I chose this hotel to host a Master's Program reunion and I'm so glad that it was our home for 4…read morenights. The Swissôtel Bosphorus is the epitome of luxury and location. Prior to choosing this hotel I requested proposals from multiple hotels in Istanbul, but what made this so special was the view of The Bosphorus. I want to thank Mustafa and Gozde for being great in presenting, proposing, and answering the countless questions that I had about this property before our arrival. The hotel exudes class, modern facilities, and something for all types of travelers. From the moment you arrive at the hotel you feel safe. There is a security checkpoint for all vehicles and a metal detector in the lobby for all visitors. This made my group feel safe and prior to my arrival 2 of the members of my group were thoroughly impressed with the hotel and thanked me for choosing it. Our first night there we dined at Madhus as a welcome dinner. It is an Indian fine dining gastronomic experience that set the tone of our stay. The food was delicious, the presentation was excellent, and the service was impeccable. We all enjoyed our meal there and when you stay at this hotel you must dine here. All of us enjoyed our respective rooms. Whether they were the Swiss Advantage Garden View Room or Swiss Bosphorus View the rooms were clean, spacious, and comfortable. The Purovel products in the bathroom were a good quality for a hotel. The housekeeping team kept our room clean and stocked upon request. We all had a great experience here. I would like to think that my group thought everything was amazing- the views of the Bosphorus, the hotel amenities, dining offerings from breakfast and fine dining at Madhus and 16 Roof were all excellent. From the lobby to the reception and concierge everything and everyone was delightful and extremely helpful. On behalf of my group, I would highly recommend this hotel and would love to return just so that I personally can use their tennis court.

This is one of the 5 star hotels in Istanbul by the water on the European side. The service here…read morefor reception and restaurant is definitely 5/5. The lobby is absolutely beautiful, very clean, the bellmen are attentive and sees to you immediately every time we asked for a taxi. The restaurant is where we spent quite a lot of time in using the AYCE for an extra 50 for breakfast and dinner. The food here was really good, I would say above average so far compared to outside food. The Risotto is okay, I wouldn't order it again. The Manti is amazing and lentil soup is divine! The only reason why it's getting a 4 instead of 5 star is because of the smoking but I guess that's just the city/country itself. Our room was non-smoking but still smelled like smoke. The outdoor seats where everyone is always seated is a smoking zone. Eating with cigarettes just ruins the food overall and makes me nauseous. Our room's laundry was broken, no scissors available as well. Wild but still a beautiful place. Will likely come back here again if I come back in this area of Turkey! Shoutout to - didn't mention all, forgot names :( - Selem, Saliha, Mustafa, and Gabor staff. Perfect service, always top notch, kind, professional.

Nice hotel in a wonderful, central location. It's a little tricky to reach by taxi since it's on a…read moreone-way, touristy street -- but that's a small tradeoff for such a central spot. The room was a decent size, clean, and comfortable. Breakfast was included in our rate and was surprisingly good.

We had a great stay here, you are in short walking distance to many of the major sites of Istanbul,…read morethe staff is absolutely lovely very helpful and many are multi-lingual. We stayed here 3 nights and the room was comfortable for my husband and I although it was a bit tight because we had two suitcases each that we had checked in. We also ordered room service two times because we were just lazy about going out, and the food was excellent with a variety of items to choose from. Would absolutely stay here again.

Small cosy hotel in Istanbul. Great location, within walking distance to museums. Also, there are…read moremany restaurants of any kind, just a couple of minutes walk away. Views to the sea. I was lucky to witness snow in Istanbul earlier this year. Really enjoyed the views from the top floor of the hotel. Friendly staff. Cards accepted. Not very expensive. I would stay here again. Totally recommended.

We had a lovely stay at the Marmara Guesthouse for three nights in January. This was my first visit…read moreto Istanbul; my husband had been there decades ago. LOCATION (5/5). Given that our stay would be short, we wanted easy access to the major sites in the Sultanahmet district, or "Old Town." This location put us in walking distance (some uphill on cobblestone streets) of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and more. Many restaurants and shops were also nearby and, with a longer walk, we were able to walk down to the Golden Horn and to the Galata Bridge. GUESTHOUSE (overall, 4/5). GUEST ROOM (4/5). We had a nice clean room (standard, double) on the 2nd floor with a double bed with attached private bathroom. The room had everything we needed, including a comfortable bed and pillows, desk, large wardrobe with safe, and bedside tables. It was tastefully decorated with Turkish cloth on a canopy bed. We would've rated higher had there been more space in the room. While there was a stand for one piece of luggage, we didn't use it because space was too tight. Our view was of a neighboring guest house, which allowed others to see into our room when the curtains weren't pulled. The bathroom was clean, well-maintained, and newish, and had a small shower, sink, and toilet but again relatively little space. COMMON AREAS, except terrace (see later). (3/5). Again, very tight. Upon entering, there is a small reception area, really only a desk and some file cabinets, where a staff member sits 24/7. There is a small room off this with some small couches, and reading materials (including tour and other books that can be borrowed and tourist brochures. Nice touch!). This also serves as a luggage storage area for guests who arrive early or late. Stairs up to many of the rooms and the terrace where breakfast is served are narrow and have low ceilings. My 6' husband bumped his head on his first trip up. BREAKFAST on the terrace. (5+/5). This was included in the price of our room, but was also available for 5 Euro for guests. Both the food and the view were amazing! There was a wide selection of traditional Turkish and other foods to choose from, including homemade jams, and a nice selection of juices. During breakfast, one could watch the sun rise over the Marmara Sea (which connects to the Bosphorus). Note that free self-serve coffee and tea were available all day, so we also visited the terrace to see the water view at other times of day. PRICE (Jan, 2023). (4/5). Our total bill was euros 156 (about $170) for our 3-night stay in a standard double room at this 2-star guesthouse through Hotels.com. The same room is available at a cheaper rate if you're okay with a non-refundable reservation. Note that Turkey was experiencing very high rates of inflation during our visit. TRANSPORTATION/PARKING (3/5). With reservations, the hotel can arrange for transportation to/from Istanbul airport at 40 Euros per vehicle each way. We used the service for our return trip as we had an early morning flight. The vehicle could have easily accommodated 8 passengers, so it was bigger (and more expensive) than we needed but we were happy that the option was available to us. Parking seems difficult on the side street where the guesthouse is located. STAFF. (4/5). Staff were helpful when asked specific questions but no one stands out as truly extraordinary. All front desk staff spoke a sufficient amount of English to answer our questions. There were visitors from many other countries during our stay. Staff handled our luggage on the narrow staircase. Staff also booked a morning cruise for us on the Bosphorus. SECURITY. 5/5). The neighborhood and the guesthouse felt safe. Access to the property was through a front door that was locked most of the time, and guests needed to pass a close-quarters desk that was manned 24/7.

We recently stayed at this very fine hotel for seven nights during our visit to Istanbul. Located…read morein the old city in Sultanahmet, it is very convenient for visiting the major attractions, such as Topkapi, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, etc. Be aware that if you're looking for a Hyatt or Four Seasons kind of hotel, this is NOT for you. It is a cozy boutique hotel nestled into the neighborhood. You won't find a spa or room service here. But you will benefit from super helpful and friendly front desk staff, a large and varied complimentary breakfast that changes every days, quaint rooms and views of the Blue Mosque and Bosphorus from the top-floor terrace. We were in room 303, which is probably the best room in the hotel. It's on the top floor and has windows on three sides. In one direction you see the Bosphorus, in another you can look down the cobblestone street where all the nearby restaurants are located, and in the third you see the Blue Mosque, which is especially beautiful when illuminated at night. Our room was more spacious than the rooms that the rest of our family had, but all of us were comfortable and happy during our stay. Getting nearby points of interest entails a short uphill walk down narrow streets, so you need to have some situational awareness as you'll be sharing the road with cars and taxis. You'll have to run the gauntlet several restaurants with proprietors who will try to entice you to eat at their establishments. They can be rather assertive, in a friendly and good-natured way, but after a week of dealing with this it did get a bit tiresome. Nevertheless, this is an excellent place to stay during a visit to Istanbul. I don't anticipate coming back to this area any time soon, but if my path leads me back to this beautiful city I'll be booking the Darussaade (hopefully in 303 again).

We had an amazing stay at this hotel. They were very accomadating to our family of five and helped…read moreus book our excursions for the day. The location was perfect and we were able to walk nearly everywhere, it was walking distance from the Arasta Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Basilica Cistern. We booked the family connected rooms and they were absolutley beuatiful, it felt so regal and elegant. Both rooms had ensuite bathrooms, but the bigger room's bathroom featured a marble walk in shower/ hammam. The rooms live up to the photos perfectly. The main selling point of the stay was the terrace breakfast that had a generous breakfast buffet and stunning panoramic views of the Blue Mosque. Overall, it was an extraordinary stay and would 100% recommend the Hotel Darussaade!

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 cannot say enough good things about hotel Neorion. It's located in the heart of old town…read moreIstanbul, within walking distance to most of the historical sites. I felt very safe walking at night. The service was top notch, they even packed me a to-go breakfast bag because my early flight was before the regular buffet style breakfast. So sweet of them! I stayed here in Dec, and the hot water was hot hot hot. So relaxing at the end of long chilly days. There is also an in house hammam. Definitely something to experience if you've never had a Turkish bath before. I would 1000% stay here again if I were to find myself back in Istanbul.

I am really glad that reviews of this hotel were spot on... this really is a great hotel with an…read moreawesome location! I knew this would be a really nice place when I checked in. Everyone was so kind and I could tell that they wanted both me and Camilla to feel comfortable during our 4 night stay in Istanbul. My room was on the 4th floor and was spacious. The room was also really really clean. I felt very safe and comfortable. There were places to sit and relax as well as a very comfortable bed to get my much needed Z's. What this hotel does really well is it goes above and beyond with the little things. When you enter your room you are greeted with delicious Turkish Delight and a sweet note. They also have a pillow menu and list of items that they can give you if you forgot something at home. The rooftop is awesome! I loved sneaking up there with Camilla early in the morning to watch the sunrise and bird watch a bit. At night it is a great place to have a glass of wine or bourbon while resting your tired feet. They don't have a bar up there so you can feel even better about bringing your own snacks or drinks up! There is a pool but I did not use it. I guess I'm just not the indoor pool sort of person. Breakfast in the morning is substantial. They have fruits, veggies, cereal, yogurts, pastries, eggs, and much more! The staff are really awesome and will hey you fresh juice or coffee right when you sit down. They have unobtrusive tip boxes where you can show some paper money love should you wish. In the afternoon there is a free snack time. I didn't take advantage of it. I wish that I had but for some reason I can only fit so much food in my tummy and I wanted to try as many places in the city as I could! I wouldn't have been able to eat much of anything if I filled up during snack time! Again the staff here are really super helpful. I woke up the last morning a bit ... hung over... and slow ... and when I called them to ask for late check out they were kind and told me not to rush. They also watched my bags no problem during the day of my flight and kept them safe in a locked area. Again the location is really good and they are more than happy to give directions. You won't have to walk very far to get to the main sites and I found the area to be very safe. In fact, Istanbul itself seemed pretty safe in the tourist areas. They have tourist police and I think that they really must do their jobs! I did get into one taxi that tried to cheat me ... on the mirror you can see the meter and the guy had it already started. I asked him to start it over (we hadn't moved) and he refused. So I got out of the cab. No big deal. Just thought I'd warn anyone who ends up reading this. My other tip is to go to popular sites right when they open. The crowds are much less and you won't have to wait in line forever. When I come back to Istanbul I will DEFINITELY stay at this hotel. They are worth the small hit to my backpacker budget (I spent a little over $100 USD with a very last minute booking), when I travel on my own thin dime i usually try to stay under $50 a night... Camilla said it was her favorite hotel of the entire trip and that if you have a traveling familiar or someone you want to impress with a value added hotel, you have found your place!

This is my second time staying here and I can't rave enough about their outstanding service. The…read moreroom is immaculate and the location is 10/10. Literally minutes walk from Haifa Sophia, Blue mosque and surrounding by cafes and restaurants so so vibrant. The rooms are luxurious and every staff member is so attentive and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast. I highly recommend this for its fab location and maintaining their standard. It's not a super huge property seems more like a boutique hotel. Overall super comfortable stay so far. I do plan on coming back again.

Service and food are highly importantant to me. If the service wasn't so impeccable, I would have…read morerated two-stars. However, at this Four Seasons location the Manager: Muhammed, Server: Melike and Bartender: Onur went out of there way to make sure we had a great dining experience--even though the first Mushroom Risotto that I had added Short rib had no mushrooms, basil and was WAY too salty, the manager Muhammed insisted on having the chef redo this dish, once it was redone, very delicious, unfortunately, I was a little turned off from the first version so I only had a bite however, if this redo was what should have been made--I would've eaten the whole thing. My partner had From the Wood Oven: PULLED SHORT RIB--Smoked Beef Short Rib, Potato, Sour Cream, Chestnut Mushroom, Aged "Kars" Gruyere--which he thought was just ok. The holiday dessert was AMAZING!!! Best part of our lunch!

I'd absolutely stay here again if my travels bring me back to Istanbul. The owners were family…read morefriends of a couple we knew in San Francisco and were beyond welcoming and kind. After my first day walking around Istanbul as a single woman and hearing what a ****'n American w*** I was from the men for having the audacity to walk alone, the owners quickly set me up with a guide to protect me. From then on I got to see parts of Istanbul privy to the locals and had a wonderful safe trip. I also felt safe at the hotel and enjoyed the breakfasts there and the rug shop underneath the hotel. I still have my beloved rug bought there to this day.

The hotel is unique and beautiful by the way it is decorated, location is great!…read moreThe owners are very friendly and helpful. Restaurant downstairs serves the most delicious food! However hotel is old and shows it. Cracks collect durt and some decorations are torn...no dark curtains on the window. Toilet is from 50 years back and smells bad. They ask to put used toilet paper in trash bin, not flush it... Old furniture in the room had no space for hanging stuff. Had ac but no refrigerator in the room. Maid just walked in without knocking early in the morning! Cool place to see , eat but not to stay...