This hotel really made our week in Istanbul special. The facilities are great - clean, nice hammam, excellent breakfast, good lounge area - but above all it's the staff that make the place so great. They are always friendly, helpful and welcoming without being overbearing. The hotel manager, Okay Alkan, organises tours several times a week. These show you parts of Istanbul away from the obvious tourist sites and are absolutely free (the hotel even pay the tram fares!). Okay is really friendly, knowledgeable and keen to share the culture of his city with visitors. These tours were real highlights of our stay.
We had a huge, comfortable bed and a view towards Gulhane Park and Topkapi Palace (in a standard room). The kettle was a bonus for us Brits too! The street the hotel is on is quiet with very little traffic, but it's an easy walk to all the main sites and about 100 yards from a tram stop so the location could not be better. If (hopefully when!) we return to Istanbul we won't even consider staying anywhere else.
