Silver Beach Resort is a peaceful family complex situated on a part of Lake Balaton that is called the Silver Beach (in Hungarian: Ezüst part) in Balatonszéplak. Balatonszéplak is a quiet village just outside Siófok, a favourite place on Lake Balaton.
The apartmentcomplex is just 100 meters from the beach (grass) and has an atmosphere of pleasant tranquillity and well-being. The complex has nine apartments in varying sizes, one large caravan with annex and own terrace, and 1 double room. The complex has its own car park.
Because Balatonszéplak is very centrally situated, excursions to different villages, cities or tourist attractions are possible. Budapest is only an hour's drive away and Tihany, an attractive tourist village at the other side of the Lake Balaton, can also be reached within 30 minutes via a short ferry-boat crossing.
The apartmentcomplex is very suitable for families with (small) children. Because the complex is surrounded by a fence, children cannot leave the location. For the youth, Siófok has a beautiful entertainment district less than a ten-minutes drive away.
The beach is within walking distance (just 100 meters) and there is a playground on the beach. One can also rent pedal boats or rowboats etc. There is fishing, windsurfing, sailing, horseback riding in the area and there are many disco's in the neighbourhood.
There are three small supermarkets very close by for daily shopping. Larger shopping centres can be found within a radius of three to five km. There are also several good restaurants with or without live music at less than a five-minutes drive from the apartments.
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe.
It has a watertemperature of 20 - 26 degrees centigrade. Swimming, windsurfing, sailing and fishing are very popular at the lake.
But during winter there are also many things like ice boating or ice-skating to do at Lake Balaton.
Balatonszéplak
Balatonszéplak is a small village that is now connected to Siófok, but much quieter than Siófok. There are many sport facilities to be found in the village. During the summer there is a small amusement park for children.
The lake deepens so slowly that one does not need to swim until more than 500 meters offshore. This makes the beach very suitable for children. It is a fine windsurfing area.
Siofok
Siofok is a lakeside resort which is especially popular among young people. Some popular clubs are: Flört, Galeria, Paradizo and The Palace. There are also many restaurants, pubs and sidewald cafes. The city has a beach 15 kilometres long. Siófok is the city where the famous operetta composer Emmerich Kálmán (1882-1953) was born. There is a museum dedicated to his remembrance at Kálmán Imre Sétány 5 in Siofok. www.kalmanimre-muzeum.hu
Tihany
Tihany can be reached from Siófok and other places by ferry. Tihany is one of the oldest settlements along the Lake Balaton. The two towers which can be seen from far are very characteristic for Tihany. King Andrew I, who is burried in the lowest chapel, established the church of Tihany and the Benedictine Chapel, where a museum is located, in 1055. The lowest chapel is the oldest part of the church. The baroque building, which you can see nowadays, dates from 1754. A visit to the baroque abbey church with its impressive statues and ceiling paintings is a must. Every year, in August, it is the traditional place for organ recitals with the Philharmonical Orchestra. Famous organists play pieces from Bach, Händel and Liszt there. Information via e-mail: tihany@tourinform.hu (source: Hungarian Tourist Board)
The beautiful park of Tihany is also worthwhile visiting. It has been a protected place of natural beauty since 1952. The wind-scoured basalt rocks, the hermitages dug from volcanic stone, the in the 11th-century monasteries and the almond trees at the Csúcs Mountain are very interesting. Natural look-outs on the peninsula are the Kiserdõ summit and the Aranyház summit, the most beautiful of the over 100 ancient geyser tops. These mountaintops offer an unforgettable view of the Belsõlake (inner lake) and the Külsõlake (outer lake) where many birds have their nest.
There is also scuba diving close to Tihany. Because of the relatively shallow waters of the lake, this sport is generally not practised much in Lake Balaton. But around Tihany, the water is sometimes as deep as 10 meters or more.
Hevíz
Hevíz is one of the world-famous health resorts of Hungary. The ancient Romans already knew and used the healing effects of the water in Héviz. In 1795 Earl Festetics developed the place as a therapeutic bath and had different bathing houses and cure-facilities established. The volcanic lake is situated about seven km. from Lake Balaton and is is the largest natural thermal lake in the world. The water temperature is about 28 degrees centigrade in winter and 33-35 degrees centrigrade in summer. In the summer one can swim among water lilies and in the winter one can float in the warm water, staring at the snow-covered landscape. From May until November the lake has a unique vegetation.
It is truly a unique health resort with a special atmosphere.
The specail mud (fango) of the lake is extremely valuable and used for medical treatments. The mud is slightly radioactive and, according to Hungarians, it helps to treat rheumatism and diceases of the nervous system.
In the health resort of Héviz one can also do scuba diving. Information is available in the city of Székesfehérvár where there is a PADI school, which is established in the Olympic swimming pool. Sometimes they have permission to dive in the lake. There is a steep wall, going down for about 30 meters, which disappear into a cave from which warm as well as cold water wells up from the undergrounds. A dive in this lake is considered a unique experience.
Zamardi
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Budapest
Budapest is the capital city of Hungary and is less than an hour's drive from Balatonszéplak. Budapest is devided in 2 (Buda and Pest) by the Danube River.
Budapest is considered as one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world and there are many sights to see: for example, the castle of Buda, the Matthias Church, the Fishermen Bastion and the Houses of Parliament. It is also possible to take a cruise on the Danube River with one of the tourist motorboats or have a romantic diner in one of the ships that were rebuilt as restaurants.
In Budapest you can also find a lot of health resorts. The most famous one is the Gellért thermalbath.
The new Tropicarium Ocianarium, opened in 2000, is also worth a visit. A tropical landscape, which houses the flora and fauna of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Coral Islands etc. from butterflies to small and large fish, and from impressive alligators to tiny monkeys, was created there on an area of 3000 m2. www.tropicarium.hu
The Wonderpalace (in Hungarian: Csodák Palotája) is very interesting for children. Things like a three-metre bicycle where children can view everything from above, or a pyramid that keeps a ball up by an air current can be found here. The watercourse (bring a towel) where children can experience their first lesson on hydrodynamics is fascinating. www.csodapalota.hu
Public transport in Budapest (as well as everywhere in Hungary) is well organized. At the site www.bkv.hu one can find all he needs to know about public transport in Budapest.