Budapest Blog
This will be added to with recent news at the top so if you saw something of interest a while ago then look further down to find it.
Hotel booking now mostly done. Most of us are staying at the Charles Hotel in Budapest, about £26pppn for a Studio apartment. Sounds like good value! It was recommended by Michael Rumi and looks very reasonable and is a lot cheaper than some of the other places.
Steve now booked flights from East Midlands Airport. Going Friday and returning Monday. That brings the total number going to Budapest to 16
Races now entered.
Full Marathon: Phil Outram, Jon, Jill, Alyson, Joy. I assume Michael has already entered. Peter is yet to enter.
Fun Run: Charlie
3-person relay teams
Strollers A Team Steve Allen, Ashleigh Thorpe, Ian Paxton
Strollers First Team Neil Bennett, Dicka, Paul West
Non-runners: Andrea, Sue, Judith
Race entry is higher from August 1st.
All Strollers are invited back to Michael’s house in Gardony after the race for food and drink.
Accommodation is still being looked into but it looks like those not already booked in Budapest will probably stay in Michael’s town of Gardony, 35 miles outside the city.
Phil and Andrea Outram have now booked flights. Flying from East Midland Airport.
They’re going Friday and returning Monday. Phil says he has room in his car if anyone wants to cadge a lift.
Phil Outram and wife are intending to go but not yet certain.
They’ll be going for the weekend, probably Thursday to Tuesday, and would be looking for somewhere cheap to stay.
The list of definites (since they have booked flights) is now Ashleigh & Neil, Joy & Dicka, Jon & Jill, Alyson, Paul & Charlie, Peter & Judith, Ian & Sue.
Possibles are Phil & Andrea, Stephen, Lesley Foster, Dave & Molly,.
Peter Darke and Judith are now going.
Flying from Luton the evening of Thursday1st October and arriving near midnight.
Peter intends to stay in Budapest the first night and then find somewhere cheap for the remainder of the weekend and hire a car so he can get around.
Alun, Jill’s brother, is intending to go. He lives in France so he’ll make his own arrangements and will probably stay with Jon and Jill in Budapest
Jon and Jill now booked to fly from Luton on Thursday 1st, return Monday 5th
Driving overnight to Luton.
They plan
to stay at a posh hotel in Budapest!
Alyson, Paul and son Charlie (age 6) now booked to fly from Luton, Thursday 1st. Not sure of other plans
Flights currently available for £35 each way from Luton including taxes.
Those now booked up for transport are Ashleigh & Neil, Joy & Dicka, Jon & Jill, Alyson, Paul & Charlie.
We’ll wait a while to see how many are going and then we’ll see if Michael can sort out some deal on the accommodation.
A message from Michael:
Hi Dicka,
if the strollers choose the hotel in Budapest,
let me know please,and I have a phone number from the organiser, and I'll make a call for discount.
Hurry up strollers,I don't see to many old member in the list!
bye now,
Michael
Some flights are starting to drop in price!
You can now fly Wizzair from Luton on Thursday 1st Oct for £17 or Saturday 3rd for £25.
You can return on Sunday or Monday for £25.
Here is a pdf file from the marathon organisers of some of the hotels in and around Budapest.
http://www.sunderlandstrollers.co.uk/temp/budapesthotels.pdf
Change in possibles and definites(!)
So far, definites are Joy, Dicka, Ashleigh, Neil, Jon & Jill, Alyson & Paul & son, Peter and Stephen.
Possibles include Malcolm, Sue, Chirpy & Moyra (depending on fixture list), Lesley Foster & Dave & Molly, Aly P..
Joy and Dicka now booked.
Driving to Luton Travelodge on Wednesday sept 30th. Stay overnight (3 person room for £19)
Flying to Budapest at 8:05 Thursday morning. Arrive 11:30.
Staying until Monday then driving to Romania for a week.
Resident Hungarian Stroller, Michael Rumi, can arrange accommodation in his town of Gardony, 30 miles from Budapest, with rooms of 2,3 or 4 people for £10 per person per night (probably no breakfast).
He will look into suitable acommodation in Budapest later as he's currently in the middle of the Lake Balaton Supermarathon (121 miles over 4 days).
For race entries, most will wait to see exactly who is going and we can then split into suitable relay teams to enter. There's plenty time for that (May)
So far, definites are Joy, Dicka, Chirpy, Moyra, Jill, Ashleigh, Neil,, Alyson & Paul & son, Peter and Stephen.
Possibles include Malcolm, Sue, Jon, Phil Outram, Fireman Phil, Graeme.
Joy & Dicka's likely plans:
Drive to Luton on Wednesday night (30th Sept.)
Stay at the Luton Travelodge, currently available for £19/room/night
Drive 4 miles to Luton airport at 6:00 in the morning for the 8:05 flight to Budapest (Currently £25)
Arrive Budapest 11:30.
Probably stay with Michael Thursday, and maybe Friday
Meet up with other Strollers and stay in Budapest or Gardony depending on what other Strollers want to do Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Drive from Budapest to Romania on Monday to visit Joy's brother
Return the weekend of Oct.12th to Luton, probably fly from Timisoara to Luton at 6:40 Monday morning, arriving Luton at 7:25 Monday morning. Cost £13.
Drive home Monday morning. Work Monday afternoon.
Asleigh & Neil
Keep in mind that they’ve decided to spend a week in Budapest and make a proper holiday of it so their flights may not be appropriate to everyone else.
Neil says:
We've done a few sums to take into account; flights,
parking, petrol, Travelodge, taxi's to airport and eating and drinking in Luton
('cos we're not very good at stopping in!) and that worked out at roughly £180
each. So we decided to look into flights from Newcastle and we found one
for £200 each (only 20 quid more and it saves us a drive to London).
We've gone ahead and booked it so we are now definite definites.
Flight details are;
Dep Newcastle 30th Sept 14:30, Arr Gatwick 16:00 (Flybe)
Dep Gatwick 18:50, Arr Budapest 22:25 (British Airways)
Dep Budapest 7th Oct 16:30, Arr Gatwick 18:05 (BA)
Dep Gatwick 20:20, Arr Newcastle 21:45 (Flybe)
Neil.
Below are some of the flights available. You book your own flights to suit your own travel plans and we'll all meet up in Gardony or Budapest.
The list is not comprehensive, there are other flights around.
Jet2
Thu 1st Oct 14:00 £24.99 + tax
Fri 2nd Oct 14:00 £24.99 + tax(£28) = £52.99
Sun 4th Oct 18:20 £19.99 + tax
Mon 5th Oct 18:20 £14.99 + tax(£22) = £41.99
Ryanair
Fri 2nd Oct 16:20 £34.99 + tax(£27.63) = £62.62
Mon 5th Oct 20:40 £29.99 + tax(£19.97) = £49.96
Wizzair
Thu 1st Oct 08:05 £24.99 inc tax = £24.99
Thu 1st Oct 19:15 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Fri 2nd Oct 08:05 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Fri 2nd Oct 19:15 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Sat 3rd Oct 08:05 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Sat 3rd Oct 19:15 £84.99 inc tax = £24.99
Sun 4th Oct 17:15 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Mon 5th Oct 17:15 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Mon 5th Oct 17:15 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Tue 6th Oct 17:15 £84.99 inc tax = £84.99
Tue 6th Oct 17:15 £24.99 inc tax = £24.99
Easyjet
Thu 1st Oct 10:20 £30.99 inc tax = £30.99
Fri 2nd Oct 10:20 £60.99 inc tax = £60.99
Sat 3rd Oct 06:25 £40.99 inc tax = £40.99
Sun 4th Oct 13:00 £50.99 inc tax = £50.99
Mon 5th Oct 14:20 £40.99 inc tax = £40.99
Tue 6th Oct 14:20 £25.99 inc tax = £25.99