Help with ISTANBUL Hotels!
 

OK, I did my research and here are the hotels that are available and within my price range. I think I am pretty lucky to have a choice of some good moderate hotels. Has anyone stayed at any of these? How are the locations? Any comments?

Garden House - Rated #1 at Trip Advisor. This one looks decent but it's hard to believe this is the most favorite hotel in Istanbul? They have a double at EUR 95. The rooms look a bit fluffy. http://www.gardenhouseistanbul.com/

Dersaadet Hotel - Rated #2 at Trip Advisor. The rooms here look very nice. They have a "standard single" at EUR 85. http://www.dersaadethotel.com/

Hotel Sari Konak - Rated #3 at Trip Advisor but with mixed reviews. The rooms look dated. I don't have confirmation from them yet. http://www.sarikonak.com/

Nena Hotel - Rated #4 at Trip Advisor. I am not sure if I am really interested in this one. They have a double for EUR 61. Their websight say the rate includes "All kinds of tax and vat". http://www.istanbulhotelnena.com/

Ottoman Hotel Imperial - Rated #5 at Trip Advisor. I like the look of the rooms here. Standard double is EUR 89. http://www.ottomanhotelimperial.com/

Empress Zoe - Rated #7 at Trip Advisor. The rooms here look like a theme park. The single rooms look small and odd. It seems to get good reviews. They are offering me a triple for 1 night at EUR 109, the change to a single for the balance at EUR 75. www.emzoe.com

Erguvan Hotel - Rated #26 at Trip Advisor . The rooms here look tailored and modern.Double with a sea view EUR 95, single EUR 60, Standard Double EUR 85. http://www.erguvanhotel.com

Uyan Hotel. Rated #43 at Trip Advisor. This one always seems to get positive comments on Fodors. I like the rooms, they look modern and clean. They have a "standard" room for EUR 90. http://www.uyanhotel.com/

I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton when I was in Istanbul. However, my companions and I had lunch at a cafe near Empress Zoe. We met people who were staying there and they raved about it. It certainly looks enchanting high up on the hill it sits on.

TA ratings in Istanbul are notoriously untrustworthy, as you've already picked up on. Many of the reviews are written by hotel workers and a few ever ask you to write them (in the lobby) as you leave their hotel.

I'm one of the people who liked the Uyan although some TA reviews reported spotty service after my stay. I wrote a trip report here and also posted on TA. (I included pics and recommended the 4th floor corner room with small balcony and distant sea view)

The Uyan standard rooms are not renovated but I liked them anyway and thought they were charming with hardwood floors and windows that opened. There was a moldy smell in the bathroom that was difficult to air out although the bathroom itself was spotless, new, and modern. I noticed a moldy smell in my colleague's hotel room (forgot the name) so the proximity to the water and humidity seems to create this issue for some of the moderate/budget hotels. Our room on the top (4th) floor was very sunny and well lit and there's an elevator. Rooftop terrace is gorgeous although there's no bar up there -- you could bring out your own bottle and glasses, however. Got free wifi last summer.

Empress Zoe is another general favorite although you don't seem to like the aesthetic. There's tons of stairs in that hotel and I would have stayed here except for my friend's knee problem.

7 Hills has the most dramatic terrace and breakfast/dining room in the area IMO -- but rooms are more expensive.

We loved the Empress Zoe.Very atmospheric. Great beds and bathrooms. The Chez Zoe garden suites which we had are terrific. Wonderful courtyard. A back entrance avoids the stair issue. Hotel is owned by an American woman originally from San Francisco. Really a great place to stay. Highly recommend!

I can vouch for the Sari Konak where we stayed last fall. We upgraded to the slightly larger room and enjoyed the very convenient location near all the sights but far enough away where there wasn't much street noise. Decent breakfast in pleasant courtyard. Very courteous and friendly staff.

What I liked best was the roof top terrace where we would unwind, decompress and cool off in the afternoon with snacks and cold white wine reading or watching the boats on the Sea of Marmara.

topping again

I booked the Ottoman Hotel Imperial. It semed like the most modern in the group.

give us a link so we can see too.

The link is on my original message at the top.

We have stayed at both the Sari Konak and the Nena Hotel and found them both to be very accomodating and well located (we preferred the Nena Hotel location) and would stay at either again. Rooms are not too large (even the larger one at Sari Konak) but are ok.
Our only other hotel experience in Istanbul was the Four Seasons. Obviously no comparison but the price is 3-4 times as much.
Quite frankly, our hotel experiences at the Sari Konak and Nena Hotel were much more interesting, if not as luxurious.

Another thumbs-up for the Empress Zoe. I stayed there for about nine nights and tetsed three differnet rooms - loved it. I know what you mean about it looking a little "themed" but for me it works. The garden is lovely, breakfasts very nice and it was just a treat to be away from the typical cookie cutter type of hotel.

As one posted says it does have a lot of stairs - but that was fine for us.

Having said that if you don't like the look of it from the website I would recommend you stay elsewhere - to me the website is a very good representation of what it is like. It even has a photo of one of the resident cats.

Richard, I agree with your assessment of the hotels and your choice. I'll take modern over charming any day for a hotel. And the location is perfect. Thanks for doing research for me. :) I'm thinking about going to Turkey in the fall.

Just to throw another hotel into the mix, the Ciragan Palace (Chir-aanh)hotel is stunning and right on the Bosphorus.

My business associate was upgraded to the Palace itself. It was a beautiful duplex suite, about a 10 minut walk from the hotel.

It may be a tad pricy for most folks.

I booked at the Ottoman Hotel Imperial, it seems like a nice place.

http://www.ottomanhotelimperial.com/

We stayed at a Best Western(really a locally owned Turkish hotel) that was right across from the Hippodrome and Aye Sophia. It had free internet,rooms were great and a fabulous rooftop breakfast room overlooking the Bosphorus. I think that we spent about 65 euros a night several years ago-cannot think of the name right now but check out the Best Western website. It was so easy to walk to everything from our hotel.

Just to add another that hasn't been mentioned here already, I stayed at Apricot Hotel earlier this year www.apricothotel.com and was very impressed by the clenliness and fastastic breakfast choices. They get a lot of good reviews on T.A and on other sites and deservedly so - it's a very well run hotel

Anybody have any comments regarding the Ibrahim Pasa hotel?