More than just a place to sleep:

Start with location: District V is the core around which the City of Budapest was built.  And Szervita Square and Károlyi Kert are at the very center of District 5. 

Szervita ter is one block away from the Deak Square Metro hub, where all three of the city’s Metro lines intersect.  Take the historic Yellow line (the first subway in continental Europe) to Andrassy Street, the Opera, the Liszt Music Academy, Heroes’ Square and Gundel’s Restaurant.  Take the Red line into Buda and explore the Castle, the Citadel, and the hills.  Take the Blue line to Raday street’s bohemian bars and cafes.  On foot, several blocks to the south and you are at the Great Synagogue (second largest in the world) or go a similar distance north and you are at St. Stephen’s Basilica.  Go half a dozen blocks to the northeast and you are at thye foot of Andrassy Street, the grand boulevard leading to the Opera, Operetta Theatre, and Liszt Music Academy.

Károlyi Kert is a gated vest pocket park with meticulous landscaping and cascading fountains and playgrounds. Originally the private garden of Count Antal Károlyi, this park sits behind his 18th Century mansion that is now the Petöfi Literature Museum ... One block from the National Museum and two blocks from the two major Metro lines (the Red line at Astoria and the Blue Line at Kalvin ter; Kalvin ter will be the hub of the new Metro line being built as I type these words...).

The park is also just two blocks from the Great Synagogue (the largest synagogue in the world), three blocks from the Danube, 2 blocks from the historic pedestrian street Vaci utca, and conveniently midway between our two favorite Budapest cafes...the Cafe Central and the Alibi (and three blocks from our favorite pastry shop, the Jeg Bufé). 

Only 21 apartments have balconies overlooking Károlyi Kert and Apartment Max is one of that select group. Because the traffic pattern makes driving around the park impossible, cars are relatively infrequent and many Budapest natives have never stumbled across this gem within walking distance of all of central Pest!  As a result, guests at Apartment Max wake up to the birds' singing and the children playing in the park.

At either location, walk two blocks to the Danube and take the #2 Tram, north to Parliament and the antique shops of Falk Miksa Street, or south to the Central Market Hall or the stunning new Palace of the Arts (the landscaping is not yet finished, but the acoustics are remarkable). 

Or just walk a block or two to the historic pedestrian mall on Vaci Street, a boulevard lined with shops and restaurants. 

Free and low-cost concerts abound within walking distance in the summers (Károlyi Kert itself hosts an arts festival; Szervita ter #5 is the headquarters for the Budapest Spring Festival) and, at Christmas and other celebrations, Vorosmarty Square a block away from Szervita and five blocks from Károlyi lights up with decorations and outdoor crafts and food vendors. Raday utca, a 3 minute walk from Károlyi is packed with galleries, resgtaurants, and cafes, and itself hosts several arts festivals each year.

The buildings: But the location is just the start. 

Szervita Square #5 is a landmarked building designed by Bela Lajta in 1911/1912 as the Rózsavölgyi Building [http://www.artnet.com/library/04/0488/T048807.asp].  Lajta, trained in the Art Nouveau style that was then popular, designed this stark and almost startlingly modern facade for a multi-use building in the center of the city, presaging the Bauhaus focus on function and simplicity by more than a decade.

Henszlmann Imre utca #9 (Károlyi Kert) was designed in the 19th Century for gracious living near the palace (the history of the Károlyipalace is at the Literature Museum’s website: http://www.pim.hu/object.EDA790EA-DFC5-4869-B8E6-B6814B65E9DE.ivy ; the modern park itself has been described as “perhaps the most beautiful small park in Budapest” http://budapest-tourist-guide.com ).  The building boasts a traditional Budapest courtyard with grand apartments overlooking the atrium.  The grandest of these, of course, faced out towards the park.

The apartments: 

We have tried to equip all of the apartments with everything we -- as non-Hungarian-speaking visitors to this grand city -- would want in a new and unknown locale...from rain ponchos and umbrellas to guidebooks, maps and compilations of tips about the city...even toys, games, and dvds for rainy or lazy days at home.

Romantic Sarah and Cozy Belle are adjoining, air conditioned, rooftop apartments on the south side of the building.  Overlooking two courtyards and away from the bustle of the street, these two garrets have cathedral ceilings more than 4 meters high, with nooks and crannies and skylights that render each apartment romantic and unique.

Each is reached by one of the building’s two lifts, and each has its own locked entry gate.  Each has its own bathroom with luxury shower and a small but well-stocked American kitchen (convection oven, fridge, full sink, clothes washer and dryer,).  Staples, dishware, cutlery, pots, and pans are all there when you arrive.  Each has a small library of guidebooks and maps, and each has cable TV and high speed open-access wi-fi Internet, as well as a small stock of games and light fiction.  Each has a sleeping gallery with a comfortable bed sleeping two (140 cm in Sarah and 160cm in Belle), and each has a large convertible sofa that can sleep two in the livingroom (120 cm).

Each apartment has a locking door that separates it from the other, but the doors can be opened and the two joined for a large and luxurious apartment with two bedrooms, two baths and two kitchens.  Use of a mobile phone with Hungarian telephone number is included (airtime for the phone is the guest’s responsibility).  A VOIP telephone in the apartment provides unlimited calling to the US/Canada and landlines throughout most of the world.

Opulent Max is almost the size of Belle and Sarah combined. 80 square metres.  It has 4.5 metre (15') ceilings and has been restored to the kind of cozy luxury that we imagine the apartment afforded in the 19th Century, with period antiques and modern conveniences (including satellite TV and large LCD display).

The living room has a daybed with a queen-size bed, very comfortable convertible (not a folding mattress).

The master bedroom has a king-size bed and balcony overlooking the park. Each room can be entered from the hallway separately, providing privacy between them and allowing use as two bedrooms with the study/reading area/entryway becoming a living space.

The bathroom is entirely new, with twin sinks, a custom shower and toilet.

The kitchen is also fully renovated and provides a dishwasher, washer, dryer, and all cooking appliances (including convection oven). There is a small Espresso counter in the kitchen with a Nespresso coffee system, as well as a water kettle and selection of teas, and two seats where you can sit and look out on the courtyard.

The study area has a computer for email and Web access, as well as high speed Wi-Fi throughout the apartment. A VOIP phone provides unlimited free calling to landlines throughout most of the world and all phones in the USA and Canada, as well as a mobile phone for guests' use with a local Hungarian SIM card.

Fine print:  No smoking or pets but children are welcome.  Pickup at the Airport or railway stations can be arranged for an extra charge, as can maid service.