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Surrounded by
the calming Japanese Garden, the inspiring Artists’ Statue Park and with a
perfect view of the soaring Water Tower across the manicured lawn, the
atmosphere in the Grand evokes the elegance of days long gone. This is a place
to relax and recuperate, an oasis of calm right in the middle of a busy, vibrant
city.
The Grand was originally a sanatorium with medicinal baths attached. The
baths, designed by Gyula Kéry in 1873, were destroyed in the Second World War,
but rebuilt in 1979 on the same site. The two hotels, standing side by side
amongst the trees, are both owned by the Danubius Group who have just completed
an eight-month renovation and enlargement plan and have re-opened them to the
public.
The pool, fitness and therapy areas have been totally reconstructed,
renovated and extended. The thermal water, the natural healing procedures and
the beautiful green setting of Margit Island all play a significant part in the
healing process.
Thermal water first spouted forth from the earth in 1866 when it was
discovered during drilling. The water, gushing from the Zsigmond Spring, is at
temperatures of 34°C, 36°C and even a steamy 40°C. The water is full of
minerals which reach the pool at 100% of their potential.
The thermal water cure with its high sulphur content has primarily a
relaxing atmosphere and a beneficial effect on the nervous system. The waters
are particularly good for complaints involving movement: The muscles, ligaments,
nervous complaints, some bone and circulatory problems. You can also drink the
waters, if you can bear the eggy taste. It is good for digestive problems,
liver, gall bladder, bladder and kidney complaints.
During refurbishment, an open air swimming pool was created on the first
floor sun terrace, supplementing the existing indoor pool system. Some 5,000
different plants have found homes in the hotel and the surrounding grounds,
enhancing further the greenest hotel in town.
The Danubius Premier fitness room has the best view of any gym in
Budapest - unless you count wiggling bottoms in leotards - across the green
grass of the Island. The 400sqm gym has 20 cardio machines, 25 strength machines
and a huge selection of free weights. There are countless rowing machines,
treadmills, bicycles, cross-country skiing machines and those tortuous step
machines.
In the summer, guests can hurl themselves about in the aerobics classes
on the sun terrace which overlooks the contrasting serenity of the rock pools in
the Japanese Garden
There will be consultation programs and a one-on-one personal training
program if required. That is if you like having someone shout "Move that
flab, you great walrus," while you’re struggling to stay upright on the
treadmill. Personally I like to do my training in secret, preferably in the
dark.
Rooms with views
Likewise, I appreciate the fact that here there are less mirrors than
most gyms. This is because they have the advantage of windows all round showing
great views of trees and parkland complete with the sound of twittering birds
(not just those twittering on their mobiles, as I’ve found in some gyms). If
you suffer a drop in energy levels, you only have to glance up at the
professionals on several televisions showing Eurosport for inspiration.
The studios offer a range of join-the-gang aerobics, from the traditional
gettin’-jiggy-wit’-it to step aerobics, even aqua aerobics in the pool
(I’ve tried this and it’s difficult to either move in time or stop
giggling), body styling, the tempting sounding "legs, bums and tums",
power dumbbell and a whole room is devoted to spinning, which apparently is not
just what my head does after I’ve lifted more than 50 kilos.
A "new" exercise done on fixed bicycles with fixed wheels,
spinning looked to me to be just like the old-style exercise bikes. A knob on
the handlebar lets you adjust the resistance so you can cheat, if you’ve been
out on the town the night before and are feeling a bit frail. With this control
you can set the resistance to minimum so that you can easily keep up with the
trainer bellowing orders from the front, while the outrageously lively and
enthusiastic disco music plays encouragingly.
The trained fitness staff will also take guests on runs around Margit
Island, to take advantage of all that fresh air. The hotel has 323 people on
staff, including 36 who are professional health and fitness strainers, so
there’s sure to be someone available to lead you up the rose garden path.
You can sign up for classes on yoga, Thai-chi, Thai-geri (which is
presumably how Ms Haliwell got in such good shape), Tae-bo or Qi-gong.
The good news is that you can buy a day ticket for all this and give it a
try. The cost is Ft4,000 on a weekday 6.30am-9.30pm or Ft5,000 at weekends
6.30am-9.30pm
If you take out a six-month season ticket to the gym, they’ll even
throw in a free cardio check-up and every guest gets big fluffy white clean
towels which made me feel like Jackie Collins even if I don’t have her body -
or wealth.
Hypoxitraining is something new which I would like to try, when I get my
nerve up. It takes place in a space-age pod in which you sit on an exercise bike
while a rubber belt seals you in. Once you start peddling, the machine creates a
vacuum inside and this acts directly on the fatty tissue, helping to break down
the peau-d’orange and cellulite, giving you a pert bottom and toned up thighs
without too much effort. This is available from 7am-9pm every day, but since
there is only one pod, you might have to book early (Tel: 452-6396).
"Our doctors tell us that attending a fitness club is an essential
part of preventative medicine, helping us to relieve stress and relax,"
said Sir Bernard Schreier, Danubius Hotels Rt CEO, who came over from London
especially for the grand opening this month.
A massive range of facilities from beauticians, opticians with laser eye
treatments, a dental surgery and state of the art plastic surgery are all on
site with a top class staff. It’s the kind of thing you could suggest to
friends and relatives abroad: Come over to Hungary for a holiday, stay on the
relaxing, peaceful Margit Island, in one of the best spots in Budapest and have
a complete set of treatments - teeth, eyes, cellulite, then go home changed,
revived and refreshed, in fact a completely new person. Can I be Sharon Stone?
Back
to the Thermal Hotel Margitsziget
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Club Apartments
€ 85
