Rooftop bars and terraces towering over the buzzing city are becoming more and more common in major cities around the world, even in Budapest. You can now find several types of rooftop bars in the Hungarian capital, from exclusive to the most basic. More and more hotels create their own rooftop bars, but not many are quite as unique as this one. Cortile Hotel now has a pool on its rooftop just next to their sky bar. You can admire the view of the illuminated dome of the Basilica after sunset from inside this magnificent pool. Introducing the Sky Bar & Pool by Cortile Hotel.
The hotel is at the corner of Hajós utca (street) and Dessewffy utca, just about three minutes from the Opera. Here your eye will undoubtedly catch a modern building; Cortile Hotel. Had it not been to the COVID-19 pandemic, this hotel, which opened last November would be full of people. The pandemic has affected the entire world but mostly the catering industry. This means that only those can survive, who adapt, and that is precisely what Cortile Hotel did with creating a pool with a beautiful view just on the top of the hotel’s roof – Roadster wrote.
Cortile Hotel is a member of a hotel chain. The other unit of the chain in Budapest is the Casati Hotel on Paulay Ede utca, just across Andrássy út (avenue). Casati Hotel is also famous for its bar, the Tuk Tuk Bar, which, in spite of its size, plays an important role in Budapest’s bar life.
Cortile hotel is not only green, compact and intimate, and it already had a beautiful rooftop where you could admire the view from, but now, they have upgraded it to the next level with a glass-walled swimming pool.
There are other hotels in Budapest where you can swim at the top of the building, but usually, only hotel guests are allowed. At first, Cortile Hotel wanted to make the rooftop accessible to everyone who wanted to have a drink in the bar or take a swim in the pool. The concept and the team to realise this idea came together in only a few days. They had a professional background thanks to their experience with Tuk Tuk Bar and the professionalism of Viktor Polgár. Due to the pandemic and the change in tourism, fully realising this concept must wait, however.
It is important to note, that they are in a ‘soft’ opening period, as the design of the terrace will change.
They would like more plants, better lights, and to make the rooftop more intimate overall. The hotel does not want huge crowds, so there will only be a few tables on the terrace. They want their guests to feel intimate and to be able to make this unique experience their own.
There is a lot of fantasy, even in their selection of drinks. In addition to the classics, uniqueness is important to them; so they have developed some of their own long drinks. Hungária Spritz, for example, is a long drink made with extra dry Hungária champagne mixed with homemade strawberry-citrus cardamom bitter. It is just as sweet as it is sour and aromatic at the same time. Prices are reasonable, similar to a regular bar on the ground. Long drinks start from 1,800 forints (6 €), you could order pálinka for 1,200 forints (4 €), and the tapped First beers cost around 1,100 forints (3.5 €), also note that service costs an extra 10%.
It could be an excellent way to start the summer by spending a night in the hotel. Go for a swim in the pool on the roof just before sunset and admire the beautiful skyline and the facades of the surrounding buildings. If you stay in Budapest, it might be worth taking a look at.