Budapest's Anantara New York Palace Hotel: Coffeehouse Elegance & Palace Perfection

Built in 1894 as the European headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company, the Anantara New York Palace Budapest blends Renaissance and Baroque grandeur with Art Nouveau flair. Reborn in 2006, it now stands as one of Budapest’s most iconic hotels—where history, art, and luxury meet.

The Anantara New York Palace Budapest is anything but ordinary. The lobby smells amazing, perfumed with a signature scent. The staff welcome you with genuine warmth and grace. Sunlight spills across marble floors and leafy corners, creating a perfect mix of grandeur and ease. It’s the kind of entrance that turns check-in into a moment. Walking into the Anantara New York Palace Budapest feels like being wrapped in a five-star hug.

View from White Salon overlooking the New York Café

The moment we opened the door, we both just smiled. Elegant wallpaper, plush chairs, and a private terrace that felt straight out of a European daydream—every detail was designed to spoil us in the best way possible.

The Anantara New York Palace Budapest Spa is everything you’d expect from a five-star hotel—spectacular, serene, and beautifully designed—but what truly sets it apart are the Hungarian-inspired treatments. The Hungarian mud therapy uses the country’s famed thermal waters and mineral-rich muds for deep rejuvenation, while the Anantara Signature massage blends these same healing minerals to melt tension and boost circulation. The Mineral Treasure ritual delivers head-to-toe renewal using Budapest’s natural elements, and the foot ritual gives tired travelers a taste of Hungary’s thermal magic. It’s wellness with a local twist

The New York Café

The New York Café

The New York Café—hailed as “the most beautiful café in the world”—has been dazzling Budapest since 1894. Once the favorite haunt of Hungary’s greatest literary minds—Ferenc Molnár, Dezső Kosztolányi, Mihály Babits, and Zsigmond Móricz—it was where newspapers were edited, poems drafted, and revolutions of thought fueled by coffee and cream. Beneath its frescoed ceilings and sparkling chandeliers, that creative spirit still lingers—though today it’s often accompanied by a sea of influencers and camera flashes, all eager for their golden-lit shot of grandeur. The line to enter wraps around the block daily, but hotel guests get preferential treatment. Don’t miss the signature New York Café cake, a chocolate-hazelnut masterpiece that’s as indulgent—and as photographed—as the café itself.

Our stay at the Anantara New York Palace Budapest was more than a getaway—it was a step back into an era of elegance that still feels alive within its walls. Every detail, from the hotel’s historic grandeur to the spa’s modern indulgence, blended seamlessly into an experience both timeless and personal. Between morning coffee under gilded ceilings and evenings spent in quiet luxury, Budapest revealed its heart in the most enchanting way.

View from the New York Café looking at the balcony table at White Salon

Deep Water breakfast room

Pro tip: Make a reservation at The White Salon, the hotel’s elegant European brasserie, and request a table on the balcony overlooking the New York Café. It’s the perfect perch to savor a glass of Champagne (or two) while watching the magic unfold below.

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