Istankoy Bodrum

Myself and friend booked this hotel on jet2, the reviews and photos were mostly all positive, so I was amazed and disappointed on what greeted us on allocation. Knowing it was a 3* meant I had realistic expectations but, this was not a 3*, I would say 2* at a push. I am happy with basic, but what I wasnt happy with is dirt, grime and unacceptable hygiene and safety standards. On the plus side the location was excellent, and most of the staff were accommodating. Breakfast: Gave it a miss 5 out of 7 days, coffee machine not working most days, wooden stirrers for spoons, tables never cleared with left over breakfast etc. The food area was uninviting and needed a good declutter. Pool Area: Ok, offered towels for the pool, used the rooftop area, which was quieter. Used 2 days out of 7. Reception: Both women were friendly and accommodating where possible. Again, a very dated place, decor and ambience. Needs a massive make over to bring it up to a 3* standard, a strange collection of clocks, model cars and 'stuff', odd pictures that dont match, all very eclectic. Rooms: the attached photos speak for themselves. Reoccurring guests spoke of how the hotel has declined over the years, especially cleaning standards, but spoke highly of the staff. One even said they buy cleaning products before they go as they know how bad it will be but go to meet friends. I will never return, although I would love to spend time helping with the renovations as it could be a little gem! I feel it has a long hard road ahead if it doesnt decide to value its guests and gives them what they pay for as loyal guests may decide to spend well earned money somewhere they may be valued more.

Overview If you are looking for a hotel with a prime location, Hotel Istankoy delivers. However, heavy smoking throughout the property and late-night entertainment mean it won't be the right fit for many. Dining & Drinks Breakfast is very basic: a small selection of meats (2), cheeses (3), lettuce, cucumber, olives, and tomatoes, alongside two choices of breakfast cereal; watermelon, yoghurt, jams, toast, bread, boiled eggs, and other eggs cooked to order. Note that there are no pastries and no additional fruit options. Dinner was much better—well-cooked and tasty, and reasonably priced. Drinks at the hotel bar were also fairly priced, matching or coming in cheaper than local bars and restaurants outside. Rooms & Housekeeping Our ground-floor room was acceptable. While ground-floor rooms lack balconies, I was pleased to see a small seating area outside our window. Unfortunately, this was spoilt by staff members using the area constantly to smoke. As a result, it was unpleasant to sit outside, and smoke drifted straight into our room whenever we opened the window. Air conditioning costs an extra 25 euros a week; and the room safe an extra 10 euros. On a positive note, the shower was excellent, and the room was cleaned several times during our week-long stay. However, we did experience one security concern: after sitting by the pool, we returned to find our room door left open on the latch with no cleaning staff anywhere in sight. Luckily, nothing from our room was missing. Pool, Terrace & Smoking Smoking was extremely prevalent around the pool and bar areas. As non-smokers, eating breakfast outside was unpleasant because smoke constantly drifted over our food. The hotel seems to attract heavy smokers, and it was a mix of both guests and staff chain-smoking throughout the day and evening. There is a non-smoking indoor breakfast room, but the tables were often dirty and covered in breadcrumbs and other detritus. The pool itself is small but fine, though space is tight around the sunbeds during the day and the dining tables at night, leaving little room to walk. We preferred spending time on the rooftop terrace, which was much quieter and more relaxed. It gets full sun up on the roof, but there are several parasols if you want to sit in the shade. Entertainment & Noise The hotel screens football matches several times a week, and hosts breakdancing one night, as well as bingo and karaoke two nights a week. We didn't realise when booking that the bingo and karaoke wouldn't even start until 10:00 PM, running past 2:00 AM. Although we didn't join in, the noise echoed straight into our room. I strongly recommend bringing earplugs to drown out the caterwauling and cacophony of drunk guests (unless you happen to be tone-deaf and love a good sing-song in the early morning hours in which case you'll love it!). Because this is a small hotel, there is truly no escaping the sound, and we couldn't get to sleep until well after 2:00 AM on those nights. Staff The staff work incredibly hard, running from early morning until the early hours of the next morning. A special mention must go to the bar team—they were exceptionally friendly, helpful, and couldn't do enough for us. Location The location is fantastic. It is just a few minutes' walk to the beachside restaurants and a gentle 10-minute walk down the main road to the harbour. You are surrounded by shops, bars, and restaurants, yet none of the surrounding venues were noisy enough to disturb us. Atmosphere & Character The hotel itself is in need of a good chunk of TLC. It feels dated and eccentric, cluttered with old books, clocks, wall-mounted bicycles, and a full menagerie of animal statues—including a family of apes, a turtle, a deer, a goat, and even a (live) whistling parrot—alongside some very strange pictures on the walls. There are also quite a few resident cats roaming the property. If you like cats, you’ll enjoy that, but be aware that they are over-friendly: they sit right by your table begging for food at mealtimes and will even jump up onto your sunbed while you are relaxing. Final Verdict If you are a chain-smoking, tone-deaf karaoke singer whose dream hotel stay would be a weird and cluttered antique shop, this could be the perfect place for you. If not, you might want to find somewhere else to stay.

Well where do I begin as they say you get what you pay for but don't think we go that! Positives Friendly Staff and very helpful Excellent location a 5 min walk into Bodrum couldn't get a better location Negatives The hotel is very dated needs lots of care and attention and updating Cleanliness is appalling Rooms are small, dated, dirty, old fashioned, poor facilities - nothing like the pictures, wires hanging out of the wall, the patio doors didn't close properly, no drain cover - I could go on the list is endless we moved rooms after the first night but that wasn't much better sadly It is very noisy as the hotel bar is open until 2am which they fail to tell you in the hotel write up or via the relevant travel agent so poor sleep most nights due to the noise levels The breakfast area is dirty, very limited choice of breakfast - the coffee machine wasn't working 5 days out of the 7 days we stayed Lots of cats roaming freely The pool area is always in the shade, the baby pool isn't a pool more like a oversized bath The hotel is very cluttered with out dated ornaments, pictures etc It need a lot of TLC to be brough up to standard I know this is a 3 star budget hotel so wasn't expecting the Ritz but equally expected somewhere clean, tidy with adequate facilities etc - so think carefully before booking as it is not value for money I could go on and on but think I have said enough and feel for the staff with are trying to work with what they have. In the end we didn't let the hotel spoil our experience of Bodrum whist there I would recommend the day trip on the ferry over to Kos and a visit to near by Gumusluk late afternoon evening and a visit to Yalikavak which you can get to by the local buses