For the money, Budapest's Star Hotel is pleasant: it's clean and cheery. The pillows were nice and big on the bed and the towels were nice, the staff friendly. The Star has a nice atrium-like sitting area. And it's not far from great stuff to do in Budapest, like near Heroes' Square. By coincidence I actually heard this radio show about the Star: http://budacast.hu/shows/budapest_star_hotel.mp3 I think the travelers' comments in that show were spot on.

Pros: Friendly, helpful staff. Very large (by european standards) room. Room was also very clean. Inexpensive. Cons: Not a very central location or in a great neighborhood. The room was very hot (we opened the windows in December.) and their was no hair dryer. If I ever go back to Budapest, would I stay there? probably not. That has much more to do with the location than anything else.

We traveled in early October to Budapest, finishing two weeks in Central Europe. We searched online for hotels under $100US per night and chose the Star Panzio due to its proximity to the Keleti train station - we arrived by train from Vienna (after a stop-over for lunch and exploration in Bratislava) mid-evening. The Star is too far from where you want to be. Upon arrival to Keleti, we should have just jumped on the M2(Red) Metro and taken it two stops to Astoria or one more to Deak Ferenc, and thus closer to the downtown centre. Star Panzio is in a more remote neighborhood which I would caution single younger female travelers, as it isn't well-lit and just isn't as good of a location as down by those other train stops. Granted, it may be harder to find a double room under $100US in the more central locations, but we think it's worth some extra dollars. That said, Star Panzio itself is very acceptable, with spacious, well-appointed rooms, clean bathrooms with soap and shampoo, towels and in-room cable. The breakfast is hearty, with meats, cheeses, breads, hard-boiled eggs in addition to juices and coffee as dark as night! If you do stay at the Star Panzio or in this area, we do recommend the restaurant Paprika across from the parking lot adjoining Heroes' Square. Paprika was simply incredible, with local fare at very affordable prices and an ambiance only a local could construct. Finally, we cannot recommend more getting your casual phrases down before you arrive, as it makes initial communications much easier.

We arrived in budapest in late July for a stag party. We were looking for mid range price accomadation with good levels of cleanliness, good location etc. Hotel is typical hungarian fare - clean, well maintained but has no extra levels of comfort or luxury. The location is central yet would appear to be in a rundown block but which in fairness is a 10 minute walk to the main "octogen" district. If I was a couple or group of girls - I would NOT walk around the immediate area of the hotel at night. My room was a twin, it was clean and not tiny. It had mini bar fridge stocked with cheap soft drinks and water. The aircon was broken and given that the outside temp was 100f this was a massive problem. Bathroom was spacious and spotless, shower was just ok but again nice and clean. Staff were helpful - particularly the daytime receptionist. She also isnt terribly hard to look at so that is a little bonus!! The hotel has a good relationship with a reputable taxi firm which is critical in budapest as most taxis on the street are out to rip off tourists and worse.... use serious caution with the taxis in this city. The hotel does a breakfast, however we didnt ever rise early enough to sample it.... No other food is on offer here which is not great as there are no local shops etc which open at the weekend/ in the evening. Would I stay here again? - No! I just felt uncomfortable about the location and felt that for a little bit more money you could stay in district v. ( more central and cosmopolitan ).

My wife and I are on a 4 month "flash packing" trip around Europe and the Americas and we were looking for good budget accomodation Star hotel fitted the bill perfectly, it is only 5 mins walk from the main railway station (Keleti) and about 25mins walk to 'central' Budapest (10mins on public transport) and the Danube. Having said this, public transport is so good in Budapest, it is really easy to get around. Hotel has free wi-fi (even in our room on 4th floor), was clean and felt secure (there is a central safe with personal keys). Staff friendly, all speak good english. Room was decent size and had air con, buffet breakfast also fair. Downsides, tiny shower /ensuite and hotel location is quiet, i.e. no nice locals (15 - 20 mins to get to main eating areas on Andrassy). But it is 50 EUR per night, which makes it a great budget hotel