LUA Resort — Hotel in Balatonfüredi járás

Not a 5* hotel, nice but not that great, 3* service.

We booked a suite for two nights for our anniversary, the hotel is beautiful & modern, the facilities are really nice, the food is really good but the whole experience was a let down by a few things mostly coming from the poorly trained staff.

People at reception are really nice, very helpful very smiley, but you get the feeling that they don’t understand you half the time. When we arrived they suggested we book dinner at the hotel restaurant, & the hostess suggested 6:00pm or 9:30pm, we both heard these numbers very clearly & chose 9:30. We got ready, dressed up & were hungry, we entered the restaurant & told them about out booking only to be told “IMPOSSIBLE the kitchen closes at 9:30”. What kind of hospitality training instructs staff member to say “IMPOSSIBLE” to a customer’s face? We’d tried to take it up with staff at reception & we were told there’s nothing they can do, all restaurants in the area were closing & had no choice but to go to bed hungry, they said “We can offer you..” & we thought it would be compensation or something but no it was the room service menu which consisted of a sandwich & bread & cheese. Eventually the hostess with which we made the reservation arrived, & absolutely insisted that she did not say 9:30, practically calling us liars to our faces. There was no more trace of the smiley face we saw at check-in. Eventually she would return & beckon us to the restaurant like she’s done us a great favor. To her credit we did eventually get dinner but as she sat us down she repeated that she didn’t know who’s fault it was. Clearly the money spent on hospitality wasn’t worth it. Most likely this misunderstanding stems from the fact that in hungarian 8:30 is expressed as “half to 9” & that was why she misspoke, but there was zero consideration that it could have been her mistake & the blame was put squarely on us.

This very poor grasp on English was a very common theme, where staff members clearly had no idea what we were talking about half the time. Probably the best example was the kayak we rented at the beach, we asked if it was complimentary with the room & were very clearly told that yes it was only to see it on the bill upon check out. When we tried to explain to the reception staff that we were told it was complimentary, they tried to explain that Kayaks & SUPs rental costs the same? Clearly having not understood a word of what we said, despite us saying it slowly & carefully in the clearest english.

We took a boat ride on the Balaton & it was lovely, the captain was very nice & friendly but the boat ran out of battery before we arrived at shore & we had to trudge along on battery saving mode for half an hour. This was, we were told, the fault of the electric motor & apparently not part of the job to he able to estimate when your charge runs out & to be back on shore before then.

There were many other more minor misunderstandings, one example being the fact that we were variously told that check out would be at 11:00, 11:30 & 12:00 pm. To her credit, the lady at reception said don’t worry you can stay till 12:00 (she was the one person we had no issue with & who was kind, helpful & understanding).

Overall it was still a very nice experience but one that could’ve been absolutely amazing if it wasn’t for the clueless & sometimes out...

Hotel with the very good hard product: big spa, rooms and location. But service is inconsistent and not corresponding to the advertised 5 stars. I will elaborate in my review below.

Rooms: Our room was spacious, it was usually well cleaned (whenever cleaning was happening, as it was not consistent). It had all you need and a cosy terrace. We slept well and were comfortable. It would be nice to add some wine to the minibar offering, but it does not affect the overall experience of course.

Spa: very spacious spa with different saunas. However, not all the saunas were on. Some were off with no explanation or only explanation in Hungarian. Also on the popular days there were not enough sunbeds outside, and we had to chase someone to bring additional once. Overall, spa is also good.

Cleanliness: In the first days, during 1st of May holidays time, cleanliness was questionable. There was cleaning crew, who, for one, every day was chasing us near the room to re-confirm if want cleaning. In a quite uncomfortable way. One day even though we requested cleaning and even put „please clean“ table on the door, room was not cleaned up. Also, we had to regularly remind to change shampoo, towels and so on. In the spa area, dirty tissues were just laying around the jacuzzi for several days. Unpleasant. Not very 5 stars at all. After first few days, crew changed and cleaning improved. It happened around 5th of May.

Breakfast and Spa service: unfortunately it does not correspond to 5 stars also. Breakfast service is actively avoiding eye contact and does not offer you coffee or tea u less you chase them. Same with egg dishes. Hotel advertises on the website their egg Benedict. Not ever in 9 days was it offered. In fact, no one offered us any egg dishes at all, except of the scramble which is already pre cooked. Omelette station was closed most of the time. What once we tried to asking, which egg dishes they have, the response was: „what do you want“. Only on one day out of 9 days of our stay breakfast service was good. The content of breakfast was sufficient, but on non-weekend days very poor selection. Even simple piece of Gouda cheese was nowhere to be found.

In the spa, same thing. Avoidance of eye contact, necessity to chase them to get a drink. No one cares about dirt or sunbeds amount. Sometimes it was good, but only after we once tipped a hefty amount. Service gets 3 stars from me.

Dinner was okay, though eating in Michelin restaurants outside the hotel was also good. We really enjoyed wine advice.

Another thing is checkin. When we arrived, no one offered any help with the bags. From the car to check in to the room, we had to carry all the bags ourself. Even places with lower star ratings offer help here. On the check out, the help was offered. Which gain shows inconsistency.

Overall the stay was enjoyable and I would even consider returning, adult only concept is very nice. However the place is max 4 star and service consistency should be improved. Those small details make the pricing and star rating of the hotel not...

Lua is everything you could want in a 5* resort and MORE. We’ve stayed here twice and have adequate feedback surrounding our entire experience.

• To start, the greeting from the bellman upon entering the property is amazing. They’ll stow your bags if the room isn’t ready yet and bring them up when it is ready. A really warm welcoming. The unmatched service at the front desk is amazing. Every single staff member is ready to help you have the best holiday.

• The service at Lua is incredible in every single area. As I said above, the front desk staff/bellman are a fabulous start to your experience. The restaurant staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and make you feel as though you’re the only guest they’re serving. The spa and beach staff are also accommodating and give you space but also ensure you have everything you need.

• The food at Lua stands out as one of the top restaurants in Balaton (and probably for many km around). The restaurant serves Michelin star food (and it’s included in most hotel rates). It is certainly thoughtfully cooked so that you feel full but not too full. The buffet style appetizer before dinner is a nice touch so that you can try it all. The food switches up every night, which leaves you excited for what’s next! The cuisine available at the beach/pool/spa area is perfect and leaves you feeling light and full. One highlight for me is the Lua Bowl - it is perfect while laying in the sun!

• We have twice stayed in the spa suite and once in the side lake view room. The prestige spa suite is worth EVERY single penny. With panoramic views of Lake Balaton, two balconies, a hot tub, a sauna and a large laid out space, the room was perfect for both of our stays. They even offer some nice add-ons like champagne or flowers and macarons! We don’t generally spend a lot of time in our room but with the suite, it’s hard not to take in the beauty from there.

• The location of Lua is incredible. A quick 15 min walk to the center of Fured, with other little shopping and restaurants is great. There is also bike rentals (an awesome plus) and a bike path you can pick up easily from the hotel. We loved this. It was easy access to Tihany and the surrounding areas. Lua is DIRECTLY on the lake. There is nothing blocking your view, and you’re truly taking in breathtaking views. An added bonus is the calming site of many sailboats (there’s a marina next door).

Overall, Lua is by far, the best resort in Hungary, and surrounding countries. Lua stands in its own category and far exceeds most other places. We are truly so happy to have found Lua and look forward to coming back year after year (we are from NYC and have high standards)!!...