In 2025, I had planned to make a summer trip to England and opened an card_name. I transferred most of my points to Aer Lingus and booked tickets for myself and another person. Well, life changed, and we needed to cancel that trip and, in fact, the whole relationship! Unfortunately, Aer Lingus does charge cancellation fees, but they refunded all my points. I knew I wanted to fly from Washington Dulles to Dublin, but having been to Ireland before, I also wanted to add another destination so I could explore somewhere new. Well, Aer Lingus flies from Dublin to Budapest, so there was my answer! The flight cost only 44,000 Avios round-trip in economy, plus about $300 in fees. I still have points trapped in Avios, which is not the worst thing in the world, as they can be used in so many ways. 

 

For my hotel, I had opened up an card_name with no specific plans for the points and had initially planned to book the Intercontinental in Budapest. But then a relatively new Kimpton appeared on the app for fewer points! Taking advantage of the fourth night free benefit for being an IHG cardholder, it was only 122,000 points total and a fabulous hotel. 

 

 

One quirk of Aer Lingus is that they do not allow free seat selection, so I took a chance. I wound up with a window seat DC to Dublin, then a lie-flat business seat on another short flight to Budapest! No other perks though—the only free thing on that short flight was water. Not sparkling water, still only! Coming home, I had a window seat on the short flight and a middle seat on the longer one. The service is nice and you do get a decent meal across the Atlantic. I find the economy seats pretty cramped. The business seat was great, though; I wish I’d gotten that across the Atlantic.

 

Checking in at the Kimpton Budapest certainly got things off to a nice start. The lobby is scented, the décor is beautiful, and I was seated with a glass of champagne while I checked in. The room I had was on the smaller side, and the bathroom was a little odd in that there was a sink in between a shower stall and a toilet (with a real door). As a solo traveller, it was no problem, but it could be a little odd if you had a companion with you. The location was great—it was a very short walk to a beautiful view of Parliament and had easy access to the trams. Getting around on the tram and metro was super-easy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved walking around Budapest and enjoying the beautiful architecture, great weather, and friendly people. Of all the activities, I enjoyed the Hospital in the Rock Museum and Rudas Baths the most, as well as stopping by City Park, where a large and family-friendly military event was taking place. Walking back down to Liberty Square, I encountered a free concert that was lots of fun! The people of Budapest were lovely, and I’d encourage any solo traveller or family to go. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to points and miles, I was indeed able to turn lemons into lemonade and have a fantastic summer trip in a luxury hotel!

 

Way to go, Natalie, at turning things around – we really enjoyed your reader success story to Budapest!