Castle Pokvár Starrides - Hungary

Spend a week in a 18th century romantic castle between Vienna and Budapest. Enjoy long canters across lush green meadows and on sandy trails. Spend the nights in luxurious castle suites with gourmet meals served at the large table with crystal chandeliers. Returning from a day's ride you can relax in the sauna, take a dip in the indoor or outdoor pool or if you feel energetic play a round of tennis on the clay court. Guests experience a very personal service where the owners dine with their guests and take care of all the details of the day. During the summer months the table is set outside under the ancient maroon tree on the deck.
Twenty Hungarian Warmblood horses are available at the well-equipped stables and offer the right temperament for all riding levels. Your stay includes 3 half day and 3 full day rides into the countryside.

2008 Rates Include accommodations in luxury rooms or suites, all meals with hearty Hungarian cuisine, 6 riding days - guide speaks limited English
 
PR-HVSR
8 days/ 7 nights $ 1,195     Single: + $160
-- based on € 825/ € 110
2008 Dates: weekly from March 15 to Nov 16
Level:       Good intermediate+
Note:  3 half day rides (3 hrs)  and 3 full day rides (5 hrs)

PR-HVRA
Refresher week
8 days/ 7 nights $ 1,095    Single: + $160
-- based on € 760 / € 110
Dates: weekly March 15 to June 1
           & October to mid November
Level:       Novice+
Note:  12 hrs of lessons and hacking

PR-HVRK
Castle Getaway
4 days/ 3 nights $ 645  Single: + $75
-- based on € 450/ € 50
Dates: weekly from March 15 to Nov 16
Note:  8 riding hours over 3 riding days in the morning before lunch
Level:       Novice+

Meeting:   Györ 
Airport:     Vienna/Budapest
Transfer: Györ train station $65 (€ 45) - transfers from Vienna or Budapest  $215 (€ 150)  - all transfers are per car (1-4 passengers) 
Tack:         English
Horses:      Hungarian Warmbloods
Pace :        Moderate, long trots and canters 
Max weight for all day rides is 195 lbs
Max Riders: 10
Note: also suitable for non-riders who can meet the riders for lunch by carriage ride;
Easy train connections from Budapest or Vienna to Györ; transfer from Vienna or Budapest can be arranged.
We do recommend to rent a car for this trip - there are many interesting sights in the area to go and see.
For all rides in Hungary we also suggest to take the boat ride from Vienna via Bratislava to Budapest on the river Danube one way (daily departures ~$130) and then the train back.   see details on web

Accommodations:
The rooms are spacious and have private baths. We try to upgrade every Hidden Trails client to a suite at no extra charge, but this is not always possible.

Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at the train station in Györ early afternoon and transfer to the castle estate - or we can arrange a transfer from Vienna or Budapest for you if this is more convenient for you.
Day 2: We ride to the ruins of the center where the famous Lesvar horses were once raised.
Day 3: On a day ride (you need to have sufficient riding skills) we cross beautiful meadows in between the two rivers Marcal and Raba. The picnic is near a romantic church from the 13th century. After nice long canters the horses enjoy cooling off in the river.
Day 4: A half day ride is planned and time for some sightseeing in the afternoon.
Day 5: A day set aside for a surprise ride into the country with picnic.
Day 6: We ride across great horse trails to the mountain top offering incredible panoramic views. Picnic is at the historic “Thing-Center”.
Day 7. A day ride to an old vineyard with remnants of grape presses and other interesting facilities is rounded up with a typical Hungarian “Pot-Gulasch”.
Day 8: After breakfast departure to the train station in Györ.

Guest comments:
April, 2002
" A week of riding at the Castle Pokvar was a perfect way to end my business trip to Vienna at the end of April. I stayed in a suite with 3 chandeliers, very high ceilings, parquet floor, marble bathroom. The castle also has a coffered wood ceiling in the library, a big fireplace and plenty of heat. The food was Hungarian gourmet specialties including goulash, stroganoff, goose, fish, palachinka, chestnut puree with whipped cream, wines, brandies, etc. The hospitality was great. Riding is on sandy trails [which makes for soft, pleasant cantering] thru fields separated by reedy ditches full of ducks and squawking pheasants, forests of pine, acacia, or poplar with grassy forest floor; along rivers. I rode for days and saw virtually no roads, people, settlements, but wide open spaces, big dramatic skies, and lots of wildlife- deer and even the elusive wild boar and Irish hare."
Merrliee Banic,
Gaithersburg, MD