado on toast or shakshuka.
For lunch and dinner, there's an a la carte menu featuring modern (albeit slightly unimaginative) dishes - think shrimp risotto or rib-eye with baked potatoes, padron pepper and chimichurri. Stick around for an inventive cocktail or 2, conjured up by the cheery bartender.
On the ground floor, SALT is open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday (6pm-11pm). It serves up fine dining with a difference - and a central chef's table. Chef Szilárd Tóth’s menu showcases Hungarian herbs and wild plants, many of which are foraged by himself, freshly pickled and fermented. Poultry comes from Szilard’s own family in Szatmár.
If you would prefer to eat out, there are heaps of other restaurants a short walk away; ask reception for their tips.
Features include:
- Minibar/fridge
- Restaurant
- Restaurants nearby
Activities
- Budapest is bisected by the Danube; one side is Buda, the other Pest. Stroll both to admire stunning architecture and take a night cruise along the the river: both embankments are heritage sights
- Head for the Buda hills on the delightful cogwheel and children’s railways, the latter built by Communist youth brigades in the 1940s
- There are over 1,000 thermal hot springs in Hungary, 118 of them in Budapest. We like the hidden Veli Bej baths, an old Turkish complex, with a central octagonal pool and an ice shower
- The late-19th-century Great Market Hall is a terrific place to buy souvenirs (Tokaj and paprika feature heavily) and try local produce
- Budapest Zoo is one of the world’s oldest, and has stunning Art Nouveau pavilions
- Explore the Jewish quarter, with its magnificent Dohany utcai Synagogue and the uber-cool ruin bars
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Nightlife
- Shopping / markets
- Wildlife
Kids
Not especially geared up for families, but they are welcome nonetheless.
Best for:
All ages
Family friendly accommodation:
Large Plus Rooms have a pull-out sofabed in a little annexe room, which can sleep 2 children aged 2-12, or 1 child/adult aged 13+.
Cots Available
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Hotel Rum is ideally located on a very quiet street in the central 5th district, on the Pest side of the Danube.
By Air:
Fly into Ferenc Liszt airport (aka Ferihegy), which is 20km away. Click on the links below for a list of airlines. From here it's a 20-minute drive to the hotel; best to jump in a taxi as you won't need a car in Budapest, though see our car rental recommendations if you do want one. 
More on getting to Hungary and getting around
Airports:
- Budapest Ferenc Liszt International (aka Ferihegy) 20.0 km BUD
Other:
- Beach 500.0 km
- Shops 0.2 km
- Restaurant 0.2 km