19 March 2009

I recently travelled over a weekend to the beautiful city of Vienna. On arrival at Vienna Airport we were met and transferred to The Levante Parliament Hotel which I have to say was excellent. A very contemporary interior with the emphasis being on coloured glass and had a very 'arty' feel. We then went to explore the city and walked to one of the main shopping areas which was quite chic with all of the designers on display. We ate lunch in a Hungarian restaurant just off one of the main streets and managed to eat outside which was very welcome in mid March - blankets were placed on the seats for us if required. We then found one of the many coffee houses in Vienna for coffee and we also tried their famous chocolate cake - sachetorte! Food and drink in general is not too expensive considering this is a capital city and within the Euro zone. We continued to explore the city which is full of interesting architecture and one thing that really stands out is how incredibly clean Vienna is, there was absolutely no litter! We then returned to the hotel where we met with the Sales Manager and following a brief tour of the hotel, we found there are also single rooms and junior suites which provide that extra lounge space if required. We then enjoyed a selection of canapés and drinks before leaving for dinner. We dined at a traditional Austrian restaurant which was in a lovely building and was very atmospheric. One thing to bear in mind when eating out in Austria is that they aren't terribly well geared up for vegetarians and vegetables are quite lacking unless they are pickled or very salty so you would need to choose carefully! If you're a fan of Wiener Schnitzel you will be in food heaven, we saw them arriving and they must have been at least 1 foot across! Also, smoking is still permitted within restaurants and coffee shops and was very noticeable! The local house wines were absolutely fine. Breakfast at Levante Parliament Hotel is of a very good standard and offers a wide selection. We met our tour guide the next day who took us on a 2 hour walking tour of the city and offered us excellent commentary. I would really recommend seeing the city by foot as you get to see so much more. Again, we took lunch at a traditional restaurant before returning to the hotel for our transfer back the airport. To summarise, Vienna provides an excellent place for a weekend city break and I can recommend both Austrian Airlines and the Levante Parliament Hotel. Bon voyage!