The hotel is very well located, all the main attractions are within walking distance.:
- Suleymaniye Mosque;
- Hagia Sophia Mosque;
- Dolmabahce Palace;
- Gulkhan Tulip Park;
- the Filoxene cistern.
The owner of the hotel, Yusuf, is very attentive and helpful, will always help you solve any questions. Organized a transfer from the airport and back.
The hotel is certainly not quite modern, but it has its own "zest", and as they say: - "taste and color ..."
There are a lot of mosques in Istanbul and every morning at 5-30 there is a service (morning prayer), so you can hear it very well, be prepared for this. 🌝
In terms of price/quality (5 nights, 13,000 rubles in December 2024) - a better place. The prudent and non-intrusive host, the size of the room and the location are a huge plus. We had towels, disposable slippers, a kettle, water, a refrigerator, a table, a sofa, three beds, shampoo, shower gel and a small number of guests. If it's critical, our room was on the third floor without an elevator. There are rooms on other floors as well. In general, I recommend this room for a comfortable sleep. If there are other requirements for the number, you need to think about it.
We travel a lot, rent apartments and hotels in different countries and cities, but this is the first time we've been in such a horror, and even with children. I relied very heavily on the reviews and the rating of the "island" and was sorry. Unfortunately, we paid in advance on the website for all 4 days at once.
We arrived at about 6 p.m. in the rain and with the children, and the owner of this apartment met us from the airport (transfer is $45). Then there was a tour of the apartments and the horror of what he saw.
And now the facts:
1. It is located 5 minutes from the historical center, but in the "slums", it is generally not safe to walk in the evening.
2. I paid for a 2-room room for 4 (2 adults and 2 children aged 5 and 10), in fact it is a large and elongated room divided by a cardboard partition.
3. Plaster is falling from the ceiling, dirt is everywhere (only clean bedding), everything is falling off, it stinks, the light is so dim that we turned on the phone flashes, there is mold in the bathroom, the bedside table is broken, the toilet is leaking, there is a very strong smell of bleach, the sockets are barely holding on. Yusuf (the owner) was immediately shown everything and asked questions, to which he replied that the plaster had been like this for a long time and everything was OK, do not touch the bedside table, the toilet is flushing. Everyone was shocked. I told Yusuf that it was unsafe and I was afraid to sleep under such a ceiling, he replied that there was only a room for 3, everything else was occupied.
We moved into the next room: the ceiling and walls were covered in black mold, and a curtain was stapled in place of the ceiling in the bathroom.
3. There is no sound insulation, there is a railway nearby, so everything shakes regularly. When the "neighbors" come into their phones from the street, it's like your front door is slamming, you can hear it so much.
In general, in the morning we packed up and left this "junk", despite the fully paid accommodation. This is the most dangerous apartment for your health!
The owner refused to return the money.
I wrote to Ostrov's support service, he told them that we had agreed to an alternative option, so he would not refund the money!
P.S. when I bluntly told Yusuf that this was not allowed and it was terrible, he made it clear that my review would not affect his rating and reviews.
p.s. I paid about $90 a day without breakfast in terrible conditions, the owner claimed that it was great for that kind of money. On the trail.We checked into a 3* hotel for $ 110, a 4-bed room with breakfast and cleanliness and safety.