The Duchess Rooftop Bar, Budapest: Very nice place, but imperfect service

The Duchess rooftop bar is located on the roof of the Matild Palace hotel, a new Luxury Collection opening in the Hungarian capital.

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

#	Type	Review
1	Diary	Summer escape in Hungary
2	Lounge	British Airways Galleries Club, Boston Logan
3	Flight	British Airways Club World, Boston Logan – London Heathrow, Boeing 777-200
4	Lounge	British Airways Galleries First, London Heathrow T3
5	Flight	British Airways Club Europe, London Heathrow – Budapest Liszt, Airbus A320
6	Hotel	The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest
7	Restaurant	Ottimo at The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest
8	Train	MAV Start Intercity First, Budapest Nyugati – Debrecen
9	Train	MAV Start Intercity First, Debrecen – Budapest Nyugati
10	Hotel	Matild Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Budapest
11	Restaurant	Spago by Wolfgang Puck at Matild Palace, Budapest
12	Restaurant	Bistro Parísi, Budapest
13	Restaurant	The Duchess Rooftop Bar at Matild Palace, Budapest
14	Lounge	Plaza Premium Lounge, Budapest Liszt
15	Flight	British Airways Club Europe, Budapest Liszt – London Heathrow, Airbus A320
16	Lounge	British Airways Concorde Room, London Heathrow
17	Flight	British Airways Club World, London Heathrow – Boston Logan, Airbus A380-800

Today’s itinerary

The concept

The Duchess is a designer rooftop with indoor and outdoor spaces. The decoration is very nice.

The setting

The setting is very elegant, with plenty of lounging space and a few high tables facing the Danube.

Menu and beverages

The drinks menu is very extensive, and a small selection of snacks is available at the end of the menu. I had a glass of rosé champagne from Cattier.

The service

Here’s where it all falls apart: the service left a lot to be desired. First of all, you have to go back through the lobby to use the elevator to the rooftop, even if you’re a hotel guest.

Then, even if the order-taking and beverage service were carried out quickly, the bill took almost 30 minutes to arrive – unacceptable! It’s as if they didn’t want to be paid!

The rosé champagne was not served chilled enough.