Back in October 2015 I wanted to go on a short trip somewhere in Europe and as I had heard many good things about Budapest, I decided that would be my next destination!

Flight: It was my first time flying with Ryanair so I was a tad apprehensive about the low-cost airline, however as long as you adhere to their luggage allowance, the whole process was easy-going. The flight from London to Budapest takes around 2.5 hours, which went by quickly.

Stay: Originally me and my friend had booked an Airbnb and as it was our first time using them, we had a discount code and got a really good deal on an apartment. In the pictures the apartment looked beautiful, it was in a good location and all the reviews (although not many) were all good. However when we got there, it was a different story. The lobby was dark and somewhat eerie which is fine but then when we got into the apartment, it was dirty and the floor was sticky. Later on when we were unpacking my friend walked over to me and asked 'have you looked at the ceiling yet?', when I looked up, all I saw was a cluster of daddy long legs just chilling. My friend had called the living room couch which had less spiders in there and when I checked the bedroom, the mattress/duvets had a lot of stains on it. But even then we were like no! We can do this, however later that night, just to add onto our list, the bathroom started to let off a sewage smell. All of this plus a horrid night's sleep made us realise that, 'okay we can't do this' and we spent a good portion of the morning, trying to find alternative accommodation. To be fair the host was very nice and helpful but the apartment needed a good clean (and mop) and to sort out the bathroom.

Budapest is well-known for their thermal baths. Originally we had visited the Széchenyi thermal bath, which is the largest medicinal bath in Europe but it was too busy there for our liking so we researched other baths and found Gellért Thermal Baths instead. Gellért Thermal Baths is full of Art Nouveau furnishing and sculptures. In the picture below is the main pool but there is another room with 2 heated baths. I love a hot bath so relaxing in the 40 degrees, I was in my element. We paid HUF 4,900 for a weekday adult ticket with a locker. You can also purchase slippers and other necessities at the desk.

Budapest Zoo and Botanical Gardens has so much to see! But for me I think the most memorable part was the 'Great Ape House'. All the younger gorillas were running around and playing with one another, then in the middle of the room was the largest gorilla by far who was just calmly sitting there.