It is no longer true for the northern shore of Lake Balaton that you can only stay in guesthouses, apartments or in hotels that are booked full for the whole of summer. With its youthful interior, squishy armchairs and a large terrace perfect for a barbecue or drinking wine in the evening, Patent Hostel in Badacsonytomaj would be a solid contender anywhere in Western Europe.
Beach terrace
Thankfully, the era of Zimmer freis and Zimmer Feris is slowly coming to an end around Lake Balaton. For example, a former socialist realist style co-operative holiday building has been transformed into a youthful and cool hostel by photographer and businessman Bence Molnár, also known as DJ Sosem volt on the Hungarian nightlife scene.
A squishy couch built out of pallets, colourful string lights and spreads of sails above our heads. The only thing missing for the perfect beach feeling is a sandy beach right next to the public terrace, a popular hang-out for a bit of barbecuing or sharing a bottle or two of wine with friends. However, Lake Balaton is not far by any means, the beach is only an easy three-minute walk away.
“Unfortunately, Badacsony is still short on proper party venues, so that was my motivation for tailoring this place to the needs of those looking for a good time around here.” Bence commutes from Veszprém to Badacsony, so everyday business to do with the hostel is handled by Erzsi néni, an elderly lady who “came with the property”. Yet Bence is always keen to pop down to Badacsony in order to organize a barbecue or a party. Thanks to his connections in the music world, lots of young, well-known musicians and bands come to stay at the hostel - all guests are guaranteed to have good fun when they are around.
Bed, table, TV
The hostel is currently equipped to host up to 16-17 guests at a time, but plans for an extension are already taking shape. At present, the hostel offers a two-room, full-comfort apartment and four rooms with en-suite bathrooms: if you are in luck and the place is not fully booked, you can snatch up a double, triple or quadruple room.
The design of every living space is a little different, but all of them are stylish and the bathrooms, including a shower and a toilet, are modern and clean as well. Breakfast is not included in the price of the rooms; however, there is a fully equipped common kitchen. The price of the six-person apartment is HUF 24,000 per night, while the rooms cost somewhere between HUF 7,300 and HUF 13,200 during high season.
