Hotel in Budapest

Perhaps a good measure of a hotel selection is determined by the location of sites in Budapest that interest you. Presuming you have become somewhat familiar with the city, you know that Buda is the west side of the Danube and Pest is the east side. Buda is hilly and Pest is flat.
Most of the "must see" locations are on the Pest side. However, the excellent public transportation options on both sides of the river make moving about easy and inexpensive.
There are a number of big box hotels near the Chain Bridge on the Pest side - Intercontinental, Marriott, Sofitel, etc that are convenient but impersonal. Maybe that is not a concern. Prices are steep in these locations - your nightly budget will be stretched a bit - but you are paying for convenience. I have stayed in two of those hotels - they are exactly what you think they are - big, enterprising - anonymous. I like to stay on the Buda side, but I don't recommend it for a first time visit. You will find yourself crossing the river to begin and end your day of adventure as the biggies (Parliament, St. Stephens, Opera House, Grand Market, shopping, etc.) are all "over there" on the Pest side.
If he doesn't reply to your posting, find some written by "James E" and private message him with a question. He claims to not be very knowledgeable about hotels as he has an apartment in Budapest, but he knows more than I ever will. His thoughtful replies to questions on this forum are noteworthy.

On my recent visit in May I chose a different location that I think will now be my preferred--3 previous trips I stayed at Residence Baron off Fovam ter, near the Great Market and while I loved it this time I was at Hotel Medosz on Jokai ter just off Andrassy near the Oktogon. For about $110 I had an enormous light-filled room on the 10th floor with a panoramic view and a terrace--not a balcony, a proper space with furniture and sitting out there with coffee in the morning or a beer in the evening was just wonderful, especially since all the buildings like Parliament, St Stephens etc are lit at night--and breakfast was included, lots of variety and a huge breakfast room. I was close to the metro 1 line, trams & buses and plenty of food options, an OTP bank, Rossmann drugstore and even a bookstore with a good English selection. 2 blocks to the Operettszinhaz, and I highly recommend checking out what's on there if you enjoy charming musicals in a gorgeous old theatre.

For our first visit last September we stayed at the K K Opera Hotel. Well located, beautiful area, huge breakfast. A metro stop is a minute away. We also walk all over, too. It all worked very well for us. Enjoy your visit.

christa, generally when people stay someplace else and then stay along Andrassy ut, they return to Andrassy ut. Its hard to beat.

Blue439, I wish!! But thanks.

Why?

1. Well, Andrassy ut is the most attractive and interesting road in Budapest. It's Budapest's answer to Paris' Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

2. The historic and sort of fun M1 Metro Line runs under Andrassy ut (and beyond) and connects Vorosmarty ter (near the Danube) to excellent shopping (lower end of Andrassy ut), Opera House, House of Terror, Embassy Row (upper end of Andrassy ut), Hero's Square, City Park, Park Lake (Boating in the warm weather, Ice Skating in the cold weather), Vajdahunyad Castle, Széchenyi Thermal Bath, Zoo, Circuis, Restaurants and tree lined walks.

3. The M1 and Andrassy ut cross the 4/6 tram that will take you to the Eiffel designed Nyugati Rail Station and Buda in one direction and the old Jewish Ghetto and the New York Palace in the other direction.

4. The M1 stops at Deak Ferenc ter where you can connect to

   a. the M2 to reach the Parliament and Buda (the H5 Station to reach Szentendre) in one direction and the NY Palace in the other.

   b. the M3 Metro (seldom needed by a tourist)

   c. the end stop for the 47/49 Tram which will take you to the Great Synagogue, Museums, Great Market Hall and the Gellert Hotel & Bath House in Buda.

5. The M1 also goes to Vorsmarty ter which is a short walk to the 2 Tram which goes to the Great Market Hall in one direction and the Parliament, Falk Miska Antique Shopes and the 4/6 Tram in the other.

And I am sure i left a lot out. As you can see, much revolves around Deak Ferenc ter, but its not very attractive place to stay, but there are some presumably nice hotels East of Deak Fernec ter, within a few minutes walk. Still, my happy place is Andrassy ut.

Which hotel? Google Map the hotels in these area and check them on TripAdvisor. Send me names of things that seem interesting and if I can tell you about them or the neighborhood I will.

SHORT ANSWER: When I am out of beds, I put friends and relatives up at the K&K Opera.

This might help you

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/budapest-in-2-days

When we went to Budapest a few years ago we stayed at https://www.kapitalinn.com/ which we loved. The owner, Albert, is Hungarian but lived in Boston for a few years and speaks perfect English. We spent many hours in the kitchen with him learning about Budapest and Hungarian culture while he prepared our breakfasts each morning. It is a short walk to a metro station that is a short ride to the center of Budapest or it is walkable. We were there for a week at Chanukah/Christmas and loved it.

We stayed for 4 nights this past June at the Casati Hotel. It is at 1 block off Andrassy at the Opera Metro stop. It is an amazing hotel. Each floor is different and each room as well. The breakfast I cannot describe there is so much. It is in your price range and I would suggest you check out their website.

I like the location of the Casati Hotel a lot. I stay about a 3 minute walk from it. I did once stay there about 10 years ago when it was called the Hotel Pest, but it has since been totally renovated. If you do stay there are near, i can tell you about what is within a few minute walk for evening adventures....

Checkout BudapestApartmentService.com for great apartment rentals in the center city. We stayed in Paty's Place for a week, and it is a ground floor unit in the greatest location.
Budapest doesn't require spending $150 per night.

Do you for sure want a hotel ? We have stayed twice in a one-room apartment at Liszt Studios, Liszt Ferenc ter at Oktagon metro station. Loved having a washing machine and a kitchen, and having the Liszt Academy for concerts just down the square is a great plus. And below your budget.

Be sure you get an air-conditioned place. Budapest can be quite hot in May, even very ealry in the month. This year it also felt rather humid by European standards.

The average temperature in May is 67 for the low and 74 for the high so figure unless you hit on an extreme day no hotter than 80. Still, the AC can really be a great comfort. Many of the apartment rentals are not air conditioned, so be sure and ask.

Anyone familiar with Hotel Museum Budapest? To me, fit the bill for 1) near Jewish Quarter, 2) under $100 per night, 3) quaint or at least interesting design, 4) air conditioned (going next May/June).

Looks pretty nice. Let me know how it works out. I spend a lot of time in Budapest, but rarely in a hotel so im no good for hotel recommendations; but i do know most of the neighborhoods. Ground zero for sight seeing is Deak Ferenc ter. Everything is about equal distance from there -- either on foot, or tram or the M1 metro line. You will be about a 5 minute walk from the Astoria stop on the 47/49 tram which will take you to Deak Ferenc ter in one direction, the Great Market Hall and Buda in the other. Not bad.

As far as being in the Jewish district, technically all of the 8th is called the Jewish District but the border of the WWII Ghetto was Dohany on once side and Kiraly utca on the other.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiMk-WCr4LdAhVRC6wKHbIkDYUQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwikimapia.org%2F12495714%2FBudapest-Jewish-Quarter-and-WWII-Ghetto&psig=AOvVaw0kmYq6QezeqErvzUWtkeVD&ust=1535085954136738

Its between these two streets that most of the interesting sights are located. Figure a 10 minute walk to any of these. The hotel is on the edge of the zone that was once full of mansions (now broken up into apartment blocks) and the architecture is very good.

For location, you could do a lot worse. What you will miss, if anything, is quick access to the places that are enjoyable to walk i the evening (Andrassy ut and the Danube Embankment and the plaza in front of the Basilica).