By now you know that we only get to stay at 4-star hotels if we go on a tango weekend. Indeed, that’s how we ended up in Balatonfüred.

Everyone knows just how expensive the resorts around Lake Balaton are. And we figured out that it might just be the only chance to get to the area.

Anna Grand Hotel Wine & Vital was where the tango & wellness weekend organized by Tango Libre Budapest was held.

Address: Gyógy Tér 1, Balatonfüred, Hungary
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How to get to Anna Grand Hotel

If you input the hotel name into your navigator, you’ll have no issues getting right to its front entrance. You will not drive through Budapest, though. There’s a short section on M0 and then on Route 71.

If you arrive by train, it’s about 20 min walk from the train station to the hotel.

Word of advice for drivers: the parking within the hotel’s premises is paid for but there are sections on the street where it’s free to park.

The hotel and its amenities

The hotel is literally steps away from the shores of Lake Balaton and its beautiful promenade.

The name says it all: it’s grand! Aside from the main building which holds the hotel rooms, reception, ballroom, restaurant, wine bar, and café, there’s another building where the spa is located, as well as the suites.

It literally took us at least 10 min to walk from the ballroom to our room at the 2nd floor. Following the “reception” signs is the only way not to get lost in the maze.

There’s also a bowling alley and billiards table. Plus a dental clinic, Thai massage salon and biomed cure parlor, specializing in natural healing.

Anna Grand Hotel offers 100 different styles of rooms. There are classic rooms, classic premium rooms, modern rooms, modern rooms with balcony, executive rooms, as well as suites.

Our room

We stayed in a double classic room overlooking the exterior parking lot. There was an LCD TV and there were English channels. A very large bed, minifridge, dresser, armchairs, and en-suite bathroom complete with hair-dryer. There was free wi-fi but it was absolutely terrible. There was an UTP outlet (if you travel with a laptop and still have an UTP input, hopefully, there’s internet).

Our experience at Anna Grand Hotel

The room size definitely matched the requirements for 4-stars. And there was a thermostat to adjust the temperature. When we checked in, it was quite warm inside, but it worked to turn the heating off.

We arrived before check-in time so went to the tango classes and then to lunch, which was ordered by the organizer. They did make me vegan food and it was yummy.

Check-in was very fast (we used our Hungarian passports this time).

Unfortunately, the wi-fi was anything but stable. It would log in then allow me to scroll a bit on Instagram or Facebook and kick me out. So, I used my roaming data.

Dinner was really good, buffet, with a lot of options for vegans. I had grilled veggies with steamed rice and a variety of pickles and greens. I also tried the bulgur salad, and had fruits for desert.

After dinner we went to a wine tasting event. It was my first proper one, so I cannot really compare it to much. The other one I went to was less detailed. We tasted 4 types of wines and in total 5 wines. It was held in the wine bar, in a cellar (under the reception).

The classes and the milonga (tango party) were held in the ballroom, famous for the yearly Anna Ball. Exceptional venue with great flooring for dancing.

Too tired after all the dancing, it took us almost 20 min to get back to our room. And crashed. Woke up before the alarm. Check out is early (until 11 a.m.) so we had to shower, eat, pack, and check out before the 10:30 a.m. class. Plus we wanted to walk a bit in the area, too.

The water pressure was great in the shower, which is always a big plus for me. And the water was hot instantly. Another perk of high-end hotels.

Unfortunately, the breakfast options were quite lousy for me. Bread with margarine and veggies (bell pepper, cucumber, tomato), and jam. I was secretly hoping for some vegan milk or yogurt for cereals but no such luck. There were fruits available as well and the coffee was among the worst I ever had.

On the other hand, the coffee at Anna Café and at the Restaurant is amazing (and my favorite brand, Illy).

What I liked:

• Most elegant hotel I’ve ever stayed at
• Spacious room
• Big bed
• Beautiful ballroom

What I didn’t like:

• Lack of wi-fi
• No real vegan options for breakfast
• Terrible coffee at breakfast

Conclusion

With rates around 133 EUR per night (in the classic room) with breakfast included*, this is one hotel I would have never booked if it wasn’t for the tango event. We got a significant discount but even so, it was quite pricey.

However, if you are into pampering yourself and like to spend time at the spa – we didn’t even have time to check it out – then it could be a good option for a special trip, such as honeymoon or wedding anniversary.

While Balatonfüred does enjoy a micro-climate similar to the Mediterranean climate, when we visited it was windy. The sun did come out and it was almost t-shirt weather in direct sun, but the closeness to the water makes the wind quite nippy. Plus, the lake can freeze during winter. If you do want to visit, try the shoulder season months (April, May, September).

Note: * for the same dates (May 25-26, 2019) I check the hotel’s website and the price without breakfast is around 157 EUR, 166 EUR with breakfast, and 175 EUR with half board.
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