Stayed for a Turkish Airlines layover…read more Location: Right in the middle of tourist attractions. You can easily walk to the Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, etc. in 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your fitness level. The only downside is that it's on a hill. It isn't bad, especially since it means downhill one way. The nearest tram stop is Sultanment, so technically, you can take the Havist bus, transfer to the tram & walk. I only recommend this in daylight, or perhaps once you know your logistics. Streets are not really labeled. I took a taxi & the most affordable way is to download the Bitaksi app where the price is given upfront. Istanbul is notorious for ripping you off for a cab ride. It should cost about $35. $45 if you get a shuttle. Havist Bus is about $11. Food: Tons of cute restaurants in the area. Safe to walk around at night.The featured pictured main course is typically kababs that only run $10. Free breakfast at the hotel. No scrambled or fried eggs, but there are boiled eggs, toast with cheese, bread, cereal & a great coffee machine for cappuccino & lattes. Also salad, fruits & lots of olives. Service: 2 gentlemen at the front desk were helpful. Especially the one with grayish hair. Room: Decent & clean, not 5 star. Free 2 bottled water daily. Soap & shampoo isn't premium but was alright for me & I tend to get dry skin easily. Overall: Great pick if you are flying Turkish airlines & get a free layover stay.

We stayed here through the Tourist Istanbul program . The hotel is just like any 3 star hotel . The…read morebreakfast was decent . The biggest plus point is that it is near old town and all the sites are at walking distance or can go by quick tram . That saves lot of time and energy . The staff was very nice and cordial

We really enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Sultan's Inn! We brought a group of Stanford undergraduates…read morehere as part of an archaeological field school, and the rooms were quite nice! The showers were hot and had good water pressure, the tv's had quite a few channels. The air conditioning was a bit hard to work, but certainly present. And you can't beat the location-- or the amazing, amazing view at breakfast. My only complaint would just be the quality of the internet; my room required me to sit against the door; this was the only place I got a signal. But other rooms didn't have that problem (I think mine was #20? Hard to remember!)

We recommend Sultan"s Inn very highly. The people here are all very friendly and helpful. The price…read moreis quite low. The location in the old city is very close to the interesting attractions. The only negative was that the rooms are quite small -- big enough for only a bed, a closet, a mini-refrigerator, and a small bathroom. There's virtually no room to work, but you can always go down to the lobby. The room does have wi-fi. I'm writing this review on my phone from the room. An example of the service: last night my wife and I went to the lobby to arrange our day's pictures. She accidentally left her scarf there. (Of course we didn't notice at the time.) Today we couldn't remember where she might have lost it. This evening when we returned from dinner the scarf was waiting for us at the front desk with our name on it. All in all, a very positive experience.

We stayed here (husband, wife and two 17 year olds) June 2019 for about eight nights…read more Location: perfect for exploring the Sultanahmet district, which is the main historic zone in Istanbul (Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Cisterns, Grand Bazaar, Topaki Palace, etc.). A short walk to the tram station which will take you most anywhere else. Lots of cafes and restaurants nearby, from very inexpensive to the Four Seasons Hotel. Rooms: clean. small but very comfortable, with AC. Not ok if you have physical disability preventing you from using stairs. But staff is extremely helpful with luggage (they carried it all to our room). Staff: very friendly and accommodating. Concierge staff helped us book tours and restaurants, called taxis, and generally advised us in a sincere and friendly manner. Excellent English too. Breakfast: delicious buffet style, fresh Turkish style with breads, fruits, yoghurt, eggs, jams, coffee, juice, tea, etc. eating at the garden tables was fantastic. We will be back!

This is a cool small European-style hotel with one of the most unique locations in Istanbul…read more The lobby literally shares a wall with the old palace hamam (baths) ruin and the garden is bordered by its walls and domes. From the garden you can look through the windows into the ancient unrestored baths built in 1483. There are a variety of room types including a very romantic penthouse apartment. My mid-floor room was decorated in traditional Turkish style and had an able heating and air conditioning system. The bathroom and shower was made of full sheets of marble and the hotel makes its own olive oil soap. Every morning was a stunning Turkish-style breakfast buffet of house-made apricot preserve, yoghurt, simple bread, fruit, fresh tomato, feta, olives and more. You can carry your breakfast to a few tables adjacent or outside to an overgrown Mediterranean garden. This hotel has a peerless staff. They are full of advice, interesting, and when I stayed, someone was available, speaking English, 24x7. I enjoyed hours exchanging insights on our respective cultures with the desk staff. That exchange one-on-one is the finest of travel experiences. The hotel is part of a network of small independent hotels throughout Turkey. They can and did suggest and arrange booking for me at one those beautiful small hotels. There is no elevator and the stairs are very narrow. I carry my own bags, but their staff is glad to help with that. The hotel is adjacent to Istanbul's backpacker district and to the Four Seasons, so you have a variety of possibilities for dining and socializing nearby. I like to walk. From the Empress Zoe location, you can walk over the hill and across the bridge to Istanbul's Brooklyn- and Aoyama-like neighborhoods. If you are looking for an American-style business hotel, newly constructed, standard room setup, standard services, this is not the hotel for you. There are plenty of those available in Istanbul. This is a European-style hotel we need more of in America, bigger than a B&B, which America does well, and smaller than an Ace-Standard, also well done in the States. The Empress Zoe is a beautiful small romantic hotel with a peerless staff representing the finest Turkish hospitality and culture in a great Istanbul location.

The staff are friendly, rooms are reasonably priced and clean. However, on the amenities section…read morethey mentioned they have a pool, sauna and a hot tub. Which was what I specifically wanted to do at least one night in my stay in Istanbul. When I went downstairs I saw they have a small and I mean small pool which was maybe 5'5" (about 1.4 meters) deep, a small steam room, equally small dry sauna and NO hot tubs! When I inquired about the hot tub, the attendants said we don't work for the hotel and you should bring that up with the hotel management. When I wanted to use the pool they told me I HAVE TO WEAR swimming head wear. So they sold me one for 40 TL. In my opinion this whole experience was a rip off and they will try to get you coming AND going. Oh by the way, breakfast will not come on your room and you have to pay 80 TL a day for it!

Highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking to stay in an area that is safe, nice, and close to a…read moresubway as well as a walks-distance to shops and restaurants. I was very pleased with this hotel's everything. Cleanliness, service, food, and great staff - the best actually. If you stay here, you should add the breakfast to your reservation because the breakfast was delicious, and there was so much food. Fresh. And each day, something different would be displayed. This place is very clean, and so cool - the art on the walls and the modern decor of the hotel give it personality. I loved how close it was to Nişantaşı - as soon as you walk out the door, there's a million places to visit. It's not in a remote location or in a dangerous place. The Arts Hotel is on a main road and two blocks from the subway. The best part was the staff. They were so kind, and generous. We were two American girls visiting Istanbul for the first time, and we don't speak Turkish. They spoke English, and helped us when it came to directions, and would call us a cab from reputable taxi companies. One employee even gave me his Metro card to use for the subway to help me get to the Blue Mosque. And when I left my passport there, the hotel called our cab driver (they couldnt get a hold of us), to tell him they'd either hold it for me or bring it to the airport. The staff here is A+ and honest and honorable. I will stay here again when I visit beautiful Istanbul again. OH! And another great feature of the hotel is they have these smart phones that are assigned to each room that you can use to make local calls and access wifi. This REALLY helped because I got lost while on a cab ride with a driver who didn't speak English. Of course, you have to return the phone, but how genius is it, that they supply that to you. Never heard of any other hotel doing that before. Great place!!!

Room was small and stairway was narrow. That's pretty much the only things I could criticize, and…read moremaybe that adds to the charm. Staff was welcoming and helpful, location was ideal to get acclimated for our first day in Istanbul (easy stroll to Sultanahmet Square, Hagia Sofia and much more), and the breakfast buffet and breakfast room view were outstanding. Airport transfers were reliable and reasonably priced.

Very nicely run hotel, with friendly staff. Huge rooms, but try to get a room on a lower floor,…read moresince no elevators. Not a big fan of their breakfast, but coffee was excellent. Room had King bed, decent bathroom, AC, and a great view of the Bosporus!

I stayed there few years ago . Clean , good location and price. What I like the best was the staff…read morethere very helpful and respectful

This is an old hotel sitting in the busy Spice Bazzar tourist hot spot. It is 15-min walk to grand…read moreBazaar. It has easy access public tram service Our tour group stayed here before leaving Turkey to go home. The farewell dinner was okay nothing spectacular. However we have samples all fine Turkish cuisines in the past two weeks. It was great a have a great place to have a final gathering. The sandwich that the hotel prepared in the early morning hours (2:30 am) was awful. So just my recommendation is staying at this hotel and try all the wonder local dishes at the bazaar!

The stars are for the location, and the room on the 1st floor we stayed in ... This hotel is…read moresituated very close to the spice market, and a twenty min walk to the Grand Bazaar (fyi, walking here in Turikye: get ready for battle, some people walk very fast, some people walk slower, their is no order, just people basically walking straight right into you -- it is really, really triggering. Nobody moves aside just walk right towards you and on the cobblestones or avoiding their disguised curbs moving laterally, you could really sprain your ankles)., Rushum Pasha Mosque, Galata Bridge and the Bosphorus. The hotel has a strange scent in the common areas, potpourri, and roses dominant, especially in the elevators, which is off putting. Towels were not refreshed on the second night, we had to call after having a full day of walking. Interesting that a tip was taken. And the breakfast gave me explosive vomiting. So, the 3 stars are pretty generous.

I stayed here for about ten days! And I've had a great experience during my stay…read more What I loved most about this hotel is the employees! All of them were friendly and very accommodating! Then location was very convenient! walking distance to all the major sights literally 5 to 10min walk. Tram station about 3min walk. All the restaurants and supermarkets are just steps away... The room was pretty small, not enough space to put all our stuff and move around but it was super clean.. and if we needed anything the staff were always there for us. The beds were comfortable. They have a small terrace with a beautiful view. Where you can take your breakfast or drinks and enjoy the view.. The staff at the reception were very helpful! we've had breakfast included in our room,,, as we were fasting we asked to have our breakfast for sohour instead... and the overnight guy was kind enough to accommodate us and make us a plate with cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruit at 3am. I highly recommend this hotel!

A hotel in a newer building. Conveniently located close to all major tourist attractions in the…read moreSultanahmet part of town. Walking distance to the tram. Good pricing including breakfast - good spread of cold cuts, fruit, bread along with a few hot items. The rooms are a reasonable size for Istanbul. There is a very small fitness Center in the basement with a treadmill, bike and elliptical. Rooftop terrace has breathtaking view of the Sea of Marmara. Can also see some of the Blue Mosque.