Hungarospa Hajdúszoboszló

Hello all!

As you could already read in one of my previous posts, in the summer of 2016 I worked at Budapest spas and baths. Hungary is full of thermal waters and spring waters, but not only in the centre of the country (the area around Budapest), but also in other regions. Hungary is probably the luckiest European country, 'owning' the most thermal waters. I visited many famous Eastern Hungarian spas and wellness centres with my family. These baths are close to the Romanian border, and are only 5 hours away car-drive from Cluj-Napoca. From Budapest, traveling to Hajdú-Bihar county is somewhere around 3 and a half hours by train. In conclusion, these summer resorts are easily reachable by Hungarians and Romanians as well. But that's not the complete list of tourists. I’m not telling a secret, if I say that citizens from Hungarian neighbor countries - Slovakians, Serbians, Croatians, Ukrainians or also Polish tourists - often spend their holidays in this region of Pannonia.

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If we compare the Eastern part of the country with the capital city, Budapest, we’ll find many differences. The Eastern region of Hungary is a bit under-developed, cultural life, health care system, education and work market’s conditions are poorer than the Western and middle areas of Hungary. But that doesn’t really influence the region’s popularity among tourism. Hajdú-Bihar county has an important role in Hungarian tourism. Even if this region of the country it’s a bit socially and industrially ‘underrated’, it’s an impressive thermal water treasure with tons of high-quality spas, a water paradise in fact.

Hajdúszoboszló, Debrecen, Gyula, Nyíregyháza or Nyírbátor are just a few locations when anyone can spend a week or a long weekend relaxing, bathing, filling up his or her physical and mental health stocks. I have been at all these places several times in my adolescence years. In general, these locations are not extravagant, but modest, price is fair, affordable for a wide spectrum of people with average Eastern European budgets. I will write some details about each destination, but first, let me share some introductory informations about the resorts.

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These summer resorts of Eastern Hungary are located in small villages or municipalities. Usually, these villages embody calmness, harmony, peace and silence. Eastern Hungary is a friendly and homey region, without being updated to latest trends or even influenced by superficial and modern flavors. Life is slow and balanced. Perfect for relaxing, 'rejuvenating' and spending holiday. There’s no hurry and bustle. This means of course, that there are less opportunitites and challenges too. But if someone wants to achieve and fulfill big dreams and face unknown situations, they still can choose anytime a more exciting life. All he or she has to do is traveling a few kilometres and start living in bigger cities. However, relaxing it's the best here. Nyír means birch, and the localities having ‘nyír’ word in their names (like Nyíregyháza and Nyírbátor) are territories lying in a basin of an immense birch forest. Debrecen and Hajdúszoboszló are Southern cities of Hajdú-Bihar county, with beautiful sights, lakes, forests and plain regions. Agriculture, winery and livestock breeding are the main activities in these places. And of course, tourism.

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First destination, the King of baths: Hungarospa, Hajdúszoboszló. Hajdúszoboszló is Europe’s biggest aquatic complex. It has a beautiful indoor resort, called Aqua Palace including a water amusement park and wellness-fitness sectors. There is an open-air water park with giant slides; furthermore, baths with thermal and mineral waters, wave pools, Olympic swimming pools and of course ‘Kidsland’. On the territory of this spa complex there’s a 5 star hotel for guests, and also a camping called Hungarospa. Accomodation close to the spa costs more than anywhere else, so if you want to save some money, don’t hesitate to search for appartments and guesthouses in the city. Actually not finding accommodation is impossible, because every citizen of Hajdúszoboszló has at least a room for rent. There are appartments on every single corner of the city. People profit from the luck of living in Hajdúszoboszló, and lease their own houses during summer season. Thus, accomodation costs are different, depending on the distance from the spa, on the number of stars and on the conditions and circumstances. Prices vary between 18-80 EUR/night, so you can see it’s a really wide range. Anytime I was visiting Hajdúszoboszló, I could find very cheap accommodation, it depends of course on your expectations as well. I don’t like to pay a lot of money for the place where I spend the less time, and I use it mostly for sleeping, so I always tend to choose the cheapest accommodation when I go on holiday. Nevertheless, the 5 star Hungarospa hotel has a lot of advantages, it has all-inclusive service, its guests can attend the pools during the night as well, and many facilities are included in the price.

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Hajdúszoboszló lies on more than 30 hectars and has approximately 24 outdoor pools, and circa 10 indoor pools. Visitors come to the spa asking for treatment: massage, mud pack, electrotherapy, physiotherapy, swimming, ultrasound, etc. Pools contain minerals, trace elements, copper, iron and carbonic acid. There is a ‘seaside’ Mediterranean pool like a real coast with sandy beach, an extreme wavepool for those seeking adrenaline, and of course there are 9 giant slides 12 m high from the ground for those who really love fun. There are hammock chairs near the pools. There is a small bazaar inside the resort, and of course a wide range of restaurants and cocktail and snack bars. Tennis, beach volleyball, table-tennis can be practiced at the sports’ area. Sometimes there are even live concerts and parties on the bathing area. Hungarian singers and bands frequently perform at Hajdúszoboszló.

A one-occasion entrance fee for students costs circa 2000-5600 HUF (6, 5 – 19 EUR) depending on what kind of facilities you would like to enjoy. If you want to relax in the sauna, try the giant slides and also have a massage and a medical treatment or group aqua-fitness course, plus you’re planning to eat something, you can count 10 000-15 000 HUF/person/day.

Discovering Hajdúszoboszló can be a very pleasant afternoon or evening programme (if you still have energy after being the whole day sunbathing and swimming in the pools). You’ll fall in love with the lively nightlife of the city. There are romantic restaurants with live music, concerts, competitions for tourists. You can walk in the bazaar, and buy some Hungarian souvenirs. Once in Hajdú-Bihar, you should undoubtedly taste the Hungarian national drink: 'pálinka', a brandy made of fruits (mostly peach, plum and apple, but there are exotic versions with cherry, sour cherry, pear or caraway). It's alcohol percentage is high (20 degrees), so the night is going to be fun after tasting some of it.

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You can find hand-made and home-made traditional Hungarian ‘lángos-bread’, baked in furnace, with onion, bacon and delicious sour-crème. You can taste gulyás (goulasch) and pork stew, chicken-’paprikás’(kind of a stew made of onion-paprika-meat-sour cream), ’túrós csusza’ (noodles with cottage-cheese, sour-crème and bacon). Hajdúszoboszló is definitely not the land of junk-food, but traditional meals.

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Opps! And I've almost forgotten to speak about 'gofri', a traditional Hungarian 'wafer' with chocolate or vanilla or berry topping. It can also be served with ice-cream. Near gofri, you can taste pancakes, pies, donuts and delicious ice-creams at Hungarospa. Authentic desserts like Somlói-galuska (raisin, walnut, rum and whipped cream dessert) and Dobos cake (chocolate-caramel-nut combination) can be tried at pastry shops. Hajdúszoboszló has at least 5 confectionaries.

In conclusion, Hungarospa Hajdúszoboszló is a recreational, touristical and gastronomical Canaan. I always say spending one week is way too much in this region, because it’s physically exhausting. There are so many impulses, so many stairs to the top of the slides from the Aqua Park, and even chilling in a pool 8 hours a day can be weary. However the long-term effect of Hajdúszoboszló is being energic, optimistic. Wrinkles do fade after its treatment, and we will definitely choose to come back first time possible.

In my next post I’ll discuss about the remaining summer resorts, I’ll be right back.

Thanks for reading. Dora.