merlef

Can anyone tell me about the Hotel Tashkonak in Istanbul? Is it a nice hotel? Are the rooms very small? The location looks good.

I will be using public transportation or tours while in the Ephesus area.
I was thinking of staying in Sirince at the Nisanyan Evieri Hotel
or
In Selcuk staying at the Hotel Nilya or Hotel Bella. Which of these two hotels do you think is nicer? How large are the sizes of the rooms?

I am between spending the nights either in Sirince or Selcuk. What are your suggestions?

otherchelebi

Sirince is the tourist area
Selcuk is the local town.

Nisanyan has larger rooms but can be noisy.

Bella has small rooms, used to have excellent restaurant, is right across from St. John's Basilica, but also close to major mosque, meaning loud prayer call.

Just below Bella iz Nazhan which has a new section with larger rooms than the older section and those of Bella. Recommended because I know and trust owner, Cemil Akyurek.

I would not recommend staying at Sirince if visiting at peak tourism season or if visiting in rainy season.

Sorry about Tashkonak but I have knowledge of only some hotels in new town and on Bosphorus.

PegS

Bella has a great location, but the rooms indeed are very small.

kja

I didn't visit Sirence, but enjoyed Selcuk very much. It had an authentic feel to it, a great pedestrian area, and a wonderful market (in addition to easy access to Ephesus).

amer_can

Stayed in Tash Konak (2 yrs ago). Had 110 (I believe) lower level room with bath at back of Hotel.
Very quiet, very cool as in climate, good sized windows, clean,clean, clean. This was quite nice and discounted for cash..Well located, great brkfst, surprisingly good dinner which had to be prebooked and was 10E..I/we would stay there again.Room wasn't the largest to be had but you only sleep there!!!

merlef

Hello amer_can, you said that you stayed at the Tash Konak. I read in a review that the Tash Konak Hotel is located very near a Mosque. Because of the loudspeaker call to pray it can get extremely loud. Is that true? I understand that in the Sultanahmet area you will always hear the Mosque loudspeaker, but is this louder than usual? Also, do you know anything about the Tash Konak suites?

I am planning on spending 8 night and 7 days in Istanbul.I want to split up my hotel accommodations for variety and in case I don't like my hotel or location.
I do not want a hotel near the area where the protest was by Taksim Square. I was thinking of the Sultanahmet area.

We want a large room & bathroom. I want to spend from 100 to the maximum of 150 euro a night.
I was also thinking of either the Hotel Dersaadet, Zeugma Hotel, or the Amira Hotel. Has anyone stayed at these hotels? Do you have any other suggestions?

Judy

We stayed at the Dersaadet three years ago and were very satisfied with the hotel. Our room was not large but was nicely furnished and the staff was friendly and helpful. It is not far from the Blue Mosque and we did hear the call to prayer early every morning.

amer_can

Only time we heard the call to prayer was if we were out or up on the roof terrace. Otherwise.no! Suites?? Don't know if they have them. They may be new. Desaadet is just around the corner and do you mean Amira or Almina? If Almina it is across the street from TKonak. Looked nice but we only looked around the public areas. Wonderful roof bar/lounge area however. Sultanhamet is an area in which to stay unless you want commercial sites, crowds, etc.

merlef

The hotel that I am talking about is called Amira.
Is Tash Konak on a busy street?

amer_can

No..very quiet side street..the nearby mosque is a smallish one off a ways to the side. But we were in a below grade room which had a little patio and was very quiet. Not a big room but more than adequate, Roof terrace..v.nice/ garden area likewise. An old Ottoman mansion now a hotel.

yestravel

We stayed at the Dersaadet last month for five nights. Our room was a bit more then $150. Hotel room was okay size, a touch smaller than we like, but okay. we had a large bath as we had the room with the Turkish bath. It's a good location on a quiet street. Thye have a lovely rooftop where there is a nice breakfast and fabulous views. We could hear the call to prayer in the early am.

As mentioned Tashkonak Hotel was around the corner. directly across the street from the Dersaadet was Tashkonak Suites.

I would definitely choose Selcuk. we stayed at a great hotel there, Ephesus Suites. It is about a five minute walk into the main part of town. we visited Sirince for an afternoon and it was a zoo. Lovely view up in the mountains, but so crowded. I also think Selcuk is the better location.

MarnieWDC

Thank you, Yestravel, for these well-described leads.

merlef

Hello yestravel and others,

I was just looking at the Ephesus Suites website yesterday. The King Suite looked nice or the Comfort double. What room did you have? Is the Comfort double or King Suite good sized? The only negative I read in reviews was that the owners are not there all the time. You many have to call them when you check in to the hotel or for other concerns. Did you have any issues?

Now I am between the Nazha or the Ephesus Suites. I noticed the Ephesus Suites is more expensive.

merlef

I am between the Hotel Nilya (before I wrote Hotel Nazha wrong spelling) or the Ephesus Suites.

yestravel

The king suite is on the upper floor with the comfort room downstairs under it. I think the king suite was a touch larger, but both rooms were nice and a good size. the king suite has a nice view that I don't think,you would.have downstairs. Bathrooms are not large, but that was the case in most places we stayed in Turkey. The owner is fantastic. He wasn't there 24 x7. But was available by phone if needed. He was there in the am during breakfast hours and was always willing to answer questions and help with anything you could need. We had a tiny issue and he was unreal in helping us. there seemed to be someone at the hotel at all times and if they didn't speak English they would call the owner and hand you the cell phone. That said if you feel like you want someone fluent in English around all the time, this may not be the best place for you.

Originally I had booked the Hotel Nila, but learned about Ephesus Suites and thought I would prefer it. We loved it and thought it was one of nicest places we stayed in Turkey.

ttraveler

We stayed at hotel Bella and visited Sirience. Hotel Bella was a good choice for us as the owner was extremely helpful planning out our days. He drove us himself to Sirience dropped us off and then picked us up.. I loved visiting the town. We had delicious fresh peaches with yogurt and bought wonderful olive oil soap. Hotel Bella rooms were small. We had four rooms total and they were all about the same size.
The owner also found a wonderful guide to accompany us to Epheses.. He also has a great giftshop. With beautiful tiles.

merlef

Hello amer_can,

I am a big breakfast eater. I wondered how large a selection of hot and cold items are served for breakfast at the Tash Konak Hotel? What kind of food did they have?