Travel: Hungary, a rural escape with great expectations

The realisation that a descendant of Charles Dickens is the owner of a boutique holiday destination and award-winning vineyard in a pretty part of rural Hungary and that she has a Scottish connection feels like a truly wonderful surprise.

Catherine Dickens’s mother, Jeanne Maria, had fled Hungary in 1944 when she was only eight. By the time of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, aged 20, orphaned and seeking refuge in the UK, she was adopted by an elderly couple in Insch, Aberdeenshire.

The next stage of Jeanne Maria’s adventurous life was to meet and marry a descendant of the author, Catherine’s father, and to bring up their family in Yorkshire. Catherine takes up the rest of the story. “I had trained in hospitality in the Caribbean and was keen to set up some sort of hotel business. We came across a village called Csakbereny, an hour from Budapest.

“There are uninterrupted views, stars at night, abundant greenery, all tightly nestled in a curve of the Vertes Hills and half-surrounded by extensive national park woodlands.

“We found out about Csakbereny from a Hungarian aristocrat. He arranged an annual ‘weekend wine festival’ on the hillside and locals would hire out their wine cottages for visitors. We realised these beautiful wooden cottages in the heart of this wine region would make a wonderful holiday destination, so we went on to buy one in 2004. Soon after, Catherine’s Vineyard Cottages was born.”

There are nine cottages in total now, enjoying a lovely swimming pool and surrounded by beautiful gardens. And Catherine lives nearby. One of the cottages has an exclusive swimming pool attached. The grounds are tumbling with wisteria, fragrant lavender and shrubs bursting with colour.

“The cottages and my house are just outside the village” says Catherine. “It has become a private little hamlet of its own.”

The views are stunning. Known locally as “Poor man’s Provence”, it is part of the Mòr wine region, in Fejer county. Delicious white and rose wines are produced here and a wine festival is held every year in Mòr.

“I love our village. It is so safe, you hardly need lock your door. When British visitors finally make it out of Budapest they’re surprised at this stunning countryside and all it has to offer. Its people (about 1,000) are what make it special. It has become simply my home over the past 15 years,” Catherine shares.

Activities include walking, riding, cycling, wine tasting, pottery and cookery classes, made all the more enjoyable in Hungary’s gorgeous climate – a sunny spring is followed by a hot summer, then beautiful autumn colours appear before an often snowy winter.

The décor in the cottages is inspired by the Caribbean, harking back to Catherine’s hotel training there. Fruity, tropical colours are mixed them with rustic Hungarian furniture and the famous, raw local linens and stunning folk embroidery. Each cottage has a very well-equipped kitchen and an outdoor grill.

They offer a popular breakfast basket, with lots of local goodies, including artisan bread, farm eggs, local salami, cheese, home-made jam and her own home-roasted granola. She has her own white wines from the small vineyard.

Hungarian cuisine is excellent and some restaurants are within 10-minutes’ drive. For a bigger group, and with advance arrangement, a professional chef can prepare a meal. The cottages are a popular wedding destination, but are limited to four a year.

Catherine and partner Graham say the business is going from strength to strength. “We are continually improving our level of service and trying to make our offerings more and more varied and imaginative.”

You can expect a very warm welcome!

catherinesvineyardcottages.com

Factfile

Prices start from £125 per night for a cottage for 1-2 people.

Ryanair and Wizz Air both fly direct from Edinburgh to Budapest. Flights start at £50.

You will have to undergo a test for Covid-19 on arrival. You must self-isolate for 14 days unless you can provide upon arrival two negative Covid-19 tests, taken 48 hours apart and within five days prior to entry date.

For the latest advice, visit gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/hungary