We stayed at the Hotel Charles in Budapest (also known as Charles Apartments). We chose the standard apartment, which basically is one of the older, non-refurbished rooms. The room was basic, but adequate, had two twin beds, a coffee table, armchairs, and a TV, as well as bathroom with a shower/bath and a small kitchen with a cooker, fridge, and sink. The best thing about the room was having the facility to cook/make drinks etc.
The breakfast was a huge spread and probably the best thing about Charles, consisting of tea, coffee, juices, fruit, breads, pastries, meats, cheeses, yoghurts, and cereals, as well as bacon, eggs, sausages, and tomatoes. However, the room was incredibly noisy. Although I am known for normally sleeping through a bomb exploding, even I couldn't sleep through the noise of the traffic on the main road outside. Apparently the rooms at the back of the hotel are much quieter.
The bus (no. 8/112) stops directly outside the hotel and takes about 5 minutes to reach central Budapest. Or you can catch a bus no.1 and switch to tram no. 61, taking that to Moskva Ter, where there are lots of bars, restaurants, and the new Mammut shopping mall. Although there is only one pub nearby, a kind of local, mainly male establishment that looks as though it hasn't changed for 30 years, there are plenty either around Moskva Ter or Attila Ut/Alagut Ut.
Beware of tipping the bell boy (see separate entry on checking that bill). To ensure good service and a lack of snide looks or grunts, make sure you tip him properly! I wouldn't recommend using the minibar; instead, there is a good little shop a couple of doors up with a very friendly owner. When we went, he gave us some sweets, as it was Christmas, and a couple of Coca-Cola glasses to drink our drinks that we'd just bought!
We paid 39€ per night (plus 3% tax) and booked through the website www.charleshotel.hu. However, a word of warning, their booking page had problems and none of the reservations I submitted were received. Our booking was made via email in the end.