You don’t want Mr E approved; you want Texas Travel Mom approved. I haven’t rented an apartment in Budapest … ever. I am a hotel sort of guy. TTM is here 3 or 4 times a year and never stays in the same place twice for some reason so she has stayed in a lot of apartments here. I can say if you stay in such and such a location, this is how you will get to the tourist sights and how long it will take and this is what is in the area for dinner or evening walks. But actually selection is a crap shoot.
To add a bit of what I do know:
Look for the registration number is the single biggest deal.
Take “how many minute to xyz major sites” with a grain of salt. I have checked out dozens of apartments for people on the forum. One thing has been consistent is that they all exaggerate the convenience of their location.
Elevator These mostly c1880 to 1940c apartment blocks are often two floors in height from Ground (street level) to First, then by US standards a floor and half for each subsequent floor up. A bunch of stairs.
air conditioning. I haven’t turned mine on yet, and probably wont until June. Just not that hot that long here.
washing machine (most don’t have a dryer). Well, they do have driers. They are the ropes stretched above the toilets or sometimes racks in corner of the bedroom. Washers hold about two pairs of jeans and two shirts. Some are combo washer/dryers and you will have your still damp clothes in 4 hours.
Coffee maker, microwave, a/c, turn it all on and it may get very dark in the flat.
bathroom and bed on the same floor (there are quite a few “loft” apartments where the bed is upstairs - as I get older, this matters more). As important is the headroom in the loft bedroom. Many, possibly most, don’t allow you stand up. You sort of crawl to the bed. Look at the pictures carefully and ask if there is any question.
location close to a bus, tram, or metro stop. Big key deal. I prefer tram stops over metro stops.
So, where? Some do their tourism then go home and go to bed. For those it matters less. TTM's recommendation of District XIII is fine if you stay close to Jászai Mari tér where the 4/6 tram and 2 tram stop. Some do a late dinner then want a street side cafe for drinks and atmosphere. For them it matters a lot more.
For the second group some places to look are
District V near the basilica. In the evenings it will be jam packed with tourists but you move one or two blocks north and its a different world. You are also close to the end of Andrassy ut, the M1 metro, and so the wonderful evening location around the Opera isnt far.
District VII but the far upper end of District VII. From about house number 45 and up. A short walk over to Andrassy ut and the M1 and close to the 4/6 tram.
To Avoid: The rest of District VII and the rest of District V. When ever I meet someone who complained about too many tourists in Budapest, most often I could guess thay stayed near Vaci utca or Kiraly utca or Dobb utca. And those areas while they get marketed to tourists arent typical of the city.
Anyway, sorry, not much help. If you want hotel costs, just as a bench mark on costs. Figure 550 to 695 euro for 5 nights along Andrassy ut the last week of September.
