Zalakaros, Hungary

Not far from us is one of the most visited towns in Hungary – Zalakaros.

With its 9 hotels, it has more than 1000 hotel rooms and another 1000+ beds in Airbnb rentals, pensions, and guesthouses. The latter two differ slightly.

AI tells me

A pension and a guesthouse are both types of smaller-scale lodging, but a pension often provides more meals (like breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and can be more akin to a boarding house or small hotel, while a guesthouse typically offers a more relaxed and social atmosphere. 

Pre-pandemic, nearby Hévíz with its outdoor thermal lake attracted more foreign tourists (over 50%) while Zalakaros was a domestic tourist destination with some foreign visitors, mainly German (25%). That said, in 2019, more than half a million guest nights were recorded in the town of about 2000 people.

Post-pandemic, both have seen a drop in foreign tourists and a growth in domestic tourists.

Nearly two-thirds of Hévíz’s guests are people over the age of 45, whose main motivations are rest and health. In contrast, Zalakaros is characterized by a younger group of guests, with more than 60% of guests in Zalakaros under the age of 45. A significant proportion are couples between the ages of 35 and 45, who often arrive on long weekends, and those who go on family vacations to Zalakaros.

Any evening we go over to Karos (with so many Zalas in Zala, we tend to drop them), we see lots of young families. It’s a popular spot with some hotels having a three-night minimum stay. And the town has put in a lot of effort to keep it looking so well.

It is famous for its spa, discovered when drilling for oil in the 1960s. In summer, the outdoor waterpark attracts thousands; the young hit the huge water slides and the not-so-young wallow in the thermal waters.

Other than the spa for which it’s famous, the town has invested in making it more than simply a spa destination. There’s the relatively new Karos Korzó, a plaza set in 6 hectares of parkland in the centre of the town. There, on any evening, you’ll find people drawn to the coloured water steps and live music. Daytime, they’ll be in the park, walking the barefoot path, running on the track, or using the outdoor gym. There are plenty of lovely walks around the town, lots of bars and cafés, and a decent array of restaurants.

When we go for coffee, we hit the Szilágyi Cukrászda. When we eat there, we go to La’Mar. Or the fab pizza spot, Bella Ria. Or the traditional Hungarian with live music Sziget Étterem.

Talking recently to a local in the know, I asked where their favourite place to eat was. They raved about the calamari at the Zalakaros Camping Étterem and showed me a photo that was enough to convince me. I booked a table for 4 and ordered ahead to avoid disappointment.

I tend to fixate on food. When I get it into my head that I want something in particular, nothing else will do. Well, once, in Rome, the something else was better.

I still sulked, though.

Honestly, at times I wonder if I’ll ever grow up.

They’ve a lovely open terrace. The tables aren’t on top of each other. The umbrellas provide shade. And as it was towards the end of the lunchtime rush (we were the last to be served before the closed sign went up), we’d avoided the crowds.

The waiter (perhaps even the owner) tolerated and even encouraged my Hungarian and didn’t lapse into English. We chatted away. He was curious as to where we were from and if we were living locally. Kudos to him for humouring me. He also spoke to us in French, German, and Russian. Had there been a Croat among us, he’d have chatted to them too.

I was well impressed.

The serving of calamari was both delicious and generous; the house salad was very tasty, too, even if I couldn’t eat it, loaded as it was with cheese and the ubiquitous Hungarian tejföl (sour cream). Dairy and I have had a falling out 🙁

The house wine wouldn’t offend anyone, either.

I assume the menu had the usual Hungarian staples. I didn’t look.

We’d come for the calamari and weren’t disappointed.

Next on the list to try is a Mexican food stall in the newly developed outdoor entertainment plaza Karos Korzó.

I’m salivating already.