Galata Antique

This is a very well located hotel in the Galata neighborhood of Istanbul. We picked it for its proximity to the metroline and the fact that we could basically walk to all of the interesting sites. The rooms look much nicer in the photos than in real life. The hotel needs to be renovated or at least the rooms should be painted. The paint in the bathroom was falling off of the walls and there was a lot of mould on the tiles. Since it wasn't clear when we booked I think I should mention that breakfast is not included and it is not available in the hotel even though it said it cost 10 euros on the booking form. I guess it is ok for the price but it has a lot more potential.

I absolutely loved this little gem of a hotel. What the hotel may have lacked in initial virtual engagement (Agoda's fault not the hotel's), the eventual meeting on the day of and subsequently during my 5 night stay is nothing short of Turkish charm and warmth. The hotel is well situated in the heart of the Golden Horn and near Galata tower and captures the spirit of small little cobblestone lanes & hubub. I was upgraded to a larger room on the top floor and boy did it not disappoint in terms of view and ambience. The staff really made this place - Serhat who suffered countless conversations on books and activities, Emre and his German literature studies, and Fadhime (sp?) the charming sprite of a housekeeper with a very sweet embrace and nature. I spent $60 a night at this place to live like a queen.

Google maps sends you to the wrong hotel. The actual hotel is 10 meters up the steps on your left on top of the Chinese and Sushi express restaurant. It took me 30 minutes of dragging a suitcase around to find it. No security guard, taxi driver or random person had a clue where it was.