More about Hotel Sultanhan
A good hotel in a great location
by TripAdvisor Member mushis
The Sultanhan Hotel really provides everything you want and require from a hotel, clean rooms, a good breakfast to start the day, friendly staff. However, that just makes it good, the real advantage of this hotel is its location. Positioned in the old side of the city, it is one of the few good hotels in this part of the city. Only a short walk from the Blue Mosque and all the famous attractions the hotel really is in a prime location. In conclusion it is good, not great, but good, the location really is the selling point.
Amazing Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member danschaeffer
My wife and I just returned from Istanbul and spent 4 nights at this hotel. It was a wonderful experience and I recommend it without hesitation. The location is second to none as it is steps from the major historical sites like the Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia and is 2 minutes walking to the tram.
We were greeted at the airport by a driver and taken to the hotel where we were given a quick tour and taken to our room. Our room was clean, spacious, and had all the modern amenities that we needed - safe, air-conditioning, and television.
The breakfast room affords a great view of the city and the food is fresh and delicious. The people in the restaurant were welcoming and polite.
The staff at the hotel especially Orhan and Husnu as well as all of the others were helpful and welcoming. We ate at a great fish restaurant called Malamar on Kumkapi Street that was recommended to us by Orhan and I highly recommend eating there.
The Allstar Sultanhan Hotel is a perfect place to escape from the busy city - the rooms are great, the staff is welcoming, and the location is perfect. I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul.
Such a wonderful city
by TripAdvisor Member YAHA
I must say that if you go to Istanbul this is the best place to stay. It is a nice small boutique hotel where you can relax avoiding crowds.
The staff were incredible helpful and really kind.The hotel is in a fantastic situation and has a nice restaurant overlooking all the most important tourist attractions like the Blue Mosque, the Haghia Sophia and the Marmara Sea.I really recommend the food at the restaurant,the best in all Turkey without doubt.
Istanbul is an amazing place to visit but there is a lot of harassment of the tourist.Try to avoid The Grand Bazaar which is full of tacky things made in China and Malaysia.Rugs.....Don't even think about it...I'm still having nightmares about them.At all costs avoid the alleged "cruise" that goes up the Bosphorus . We booked the all day trip for 50 Euros thinking we would spend it on the river. We spent only about half an hour onn the river and the rest stuck in a tiny bus, fed a rubbish lunch with about 200 other people crammed into a very ordinary restaurant and shipped off to a rug store where we were forced to endure sales pichs. A total rip off!
Thanks to Orhan Karakas in particular at the Sultanhan. He is at the desk and really great guy, and to Ali Varlik, the F/B superviser. They both deserve a raise.
Perfect location, horrible service
by TripAdvisor Member jesdanz
I never write these sort of reviews, but I felt that it was my duty as an avid traveller to write about my experience at this hotel. Let me preface this by saying that I am a very easy-going traveller.
When we got to the hotel, it couldn't have been in a better location. It's literally a five minute walk from all of the main tourist sites in Istanbul (the Blue Mosque, the Hagghia Sofia, etc). The view from the roof deck, which serves complimentary breakfast to all hotel guests, was amazing.
However, there were a few things that weren't up to par with a four star hotel. First, we arrived to our room to find that there was two twins beds instead of one double bed. Unfortunately the hotel was all booked up for the night, so we had to push the beds together. Not the worst thing in history... After that, I decided to get settled, unwind and shower, to find that there weren't any towels in the bathroom. I had to wait 15 minutes, sopping wet, before I received a towel from the houskeeping staff. Next, we went downstairs to get a recommendation from the conceirge for dinner. The front deskman/ conceirge/ bell hop recommended a place where we could see traditional Turkish dancing called Sultana's. Not only was the food horrible at this place, (my fiancee got food poisoning) but it also turned out to be a strip club on the top two floors!! Needless to say that the conceirge at this hotel is virtually non-existant, but they are clueless about where they send their hotel guests. I would advise that if this is your first time in Istanbul and you want a luxury experience, stay far away from the All Star Sultanhan because it's a no star!!
Good location
by TripAdvisor Member YorkshireUKtraveller
The location of the Sultanhan was hard to beat - near all the sites in Sultanahmet, the bazaar (make sure you are in a good mood with plenty of time if you want to buy, otherwise take a thick skin if you just want to look - hassle factor very high), and the Cemberlitas turkish bath and close to the tram stop (the nearest stop is Cemberlitas - invest in an 'Akbil' pass if you are there for more than 2 days) for the airport and the docks at Eminonu - take the 'official' - longer and cheaper boat trip up the Bosphorus, 12.5 tl each return. We used the tram to connect with buses to Ortakoy (try the Cinar restaurant on the waterfront), the funicular to Taksim Square (meyhanes in Nevizade Sokak - take a hangover cure) and to see Chora Church mosaics at Edinekarpe. Our room was lovely, clean, although the air conditioning was a bit noisy. The breakfast roof terrace was lovely light and airy and breakfast was very good. We chose not to eat in the hotel in the evening as the prices were a bit steep - as was the bar, where costs were astronomical compared with other establishments nearby. Cheapest and tasty meal undoubtedly the fish sandwich at Eminonu docks, 3 turkish lira. Best local restaurant in Sultanahmet was Balicki Sabahattin - great fish, reasonable prices and best for people watching.
Service was excellent and staff advised on tram and bus routes, posted our postcards for us etc.
We got a very good deal via Expedia.
Would recommend the Turkish Travel Planner website for great advice.
Incompetence
by TripAdvisor Member indecisivetraveler
The rooms are ok, but the service is not up to the higher price charged. Missed three of the four wake up calls requested and almost caused us to miss our flight by not ordering our van for the airport. Stay at the Green House.
The place to stay for family of three
by TripAdvisor Member Prodan
Excellent hotel for Istanbul, especially if you are a family of three:
Always difficult to find a decent size of room if you have one teenager. This hotel has good newly decorated triple rooms with a double & full single (not fold down) and still has a decent seating area.
Superb Location - just off the main street but only 5 mins from the sites. Only a few minutes from the tram stop - which gets you round quicker than taxis.
Staff were very friendly & welcoming. Arranged trips efficiently and they pick you up at the airport as part of the deal.
One tip for the Bosphorus tour, ignore the tourist traps & get the ferry for a 6 hour round trip, all for £4. At the lunch stop, if you climb the hill there is a restaurant at the fort, very clean & good value with stunning views.
A decent hotel in a good location
by TripAdvisor Member PhoKing
My wife and I stayed at this hotel during the Easter break for 2 nights along with a group of friends. All in all, there was little to complain about, but I thought to share some useful information if you do consider staying here.
Location - Fantastic. Within walking minutes to the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia. Close to money changers that didn't charge commission and offered competitive rates (2.65 lira to the pound).
Restaurant - though the hotel had it's own on the top floor, the menu
wasn't to our liking, so we opted to look around. I would recommend Mozaik, good food and friendly staff.
Rooms - Clean and roomy, with the standard amenities. Safe had no operating instructions, so you'll need to contact reception.
Turkish Bath - located in the basement of the hotel. I thought to unwind after a full day tour with a mate, but was annoyed to find out
that there was a separate charge to use this facility, to top it off,
they charged us 31Lira each!!!! Not impressed.
Staff - fairly friendly and helpful, though, the reception staff will
push you to take on their partnered tours, but I guess that's a standard practice throughout the city with the smaller hotels.
Internet - reception holds a couple of laptops you can borrow. I had my own and had no problems connecting wirelessly from the 4th floor.
Booking - we found the best deal through asiaromms.com. Depending on the time of travel, you can get it for as little as £68 double up to £193 per night including tax and breakfast. Best to book ahead.
Istanbul is such a fascinating city and I'm very envious of you... enjoy!
great location, great hotel
by TripAdvisor Member llrc2
i would whole heartly recommend this hotel. it has a great location (5 minutes walk from the major sites) and a few minutes walk to the tram stop where you can easily travel across the Goldern Horn.
Rooms were spacious and breakfast was within view of the blue mosque.
And take the hotel bus to the airport - travelling in luxury was a great way to end a brillian trip.
