Budapest,
capital city of Hungary and often referred to as the Paris of Eastern Europe,
continues to fascinate me with its rapid immersion into privatization since
its political metamorphosis ten years ago. The intensity of the charm,
culture and history can provide a stark contrast against the proliferation
of tourism, fast food eateries and shopping malls. For some, there
is tremendous opportunity to privately compete in previously government
controlled enterprises such as elective healthcare.
The US dollar,
as well as other strong currencies, can buy common plastic surgical procedures
in Hungary such as laser treatment, collagen injections, liposuction, breast
augmentation, nose surgery and facelifts for significantly less.
If you have
been contemplating any of these procedures, then you have discovered that
you must be prepared to commit several weeks of your time and spend anywhere
from approximately $5,000 to $20,000. In Hungary you can obtain the
equivalent services for approximately 40% to 70% less without sacrificing
quality of care and expertise.
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For example,
a face “lift” with laser surgery can cost $2,000 to $5,000 and breast
augmentation $5000 to $10,000 in the U.S. A comparable procedure
in Hungary would cost $1,000 to $1,500 and $2,000 to $3,500 respectively.
This savings
allows you to use the additional money you would have otherwise spent in
the US to pay for transportation, recreation and a leisurely stay at a
quality spa hotel. Depending on the procedure, you may even have
some money left over. If you were planning to travel to Europe anyway,
this could be even more of a bargain as an add-on experience or side trip.
Dr. Gusztav
Gulyas, the president of the Hungarian Society of Plastic of Plastic Surgeons,
is active in keeping the association membership current in medical advances
and can be a useful point of contact for general information about the
topic including procedures and referrals. The Society, with 123 members,
is an active member of the International Society of Plastic Surgeons, which
also includes the equivalent U.S. medical associations with at least two
meetings a year.
Dr. Gulyas
not only practices reconstructive surgery at the National Institute of
Oncology but also is in private practice in a quiet Budapest suburb at
the Viranyos Clinic, which also provides numerous non-elective medical
services.
A feature of
the clinic, and other plastic surgeons in Hungary, is the availability
of numerous services from a single provider while many surgeons in the
U.S. tend to specialize in one or two. This can be an added benefit
since one can obtain multiple procedures from one doctor, which in effect
is a “one stop shop” and eliminates the need to visit multiple practitioners
if different services are desired.
This provides
not only additional convenience but reduces the time spent abroad and the
overall costs as well. The clinic, where English and German are readily
spoken, is impressive and rivals any quality medical facility in the U.S
or Europe in cleanliness, staffing, modern facilities and state of the
art equipment. Staff appear personable and unrushed promoting a comfortable
atmosphere conducive to doctor patient communication.
Dr. Istvan
Szemerey, a plastic surgeon with an individual practice in his own office
named Mediburg, exhibits not only the aforementioned positive qualities
but also a warm and personable manner promoting an atmosphere akin to a
family practitioner. His office, efficient and warmly decorated with
the help of his family, encourages the guest to be comfortable and relaxed.
During the tour of his state-of-the-art facility, I was immediately cautioned
not to step into the operating room so as to maintain antiseptic conditions.
Dr. Szemerey, also skilled in English and German, has been practicing privately
since 1991 specializing in breast augmentation, liposuction, laser rejuvenation,
forehead lift, hair removal and burn scar correction, many of which are
outpatient procedures with minimal recovery time. He has privileges
at a full service hospital when applicable and is also a member of the
Hungarian Society of Plastic Surgeons, Association of German Plastic Surgeons
and International Society for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
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It is advised
that you begin your preparations well before you travel and plan on staying
in Hungary 3 to 4 weeks for most procedures. Begin by contacting
Dr. Szemerey with your intentions and schedule. You will likely need
to see your own physician for a check up and to let him or her know of
your intentions to address any potential conditions which may affect the
surgery. You may be asked to have the physician provide information
to Dr. Szemerey. Upon your arrival to Budapest, you will have an
initial examination and consultation to discuss the procedure(s) in detail.
You will need to avoid drinking, smoking and certain medications a couple
of weeks, and possibly be prescribed antibiotics a few days, prior to surgery.
Some other preparations would be to minimize chances of infections and
exposure to flues and colds which would postpone any surgery. Eat
nutritiously and take appropriate supplements, including vitamin C.
Avoid crowds, unnecessary contact and wash your hands frequently, especially
when undertaking air travel and public transportation.
While Budapest
is fascinating and provides a myriad of opportunities, you will want to
save more rigorous sightseeing and budget accommodations for another trip.
At this point you have given yourself permission to pamper yourself for
two to four weeks so you will want to arrange accommodations to do just
that without sacrificing value. Living well is comparatively inexpensive
in Budapest and you will find most transportation, dining and entertainment
to be priced near communist era prices. Selecting a hotel need not
be daunting since many of the better ones (four and five stars) have comparable
features in the range of $100 to $180 per night. This rivals any
equivalent US hotel in price and can exceed them in value by available
amenities. Many of these Budapest hotels have spa facilities and
medical/health services also for substantially reduced prices. Keep
in mind that, for hotel booking, the high season is the spring and fall
due to increased business travel while the high season for airfare tends
to be during the summer, typically from June 1 to September 15. You
may have to weigh the lower fall airfares against the higher fall hotel
rates and visa versa to see which provides the greatest net savings.
The doctor you select may likely be on vacation during part of the summer
which would narrow your options.
If you want
familiarity, comfort, rest and practicality, the five star Hyatt Regency
on Roosevelt ter (Roosevelt square) will exceed all your expectations
in value. Exuding style and superior aesthetics without being overwhelming,
it is ideally located along the Danube River in walking distance of many
points of interest. Once inside, you may find little motivation to
venture out. Some of the reasons include a full service fitness
center (the swedish massages are a bargain at $15 dollars for one half
hour), swimming pool, business center with three pentium powered work
stations, highly efficient concierge service, beauty salon, Malev Hungarian
Travel Agency and Airlines office, gift shop, casino, multiple dining facilities
and spacious rooms with multinational cable TV and modem/fax connections.
The culinary choices are endless with three eating establishments offering
Hungarian and international cuisine including a dinner buffet and a complimentary
full breakfast buffet. The hotel has been recently renovated with
an atrium design that is striking. Many rooms provide a sweeping
view of the river and the Buda side of the city rivaling that of a post
card. When you do venture outside, you will find much of the city,
including its cultural centers, accessible by foot and a highly efficient
metro. The jogging possibilities along the Danube River are endless,
safe and anything but boring. Should you need a taxi, a reputable
one with a Hyatt insignia is always available for a reasonable price.
This is a valuable amenity, since Budapest taxi drivers are known to occasionally
take advantage of foreign visitors.
Should you
be interested in a hotel with spa and medicinal packages or just something
different, the Danubius Hotels, a Hungarian hotel chain, offers numerous
four and five star choices in Budapest as well as other Hungarian cities.
Each hotel is unique in some way whether in services, location, scenery
or architecture. Some of the Danubius hotels are located in more
secluded and quiet areas of the city. Depending on the amenities
desired, you may find the two and three week Spa vacation packages at approximately
$600 to $650 per week to be the best value. These hotels provide
a plethora of pampering offering such luxuries as medical check ups and
consultation, dental procedures, wellness and weight loss programs, massage
and physical therapy, mineral baths and beauty/cosmetic programs, all at
relatively inexpensive prices, especially the dental services.
The length
of your stay and the surgical procedures you choose will dictate how much
of Budapest you want to experience. Don’t feel too compelled to do
something just because you are there. That is not the primary purpose of
your visit so make the best of your recovery time where you are.
However, if you follow your physicians’ recommendations regarding physical
activity, you will likely be able take in a few experiences. Many
of the minor procedures have only one to two week recovery times allowing
for numerous possibilities. You might want to consider scheduling
any rigorous activity before the surgery. Only you can decide where
and when you may or may not want to be seen with any bandages, but that
is also a problem you would have at home. Instead, deal with the
dilemma in pleasant and comfortable surroundings. The best sources
of impromptu ideas and what’s happening around town is the Budapest Tourist
Office (a couple of blocks from the Hyatt) and your concierge often rivaled
by the hotel club bartender.
Arranging airfare
to Europe can require some effort if you want to get the best price possible.
With the arrival of the Internet, choices can become even more numerous.
Airfare websites can, but don’t always, have the best deals. The
same with travel agents and even the airline offices themselves. However
some factors will narrow the search. While purchasing tickets directly
from an airline generally is not the least expensive choice, some unannounced
specials can arise which may not make it to an agent or the web.
Since there is so much potential for variation of international airfare
prices depending on source, dates of travel and route, you should generally
consult the following sources; airlines, airline tour offices, websites,
ticket consolidators and your favorite travel agent. Similar approaches
apply for hotel booking as well. Frequently you can get a better price
by purchasing a package for both airfare and hotel from the same source.
One of the
options I recommend for North American travelers is to consider a direct
flight to Budapest from the applicable North American city. Typically,
when shopping for passage to an Eastern and Central European destination,
you are offered an evening departure from the US to a Western European
city (i.e., London, Frankfurt, Zurich) arriving in the early a.m. your
time. There you will have to wait for a connection flight to Budapest.
This type of route can offer the most selection and maybe a better price,
but is lacking in convenience and ease. A nonstop flight can be booked
with Malev, or its US partner Delta (which allows you more valuable
frequent flyer miles) departing from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles
or Toronto. If you need a connecting flight to one of these cities,
it is a lot easier and less fatiguing to change over in the afternoon or
evening here before the major leg of your journey and arrive a little earlier
the same day. A refreshing nap in your hotel upon arrival at this
earlier time will be less likely to disrupt your ability to have a good
nights sleep later that evening and minimizes the domino effect of jet
lag. Malev has come a long way in overcoming past perceptions of
unpopularity. They use the same wide body jet aircraft as the US
airlines with the same associated transatlantic amenities and are no less
comfortable. The return flight does have the possibility of a connection
toward the end of the journey but is less debilitating because you depart
in the morning from Budapest and arrive in the afternoon, local US time,
without cycling through a “nighttime” period. Since you hardly
notice it, you can wait a few hours and return to your customary sleep
schedule renewed, rested and relaxed.
