Have you been looking for the most affordable summer houses in Hungary with countryside art? I guess you have, otherwise you would not be here browsing, right? Don’t worry, we have got you!
Recently we went near Balaton (you know, the Hungarian Sea, which Hungarians like to call it) and found a beautiful, hidden gem. Although, it’s only hidden because it literally just opened its doors about a week ago.
When you search for the perfect summer houses in Hungary, it’s no secret that when the season is coming everyone and their extended family from the city will do their best to leave Budapest and go to places where they won’t suffer from the heat coming from the asphalt. Trust me, I am one of those people – Any chance I can get, I will take it for the sake of not boiling in a hot soup of people walking around Budapest in the summer.
Not to mention, I am a huge fan of the outdoors (as long as it’s made chic) and summer in Budapest can be scorching hot. Alright, so let’s solve our main issue, which is: How do we find affordable summer houses in Hungary? Easily. you can either go to places like booking.com or read articles like this one, where we share our experiences about the place, the location, the interior and the exterior with you guessed it: prices!
One thing is for sure: When the season is on, prices can go rather high for the region, but that doesn’t mean that you need to pay an outrageous amount to get your well-deserved rest. So let’s get to it and let me tell you all about summer houses in Hungary or better yet: The one we just traveled to.
Where is it? Is it a Balaton Apartman maybe?
Not necessarily a Balaton Apartman, but Lake Balaton is a short, 20-minute drive away with a very scenic route, which makes it highly recommended to visit when you are in the region. If you are coming from Budapest, the exact location of the guest house is about 1,5/-2 hours drive from the city, which is quite normal if you are traveling around the country.
The exact location can be found here if you are looking to figure out your coordinates:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Csodakert+Vend%C3%A9gh%C3%A1z-+Zalai+Vend%C3%A9gh%C3%A1zak/@46.5141483,17.0961835,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x4768ed55458fbaa3:0xe2b60c21e3816a7a!8m2!3d46.5141446!4d17.0987584!16s%2Fg%2F11t_k2bnw7?entry=ttu
It’s advisable to use Waze, when you are driving, since there are multiple ways to reach the guest house, however, Waze will give you the best option. While summer houses in Hungary recently tend to be super rural and separated from everything, this one is a little bit different.
It’s separated, yet connected at the same time. Let me explain why.
Programs, Activities, and Surroundings of Zalai Vendégházak:
There is an insane amount of activities you can do there, which means it’s best to try and plan a little bit, so you will not get confused or overwhelmed. Since usually the goal is to relax and recharge, not to rush from A to B, you should take it easy and only take on a few activities per day. However, if you want to buzz like a bee the whole time you are there, it’s completely up to you.
We wanted to try a few places, but also enjoy the tranquility of the space and the surroundings. You will see why when we get to the interior and exterior of the house. It’s gorgeous, it’s relaxing and it feels like a warm hug from your grandmom. The place screams love, care, food, and happiness.
Anyway, let’s get back to programs. I will share the activities which we did during our 3-day trip and we will leave you with some recommendations for the region in the end.
We went there on a Friday, which meant: the Friday market called Piac a Kertben (Market in the Garden) which is a weekly event, where all the small business owners with their produce come. You can get amazing, fresh sourdough bread, vegetables, smoked meat, and the best cheese in Hungary (no joke, they are an award-winning business) and so much more.
Make sure you bring cash though, because you won’t see grandmoms charging you with card machines and also: don’t arrive too late, because the market is small, but mighty, which makes it super popular and they run out of products to sell usually before the day ends.
You can find the location here:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Piac+a+Kertben/@46.4407056,17.0307549,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x47689379e7bb8607:0xdd962c7e06d3fce!8m2!3d46.4407019!4d17.0333298!16s%2Fg%2F11jjk32h85?entry=ttu
Since we went just before Easter, we went to take a few pictures with a huge Easter installation at Kéthely, a small city, that has recently become quite popular with its Easter exhibition.
We also tried a couple of lovely restaurants, most notably the Halászcsárda at Keszthely. If you are a foreigner, and you are looking for the real Hungarian goulash experience, come here, you will not be disappointed. Trust me, I am Hungarian and a picky eater. I loved their goulash.
On our last day, we tried the restaurant of the Hubertus Hotel, where we loved the steak plate for 2. It’s easily a full dish there and later at home. The quality of food and serving were great at both places, which made our experiences even better.
In the city, it’s quite common to have poor service with overpriced medium-quality food served, and because of it, this experience made a difference. We love going out and trying new restaurants, especially when it means the people who work there are serving us nicely.
We did not have the time to try more places, since we wanted to enjoy the house as well, which is getting us to the most exciting part of this article: The Guest House! But before we go there, we have a website for you, where you can read all about the activities you can do year-round in Zala.
Everything that’s recommended to do in Zala:
Summer Houses in Hungary – Zalai Vendégházak: The Experience
As we mentioned earlier, the guest house is rather secluded from everything, yet close. You need to remember: When you leave the city, the normal distance to everything is about 15-20 minutes by car, but usually it’s worth the ride. Here, we passed a beautiful field and some lovely houses on our way to our 2,000 sqm location.
The land is huge, with a lovely building, that can easily remind us of the porch of our grandmother’s house from our childhood. At least it was my experience, and I immediately felt a sense of warmth, upon arrival. You can access your key from the key box with the code and that’s where you should leave it, once you leave the house.
You can park your car outside easily, you just need to open the gates. Upon entering, you will see a huge garden lying in front of you with cherry trees, flower beds, and a vegetable garden. To your right, you will see the house with a little porch and outdoor furniture, as well as the outdoor shower, and guess what: The cleanest outhouse ever!
If you are new to this phenomenon, I suggest you give it a go once! 🙂 Moving to the left side of the garden, you will see a covered outdoor dining area with nothing else, but a hot tub!
I don’t know about you, but I cannot resist a hot tub, especially in the colder months and since we visited the guest house in March, it was the perfect evening activity. The hot tub even has a jacuzzi function, which can make it even more comfortable.
If you start walking after the hot tub, that’s where you can reach the vegetable garden, the flowers, and the cherry trees in the huge backyard. It looks magical, especially with the sunset. Coming back from here, we can enter the house on our left and immediately be greeted by a lovely, farmhouse decor. The owner used Pinterest, as her inspiration for everything she did around the house, which just shows the power of planning and purchasing, using the right platforms.
We can find slippers on our left since they can be useful, in case our feet feel cold on the ground. Towards our right side is the bathroom with a sliding door and a lovely porcelain sink, which is a beautiful feature piece in the bathroom.
Walking ahead you are greeted in the kitchen and dining room, which includes a beautiful breakfast basket for us, filled with fresh produce from the market and by the owner. Petra made us zucchini chutney and jam, which was lovely!
The place is super light, and trust me: You will find everything you need. I don’t think I could mention a single kitchen utensil you will not find there. They made sure that every detail was taken care of, in case you had no desire to leave the guest house for the remainder of your stay.
When you turn to the left, you enter the living room with two comfortable armchairs and no TV. I think we all know, that if we wish to relax and recharge, watching television will not help. Towards the left side, you will find a Queen-sized bed and a vintage cabinet, which opens with a click (IYKYK). Inside you have enough space to leave your belongings, grab extra towels or a yoga mat, or board games.
Our final space after the main room is the second bedroom, where you can find two single beds, a cabinet, and a vanity, which is perfect if you want to do your make-up in the morning.
The house can host up to 4 people costs 68,000 HUF/night and can be reserved for a minimum stay of 3 nights, but trust me: You will want to stay that long.
We had an amazing time there, and we cannot recommend it enough. Petra, our host was very welcoming and helpful, which made our stay very easy.
If you are looking to get away from the city and spend your weekend in beautiful summer houses in Hungary, look no further. This place is magical, filled with everything you might need for a few days away from the business of city life.
You can book your stay here:
https://www.zalaivendeghazak.hu/zalaivendeghazak/csodakert/
Until next time, travelers!
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