A 4-star design hotel under the aegis of minimalism and wine, at the feet of Badacsony. The recently opened Hotel Bonvino does not fail to evoke the IKEA-feeling (meant in a good way), but it still has to work on its reputation as a wine hotel.
Badacsony has come under mysterious Swedish influence: Villa Sandahl, a renowned winery has Swedish owners, and Bonvino, the town’s four-star that opened in 2011 looks exactly as if a Swedishdesigner at IKEA - breaking away from sketching up his regular tubular chairs - designed a wine hotel for the northern shore of Balaton. No harsh colours or cheap trims, only light tones, rough concrete and minimalist design. The designers of the Budapest-based Gepetto Studio even managed to dissolve the controversy of urban and folk styles by allowing guests to choose whether they wanted to stay in a room with modern or rustic design. The size of Bonvino also adds up to the friendliness factor. The hotel has 48 rooms; it is impossible to get lost in the floors and hallways. The garden and the hotel fit into the Badacsony landscape just fine. Elements of the design do not only evoke the memory of the arches of the Badacsony house of Róza Szegedy (muse of Sándor Kisfaludy, 19th century Hungarian poet), but the Tourinform office that stands in front of the building as a 1970ies time capsule.
The location of Bonvino Wine & Spa is ideal. It is only a minute walk from the port-railway station-main square triangle. Although it is still a short climb to a panoramic view, but in return the hotel’s balconies offer the authentic Balaton-side feeling with train whistles and poplar trees. Wine cellars and the Egry József Memorial House (Egry was ’painter of Balaton’) are also within a short walk. "No harsh colours or cheap trims, only light tones, rough concrete and minimalist design."
Bonvino claims to be the first wine and wellness hotel of Hungary. Wellness here means a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, different types of saunas and a steam cabin—to which a well-equipped gym would be a welcome addition. As for the wine, it chiefly appears in the slightly overdone wine-themed design, e.g. wine bottle lamp shades and chalk drawings depicting the wine making process. Local wines are of course available; however it is just natural at the feet of the vineyards of Badacsony.
Bonvino is perfect for conferences since it has two connecting conference rooms; one of which boasts of two-storey headroom. The gigantic Balaton map painting adorning the wall of the larger conference room is a smashing decoration for any event of weight. You would expect four-star food from a four-star hotel, but Bonvino did not fulfil our related hopes during our stay. We have nothing against Cerbona cereals, but local cheese or pastry from the area would have been appreciated-although the lack of it is not necessarily the hotel's fault.
Pro
Pro: Bonvino is modern without fuss and feathers, a hotel without the rigid hotel feeling. a visit to the spa in the morning to stare at the lakeside poplar trees from the hot tub is a must. This place is recommended for families and wine-lover executives.
Con
