Budapest is a great weekend destination, the two and a half hour flight from London puts some people off, but the beauty of the city and the value for money is astounding and makes that additional hour, well worth it even for a two night stay.
5 star hotels, in the grande dame sense of the word, start from as little as £50 a night, and they are more opulent and luxurious than anything that Paris can offer at ten times the price. This is how Prague started a decade ago, it is well worth a visit before the rest of Europe discovers it.
I was lucky to be meeting a friend who lives there and made sure that we visited the best of everything, starting with the Michelin starred 'Onyx' restaurant, which is intensely glamorous with food to rival the best that London has to offer.
There were menus from about £40 to £80 a head, similar offerings in the UK and France would be those once in a lifetime meals where you know you will get not much change from £700 for two.
