Tophane Mansion Karakoy

This hotel was a true find for us. Great location outside the tourist zone. Steps from the tram that will easily connect you to all of Istanbul’s sites, and a short walk to the port area. Many reasonably priced restaurants within walking distance. Ferry terminal is also a short walk away allowing inexpensive access via ferry and metro to the airport. A small grocery store is also right next door. Air conditioning works well, shower is clean with plenty of hot water. Comments re: staff are because they are located directly across the street so in a sister property, which is also where check in/out is located so had no interaction during our stay.

You had to ask the staff to clean the room and apart from day one no replenishment of water, tea and coffee was provided. Although pleasant, no help was provided with suitcases, or anything else. Breakfast was very basic Turkish and no fresh coffee after 10. Although the building itself was recently refurbished, the nearby areas were very run down. Also the room was in one building, the reception and breakfast area was in the building opposite. Also‘Thophan mansion’ sign was nowhere to be seen. The building opposite was called’Sabiha Sultan’. Hence the confusion in finding the hotel in the first place.

Location was really good and personal was friendly

There were many positives. We had what we needed, and the staff were friendly and helpful, and they speak English. The location was great for our purposes, which were touristic. There was a lift. We might stay there again. Also great is that there is supermarket next door. The negatives: the room felt a little damp, and the shower could get slippery. There were four or five WiFi networks, none of which delivered a stable service. Lastly, we returned to our room one day to find housekeeping had left the door open, which we did not appreciate, especially considering we had all our stuff in there, including our passports and our laptops.

This is a boutique hotel, not a large hotel, so keep that in mind. The location is excellent, right in the heart of the tourist area, with Istiklal Street and Taksim Square just behind the hotel. Be prepared for steep hills, but that's part of Istanbul! The city is full of beautiful cobblestone streets. There are plenty of restaurants, cafés, and grocery stores nearby. Just a few streets away is the beautiful Bosphorus waterfront with amazing restaurants and views. I only discovered it on my last day and loved it. I highly recommend this hotel if you want a central location. Just wear comfortable shoes because you'll be walking up and down steep streets. I also joined two tours offered by the hotel. The Old City Tour was excellent, and our guide was amazing. Unfortunately, I don't remember his name. However, I was very disappointed with the Princes' Islands Tour. The guide left us on our own as soon as we arrived on the island, which was difficult because I don't speak Turkish. The tour company was Blue Brothers, and I will be leaving them a separate review. I don’t recommend them at all. Overall, I really enjoyed my stay and would recommend this hotel