We loved this hotel! Location is perfect - right up the road from the Underground Cistern (as well…read moreas the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace). It feels somewhat "local" while also being close to the tourist attractions and public transportation. Service was impeccable - The front desk locked our luggage in a cage when we arrived before check-in time; got us into our room much earlier than we expected; kept our key when we were going out (the key is on a chunky, solid metal key chain that's rather heavy); and booked our very early morning (5am) taxi to the Istanbul Airport (IST) for us. The breakfast buffet was AMAZING! So much good food and many different choices along with some standards - cheeses, vegetables, eggs, cereal, orange juice, cherry juice, a variety of breads (with jelly or actual honeycomb), coffee & tea, etc. Everything was delicious. And the bellhops were constantly taking plates and replacing food. We were thankful for the hotel's wi-fi as we discovered internet is somewhat difficult to come by in Turkey. The connection was somewhat sketchy in our room, so I can imagine the signal is stronger or weaker depending on your room's location. But the wifi was amazing in the lobby, so we were fine. Also, don't miss the rooftop bar/restaurant ... just for the view! We didn't eat there, but we did enjoy a glass of Turkish wine while staring at the Hagia Sophia. Next time we're in Turkey, I expect we'll return to this boutique hotel with everything we needed! It was great!

Breakfast terrace alone is a sufficient reason to book this hotel! How many terraces can provide…read morethe unobstructed view of the Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara like this? One of my highlights of my 6-night stay in Istanbul was dining on the delicious breakfast buffet as I watch the sun rises from Asia! Anyway, the breakfast terrace is not the only thing that is great about this hotel! If you are seeking for an optimal location for sightseeing, Star Holiday may be the best you can find. The Hippodrome (Sultanhamet Square) is in front of the hotel, the Blue Mosque is a few minute walk away, and Ayasofya and Basilica Cistern are literally around the corner. Additionally, the tram stop is next door so you can easily go anywhere in Istanbul including the airport. Star Holiday does have few flaws though. The most obvious one was the much smaller room than advertised; although I booked an economy room with two doubles, I was shocked to see an extremely tiny room that is sufficient only to rest and nothing more. The floor insulation is poor, so every step upstairs sounds like a stomp. The Wi-Fi is slow, so you probably cannot upload your photos online. Nonetheless, these flaws are only glaring if you intend to stay in the hotel most of the time, which you should not do when you are in the city that is full of wonders! Despite these flaws, I still enjoy staying in the hotel, because the room is comfortable and has all basic amenities, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the breakfast buffet is plentiful and delicious even if you do not consider the spectacular view. In fact, no flaws can cover the fact that this hotel is in an optimal location with an optimal terrace view! Anyway, unless you need a luxury hotel experience, I highly recommend Star Holiday especially to first-time Istanbul tourists, because nothing is more magical than starting your day as you walk by the Blue Mosque to the tram stop and ending your day as you walk by the lighted mosque as you return to your hotel.

On average its good for the cheap price they offer. Plus, location is fantastic infront of the…read moremetro line and overlooking The blue mosque and Aya Fofia musuem. Also, its 10 mins walking to Topkapi palace. Every thing is good including the breakfast served on the terrace overlooking blue mosque and the helpful staff, apart from 2 things; the rooms are extremely small and toilets smell really weird. Again, the hotel is really cheap so ts convenient to what you paying. One more thing, don't take the hotel shuttle from the airport as they charge 25 euro ( 90 or more turkish money) per person and its double the price of a taxi from Ataturk to sultan ahmet where the hotel is. Taxis won't cost more than 5o turkish money.

Is it overpriced? Yes! Is it worth every minute when you're in transit for a 9 hour layover with a…read morejet lagged toddler? A MILLION TIMES YES!! The hotel is on the air side of the terminal and provides refuge from the noise and bustle of the international terminal. They will provide a wake up (err, get out of the room NOW) call when your time inside is up, but the clean and quiet and the option to stretch out my legs and get some rest makes it worth the price.

The general airport noise near the room is more then offset by the convenience factor of this…read morehotel. Instead of heading through passport control, picking up your bags and taking a shuttle to an offsite hotel, you can transit through to this hotel without leaving the secure zone if you have a long layover, or early flight. Free wifi that works great, plugins (which are lacking in the IST airport terminal) comfy beds, cleeaannn rooms, nice carpet, sparkling tub/shower and large bathroom, and even glass block lighted 'window' so you can pretend it is daytime outside along with in-room tea and coffee combine to offset the high cost of relaxing before a 14 hour non-stop flight back to LAX. Rates are in three hour time blocks, but very spendy. The down side was that our luggage that was supposed to be checked through didn't make it to LAX, but that isn't the hotel's fault.

I was surprised how nice this hotel was and how well it met all my needs during my stay in…read moreIstanbul. Location: Top marks here. It is so close to everything that we needed to get to. A few mins. walking distance to the Mosques and Bazaars and the Sultanamet train station. The only thing is I wouldn't recommend eating in this area as things are quite expensive since it is the touristy area. It does quiet down a lot at night time since the mosques close. Service: everyone here was nice and courteous. They spoke English and was able to give us tips and recommendations. They even mailed out my postcard for me on my last day here because I couldn't make a trip to the post office! I Just paid them in cash! Oh yeah, free water bottles! Just ask. Food: I didn't know just how good I had it until I went to another hotel later but the breakfast buffet here is top notch!! SUCH variety and everything tasted so good! They not only had a spread of the cold deli meats and breads, but they had hot foods every morning too! It wasn't all vegetarian either! I was very impressed and was able to eat my fill. Having a hearty breakfast really set us up for the rest of the day because we were able to skip lunch and just have a good dinner. Fully recommend taking advantage of the delicious breakfast. Rooftop - the sights here was beautiful. I was able to wake up really early one morning and take in the quietness of the streets and see all bridge and Blue Mosque in the light of dawn. Gorgeous. Room: Since we didn't spend much time in the room, it was perfect for what we needed. It was small, just enough for a bed and a place for our suitcase but again, it's what we needed. Bathrooms were clean and shower pressure was good. Price: I booked it on Expedia and it really was a great price. This place is a prime example where value and quality can be had altogether.

I had stayed at the Adamar Hotel back in 2009, and had an awesome experience then. So when I was…read moreplanning my return trip to Istanbul for 10 days at the end of October, I knew where I would stay. And I am so pleased to report that the Adamar Hotel is still as amazing. I made online reservations directly through the hotel, and found they have online offers, such as shuttle pickup from airport with a certain length of stay, and discount for cash. Making a reservation was easy, and they responded quickly to any questions. There are now 3 wonderful men at the front Reception desk: Halil (whom I met from my first stay), Ilhan, and Gokhan. All three men were incredibly helpful, respectful, and friendly. They were endlessly patient with my questions, need for directions, and forgetting/mispronouncing their names! They handled payment quickly and efficiently, and provided good ideas for sightseeing and dining. In addition, Evrim, Burak and Emre also work in the reception area and were kind, friendly, and always eager to help with anything needed. The rooms had been updated, and I found them to still be spotlessly clean. The housekeepers Sengul and Turkan did a fabulous job of keeping my room clean, and always gave me welcoming smiles. The rooms are a bit small, but no smaller than any of the European rooms I have stayed in. My room (204) had large windows, and was very bright and cheery. Windows opened, and when closed really blocked the outside noise well. The bed was a bit hard, but comfortable. The best part was a power heating/AC unit that kept the room comfortable at all times. The upstairs breakfast area is truly the star here (well, in addition to the wonderful staff!!). The breakfast is still bountiful and delicious. Selda who works here is also friendly and will take your order for one of their fabulous omelets. All food is fresh and well prepared. The view is unequaled, and there is a beautiful serenity to starting your day gazing out onto the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. There is free Wi Fi throughout the hotel which was strong and worked well. There is also a computer in the lobby to use for printing needed documents. Overall, in my 10 day stay here I felt like I was staying with my family. I feel incredibly close to the staff, as if they were all my friends, brothers and sisters. I felt safe and protected, and there is just some kind of magic at this hotel. Each and every staff member here clearly takes pride in their work and doing a great job. I plan on returning again to Istanbul in a few years and look forward to staying here again. I miss them already!

Staff is friendly and helpful. Breakfast is included and the highlight is the fresh cherry and…read moreapple juice with a wonderful lady making to order gozleme. A store is right across the street for provisions. You can walk to Blue Mosque and many shops/restaurants.

Hotel Amira was the second hotel that I stayed in to get a different point of view. It is located…read moreon Sultanahmet's side which is within walking distance of Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. All of these sites are quite famous and usually take a long time to get in. But during November it is their low season so it was less busy than I have seen it before. Hotel Amira was also my first time staying at this boutique hotel which cost was quite reasonable. The only negative thing is maybe the stairs if you have heavy luggage you will need some assistance depending on which floor you get. We got the 7th room number which doesn't have an elevator to connect to that level. But besides that it was fine. The staff here is quite friendly and nice. If you have any questions just ask them and they will be able to help you out. The rooftop is closed though since it is cold but you can still go on top of it and take some photos of the view. It is fantastic to see the ocean on one side and also the mosque on the other. For a boutique hotel, the location, area, and being able to walk around at all the most famous places in Istanbul is quite nice!

This hotel was the perfect ending to our whirlwind Turkey trip! Out of the three hotels we stayed…read morein, this was by far the best. Our room was spacious and elegant, and the service was outstanding. The lobby was filled with tempting treats - though I was always too full to indulge, they were a feast for the eyes! Our final dinner at the Asian restaurant was the best meal of the entire trip. The bed was incredibly comfortable, although I only had a few hours to enjoy it due to an early flight. The Bosphorus view from my room was incredible; it felt like I could step right onto the ferries below! My only complaint is the whilrpool next was cold. The attendant was amazing, as everytime the jets stopped he would run over and turn them on. When I asked him if he could make it warmer he said he could not. I even had goosebumps the water was so cold.

We had a lovely Christmas day tea at Shangri-la Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul. From the delicious…read morefood to the very accommodating staff it was a perfect. Yagmur and Zeynap were our servers. These two ladies insured that we had perfect service. Each request was handled flawlessly with a kind and friendly demeanor. Thank you Yagmur and Zeynap for a wonderful dining experience.

This is a hotel in Istanbul that looks and feels for all the world like you have stepped into…read moreluxury. Hotel Ibrahim Pasha is a converted 19th century townhouse (in fact, it is 2 converted) that has all the modern luxuries you need. I only stayed for one night but was made to feel welcome from the first second to the last. This is a boutique hotel to match all of the others in the world. I was amazed at the way the place looked and the support I got from all members of the team. I stayed for one night on my own and the room was perfect for me. The hotel has a reputation for being booked out well in advance, so make sure you get in there as soon as you can to avoid disappointment. The view of the Blue Mosque from the hotel is pretty spectacular and this makes the stay all the more engaging. The hotel is really close to the Hagia Sophia and a short walk to this sight is always a pleasure. Getting into this hotel is highly recommended - don't miss out on a booking or you may regret it.

Such a wonderful, modern, boutique hotel located in the Sultanhamet area of Istanbul literally a…read morecouple hundred feet from the main square with the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque and a little bit further to Topkapi Palace. The location can't get much better since it also happens to be on a somewhat quiet street so you can still get your snooze on until the infamous and mind blowing Istanbul 5:30AMish wake up call: the call to prayer. Pro-tip: Actually get out of bed when the call goes off and head up to the hotel's roof deck for an amazing view of the blue mosque. While the world at large is asleep, enjoy the stillness, the beauty and the magic. The hotel: really hip and decorated perfectly. Whoever did their interior design needs a Yelp listing and a 5 star review, stat. Whether you want to cozy in the library nook and read you travel book in front of the fire or set up at the huge farm table, there's lots of great open space. They give you a customized tourist map to the hotel with really useful information from recommended restaurants, ATM's, salons and even add a blip on how to get to the hotel in Turkish that you can show your taxi driver. They pay attention to detail and they get it. The breakfast was simple, plentiful and fresh. Basically you get some simit (think a Turkish bagel) and the most incredible array of jams and honey, along with borek (um, yes.), hard boiled eggs, cereal and some fruit. Coffee was good. The room we stayed in was TINY. Not that we were in the rooms for that long, but they were very small along with the tiniest of bathrooms. The beds were comfy (we accidentally booked 2 twins) and the television had the BBC. We stayed during the off season and prices were super reasonable. I'd definitely recommend staying here. If you happen to be a tall/big guy or gal, I'd opt for a bigger, most likely more expensive room. * Wifi was strong! ** Fresh fruit and Turkish delight in the room as a warm welcome

The loocation for this hotel is perfect !!! short walking distance from main attractions such as…read moreHagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Breakfast is AMMMMAZING ( And they also serve freshly squeezed OJ). Staff is soo friendly and will go above and beyond to make your stay perfect . We ended up doing more shopping than anticipated and realized last minute ( before checking out ) that not all the stuff can fit in our luggage. The hotel staff provided us with a handbag to put in our excess items. How freaking kind are they !! Loved loved loved our stay there and will definetly stay there again.