Had a great stay at Armada Hotel recently…read more Great location, a short walk to Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque. Near the water (Sea of Marmara), close to Kennedy Cad. walking through old archways to the shore. You can see the seas from the windows in your room (if you're lucky to get one facing that direction), from the great rooftop terrace or the breakfast area - one side views of the water (even spotted dolphins one morning), the other, views of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Nice lobby, with a small pond of turtles, memoiabillia, historical artifacts. The room (Queen size bed) was clean, comfortable, cutely decorated with nice touches (like paintings on furniture), nice colors, slippers, plenty of soaps in the bathroom, lots of storage, best bath towels (absorbent and big), teas, coffee, water bottle and another one in the mini fridge. We had room cleaning once and the lady did a great job, bringing more water, swiping the floors, making the beds, putting the bathroom back together. Nice touching gifts - like the nice bookmarks we found on the nightstand! Staff was nice and attentive, from the booking phase, to check in, they brought us lemonades till they finished cleaning our room, to every day help. At the end, they were nice to call for a taxi for the airport on our behalf and they helped with luggage and all, made sure we left early to make our flight due to road closures for May 1st holiday. Even if the hotel is lively, has a bar and a restaurant, it was quiet, no issues at night, got great night sleep. Comfy bed, pillows, comforter. The breakfast buffet is one of the best we ever had, they do put lots of hotels in US to shame! You can get your regular cereals, omelet, boiled eggs, but you have great fruits (best watermelon) and fresh vegetables, Turkish pastries, cheese-s, jellies (quince, apricot, orange), tahini, home made yogurt, local treats. Nice coffee, try the Turkish chai/tea and the Cherry juice is a must! Once again, nice service and great views all around. Great hotel to stay while visiting Istanbul. Affordable, pampering, nice experience. And since it's Istanbul, the hotel has its own cat that greets you! Wonderful location, staff, view, local touches!

This was a beautiful hotel with a breathtaking rooftop view of the Blue Mosque; clean, spacious,…read morenicely decorated rooms; and friendly staff! I enjoyed my stay for the most part, however there was one thing that made the stay extremely unpleasant. There's a fountain in the lobby where several aquatic turtles are kept, and all of them were sick due to improper husbandry (no UV lights or heat, no exposure to sunlight, lobby lights on 24/7). The turtles were pale and one of them had pneumonia (floating sideways in the water); another was extremely weak and minimally responsive. I own several aquatic turtles and am a veterinarian with special interest in reptiles, and seeing these sick animals with improper housing really upset me. The staff seemed receptive when I offered suggestions for improving their housing and welfare, but it's hard to say whether anything was done after I left. Also, there were several songbirds in dark, dirty cages, also with no exposure to sunlight or UV light, who looked depressed and did not appear healthy. Several other visitors I spoke with felt the same way about the welfare of the animals at the hotel. If these animals can't be housed properly, then I don't see the point of displaying them. It's a turn-off to tourists who care about animal welfare. Keeping reptiles and birds healthy in captivity involves specialized care and lots of research. I truly hope the hotel owners/staff can either improve their living conditions or rehome them altogether and avoid having exotic pets on display going forward. I've been thinking about these poor animals months after my visit, and I hope they're not still suffering.

I don't know where to begin! The Vault Karakoy is The…read morePERFECT hotel. Staff was professional, helpful and genuinely nice, the hotel itself is gorgeous and walking distance to the Galata tower and Istiklal street which are must places To visit (make sure you drink a coffee at Autentic coffee house). I highly highly recommend it, Look no further and book your hotel, You won't regret it! Listen to their recommendations, they were all spot on. I don't think I've ever been this happy with a hotel!!

This is one of the best hotels I have stayed. It's like a boutique hotel, small and cozy, very…read moreprofessional staff! Rooms are pretty and very comfortable! The best service we got from the concierge, I cant spell their turkish names but they really helped us with our itineraries! Best hotel in turkey! Truly recommend it!!!! You won't be disappointed! :-)

This is one of the most unique hotel experiences I've ever had as there are several categories of…read morethe hotel I would rate a 10 out of 10 while others I would rate a 3 out of 10. A number of sections in the hotel live up to the modern, high standards of the W brand while other amenities fall very short for a 2023 version of a W hotel. Naming the things that I felt amazing about hotel, the hospitality was easy a 10 out of 10. Each and every staff member was amazing and made sure to cater to my every need. There was even an employee who went above and beyond to help me with public transportation by loaning me his transport card. That type of service sets places apart. They even set up communication through WhatsApp. I would have to say the interaction with the staff might be one of the top 3 experiences I've had with a staff in my entire history of hotel stays. One of the negatives associated with that was the communication method. WhatsApp was extremely convenient but that shouldn't be the reason that the in-room telephone doesn't work. Not only does it not work, it has a digital display face that remains lit so to sleep at night I literally had to turn the phone upside down. When it comes to reaching out, making a local call, or anything that typically requires a phone, not having one work in the room is extremely inconvenient. Another 10 out of 10 category is the location. It is the perfect location for traveling to Istanbul. A 3 minute walk from a popular bus stop that goes to several recommended places was such a convenience. Also, there might be around 20 restaurants within a quarter mile radius to the hotel. There's also a supermarket steps away, as well as a beauty supply store, etc. Pretty much everything you need. However............... I would also give the location a 3 out of 10 on the weekends in the event you need to sleep and your room is facing the popular street. You will hear loud music on some nights close to 3am. The windows do drown some of the noise but it is still loud enough to keep you awake. It was unbelievable, especially when I had to be up early for excursions. Another 10 out of 10 was the daily buffet style breakfast. For W hotels that wasn't something that is commonly found from my experience but it was so good. The spread included options for all types of diets and I doubt there is anyone who won't find something to satisfy that. Now, I have to go to something that was a 1 out of 10 and that was the accessible outlets and charging stations in the rooms. The room I occupied, which was a suite, had a single outlet next to the bed with no USB ports typically found in most 4 and 5 star hotels. There were actually no USB ports in the entire room and the only other accessible outlets were in the bathroom vanity. That made it very inconvenient when numerous devices had to be charged. Another low scoring category was the lighting in the room. I'd say 6 out of 10. Just not bright enough. Overall, I really did enjoy the hotel and the positives I mentioned. I would just expect the negative things I touched on to not be an issue at a W hotel.

1 star for staff (concierge and breakfast staff were helpful and nice)…read more1/2 star for an ok breakfast (decent offerings and some healthy options) We spent a few weeks traveling throughout Turkey and the breakfast was average in comparison to others. 0 stars for location unless your idea of a great location is where the neighborhood night clubs will have a dj pounding bass until 4am (including the W bar which stays open late). 0 stars for the amenities as the gym equipment is so outdated that it's rendered unusable. Cabanas are poorly located and too near to the rooms so the noise from people hanging out til 4am outside your room will keep you up as well. 0 stars for cleanliness as the room was a bit dusty We have stayed in many W's throughout our travels and this one in Istanbul is by far the least kept up. The rooms are also very dark even when you open the curtains and turn on all lights. W Istanbul earns 1 1/2 stars rounded up to 2 as 1/2 stars are not allowed. And that's being generous.

This hotel was the perfect ending to our whirlwind Turkey trip! Out of the three hotels we stayed…read morein, this was by far the best. Our room was spacious and elegant, and the service was outstanding. The lobby was filled with tempting treats - though I was always too full to indulge, they were a feast for the eyes! Our final dinner at the Asian restaurant was the best meal of the entire trip. The bed was incredibly comfortable, although I only had a few hours to enjoy it due to an early flight. The Bosphorus view from my room was incredible; it felt like I could step right onto the ferries below! My only complaint is the whilrpool next was cold. The attendant was amazing, as everytime the jets stopped he would run over and turn them on. When I asked him if he could make it warmer he said he could not. I even had goosebumps the water was so cold.

We had a lovely Christmas day tea at Shangri-la Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul. From the delicious…read morefood to the very accommodating staff it was a perfect. Yagmur and Zeynap were our servers. These two ladies insured that we had perfect service. Each request was handled flawlessly with a kind and friendly demeanor. Thank you Yagmur and Zeynap for a wonderful dining experience.

Enjoyed our 8-day stay at this well-located hotel in Sultanahmet. Late October proved to be a…read moreperfect time to visit in terms of both temperature and crowding. Room 405 had both positives and a few negatives but we would stay in it again. First, it is huge with a lovely jacuzzi tub and a wall of windows. Its location on the top floor made for easy access to the rooftop terrace for those chill times between adventures. The views from the terrace are incredible! Wi-if access was reliable. One possible downside if you are not early risers is that the restaurant area where a terrific breakfast buffet is served from 8-10:30 daily is right outside the door. This did not bother us. All of the hotel staff were very helpful and pleasant, eager to assist with baggage, recommendations, reservations, and bookings. The neighborhood in which the hotel is located is chock full of restaurant and shopping options and a five-minute walk to the nearby Sultanahmet tram stop. Follow the tram line by foot for 15 minutes and you'll arrive at Eminönü where you can check out the spice market or hop on a ferry to Kadiköy (Asia side). All in all, we had a wonderful stay in Istanbul and feel we made a great hotel choice.

Hotel has a nice old world charm to it. Good location, you can walk to most things in the city…read more Good breakfast selection in the morning off the roof top deck, with great views of the city.

The hotel itself has two main things that really stand out: a very central location, right on the…read morebank of the Bosphorus near Galata Bridge and a rooftop bar/restaurant that offers an insane view of this city's main sights. Given the central location, the hotel is quite small and you can feel that it's stretching itself to the limit, comfort-wise. If you can get a room on the 5th or 6th floors, you will get amazing views of the city. The downside is the foot traffic to the rooftop bar, as well as live music on Saturdays that you can hear in your room until midnight. With this in mind, it might be best to get a room on the 5th floor rather than the 6th, to put some distance between you and the sounds of the 80s.

Very friendly staff, I got a free upgrade upon my arrival, they also received a package for me…read morebefore I came, everything worked well. The rooms are clean, the beds good in my opinion, and the service flawless. The location is great, 20 meters from the metro Tünel. Great budget hotel that feels like more.

The hotel is beautiful, and nice location. The breakfast is wonderful, and the room is very clean…read more The staff is super friendly and accommodating. I'm only giving it 4 stars because there were two things that bothered me a bit, you have to leave your key at the front desk when you go out. As a female traveler traveling alone, this bothered me a bit. There is usually someone at the front watching the desk so it's not a huge deal. I just am used to walking around with a modern keycard. Not a huge deal, but it's worth mentioning. Secondly, as obvious foreigner, staying in this part of Istanbul can be....annoying. I chose the hotel for its amazing location super close to both mosques. But it's a full tourist location. People stand outside of restaurants and call out to you to come in. You can't comfortably walk down the street without every shop/restaurant owner asking you to come in. It's super annoying and kind of ruined my peaceful solo trip. If you want to stay in a less tourist part of the city stay in KadiKoy. But if you want to be within walking distance to the Blue mosque/Aya Sofia and Topkapi, and don't mind the hagglers: This is overall a wonderful hotel, and I enjoyed my stay while I was there. There's nice view from the terrace. And it's close to the water as well. Also the cleaning ladies are SUPER sweet and took such good care of me. I felt very safe here especially walking around at night. There is also a small bazar up the street, and lots of restaurants super close to the hotel. 4/5!

We stayed here for five nights, booked via Expedia…read more Pros: Excellent staff and location. Cons: Nothing, unless having a large room is important to you. Location: Less than 5 minutes from Sultanahment tram stop, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern. Plenty of restaurants and shopping within a block. We visited during the off season (late November), so there wasn't any problems with an early check-in. The hotel staff were beyond wonderful and were more than happy to assist us with anything we needed. They offer 24-hour car service for a reasonable fee -- it came in especially handy for early morning airport rides. Complimentary breakfast had a nice variety. Rooms and beds were tiny, but still comfortable given that we didn't spend much time at the hotel.

Wonderful, small hotel in a cute neighborhood. Friendly staff, unique and comfy rooms, and a killer…read morebreakfast. Hipster and stylish, great music on their playlists in the common areas and relaxing patios. Did I mention the staff is wonderful? Seriously. No place I will stay on Istanbul.

This hotel is a gem! Would absolutely stay here again. Wonderful breakfast, kind staff, great…read morelocation! The manager is fabulous. He even got me a cake for my birthday. Bilal was great, as was Ufuk, the kitchen and cleaning staff were also lovely. The rooms have washers! Can't say enough good things about this.