Wow! We had a very memorable stay at Elanaz Hotel in Istanbul.
It was a small hotel located at a very strategic location that is close to all the sites in Istanbul. We were able to walk to St. Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Istiklal, Ferry to Kadikoy/Asian side and even able to walk to further cool areas like Nişantaşı and Balat/Fener. We highly recommend getting the Bosphorus View Room with Balcony, which we enjoyed a lot as we can't get enough of the view.
What exceeded our expectations is how the staff was very helpful and responsive.
First was during booking, when we had an issue with Booking.com and Priceline.com as our credit card got declined. No one from either of these booking sites were professional and helpful enough to assist so we contacted the hotel directly. The hotel staff were very helpful and we were able to save our reservation after we contacted our bank to confirm that the transaction was valid.
Upon our check-in, the front desk staff - Hussein, was very friendly and helpful. He oriented us everything about the hotel. When we had issues with the hotel key card and lost hot water from the shower, they were very responsive and communicative and they fixed the issues right away.
The icing on the cake was the surprise that I received on my birthday. I did not mention it to anyone that we were traveling to celebrate my birthday. On the day itself, after coming back to the hotel - lo and behold, I found a surprise greeting, a bottle of wine and a couple of flowers waiting for me at my room. I was very impressed that they paid attention about my special day and made an extra effort to make me feel valued as their guest. Simply wow!
Highly recommended to anyone who wants to stay at a central location and experience authentic Turkish hospitality! Kudos and more power to Elanaz Hotel! read more