Print exclusive: In awe of Anantara

The New York Palace in Budapest has moved through money, literature and hospitality without losing itself

17 Nov 2025

Anantara New York Palace Budapest defies every possible definition of luxury, even before the world began using the term over-the-top (OTT) so freely. The first time I stepped into what’s often called the most beautiful cafe in the world, I was left completely spellbound, eyes wide open, unable to contain my awe. It wasn’t just the architecture; it was the emotion of being surrounded by so much beauty, detail, and drama all at once. How often do you get to see so many styles coexist? The café is a living tribute to the Belle Époque, where ornamentation intertwines with the romance of revivalist design. Layers of Neo-Baroque, Renaissance, and Rococo influences come together to create a space that feels both cinematic and profoundly historic. My gaze followed the pillars upward to hand-painted frescoes, gilded stuccowork, and curving marble columns that seemed to breathe with light.

My first brush with the Anantara world was at their property on Sir Bani Yas Island, when my brother treated me to a family holiday. I remember it as one of the happiest family getaways, a memory stitched with warmth, laughter and perfect hospitality. The brand has always been about experiences that stay with you long after you’ve left, but Budapest takes that feeling to another level.

The New York Palace is a building that has already lived several public lives and refuses to retire. First money, then literature and now travel. Designed by Alajos Hauszmann with Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, the building blended Italian Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau styles. Drafting a richly detailed statement of stability and prosperity, it opened in 1894 as the New York Life Insurance Company’s European headquarters in Budapest. The ground floor housed the New York Café, which opened the same year, while the upper levels were used for the company’s offices and leased apartments.

A long barrel-vaulted salon groups dining, lounging and media zones, with an amber-red Murano-style chandelier above its marble floors; Photographs courtesy Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel

The building was designed to make the concept of insurance visible. The structure’s grandeur reassured clients and the public that the company was both prosperous and permanent. By the early 1900s, the café had become a landmark and a gathering place for writers, journalists and artists, even hosting the editorial staff of Nyugat, Hungary’s most influential literary journal. During World War II the structure suffered damage, and under Hungary’s communist regime it was nationalised and renamed the Hungaria Café in 1954. Its ornate interiors deteriorated over time and the building lost its status as a luxury commercial address.

Today, as I walk through it, I am here in two roles. Guest and a journalist. As a reporter, a traveller and a lover of art, I observe one address move through three economies — finance, culture, hospitality — without losing its original sense of self.

Here, the grand dome ushers you into a soaring atrium filled with natural light. From the same level, I caught a glimpse of the cafe two floors below and instinctively made my way there, the kind of moment when curiosity takes over and wonder does the rest. The intricate ceiling frescoes, curving marble pillars, gilded moldings, and ornate walls together create a spectacle so lavish it’s hard to believe this is a café. Now I understood why people lined up from morning till night just to dine here. It was about being part of something unforgettable.

A domed vestibule inside sets the tone for arrival, with its coffered ceiling, stained-glass oculus, marble floor and gilt columns; Photographs courtesy Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel

Ceiling fresco in the Deep Water breakfast room with mythological figures framed by gilt stuccowork, cartouches and red-latticed panels; Photographs courtesy Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel

Breakfast was served at what felt like the city’s most theatrical stage, sunlight streaming in, live music drifting through the space, and a spread so generous it matched the setting. When the band played a Hindi song at our table, the moment turned unexpectedly personal, all of us humming along to the tune. What stands out most about Anantara is its sense of space. The guest rooms, dressed in deep browns and muted golds, form a serene counterpoint to the café’s exuberance. This deliberate layering of opulent public spaces and calmer private interiors gives the property its balance. The spa, another Anantara hallmark, lives up to its reputation. The facade too tells a story: muscular gargoyles and sculpted figures appear to shoulder the weight of time, each carved detail steeped in history and expression. Adding a touch of fun, the central atrium hosts an evening ritual where guests can try their hand at making cocktails, and whoever happens to be nearby is handed a complimentary glass. As I walked through the corridors around those grand pillars one last time,I know I want to come back with my loved ones, not just for the indulgence but for the emotion of it all. Insurance money built it in 1894. Literature kept it alive through the 20th century. Hospitality is carrying it forward now. I will come back for all three.