Arena Hotel - Special Class

It was a wonderful sanctuary to rest and relax after a long day sightseeing in a chaotic city. I had a very charming room with a balcony, queen size bed with clean sheets, nice warm lighting, modern bathroom and a great breakfast. It rained quite a bit for my entire stay in Istanbul and I was glad to have a room I enjoyed as I spent more time in it than I initially planned. Very friendly staff and I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 day stay!

very close to the major attractions of Istanbul, 10 mins walk to Hagia Sofia, blue mosque, grand bazaar and topkapi palace museum. staff is very courteous and helpful.

Great location if you want to visit the old part of the city - the Blue mosque, the Palace and St Sophie are a few minute's walk. Walking distance to the tram is some 5-7 minutes, The hotel is located on a quiet street, so not at all noisy from traffic. There's a mosque right opposite the hotel but the isolation of the rooms is good enough so we were not disturbed by the prayer appeals . The hotel is beautiful, it's a renovated family mansion with preserved charm, family objects, such as the lovely set of sofas in the lobby, cupboards and nice family photos. The lobby is very cozy. Breakfast was very good, fresh fruits and vegetables as well as home made pastry were present daily , as well as the continental breakfast options. Ask for some Turkish coffee , which you can get also with breakfast. Cleaning services as well as laundry are excellent and fast. Staff: You may find all of the above in many hotels, but it's probably difficult to find such a great team of employees, They really made our stay a wonderful experience of itself. Thank you so, so much Ulas, Suat and Hayati !

Stayed for four nights in August 2024 as part of a trip around eastern Europe. Wonderful welcome received from the hotel manager who offered tea and coffee upon arrival and showed us to our room at 10.00am after a long overnight train journey. A small touch that was very welcome. All staff who remained friendly and informative throughout our stay and would politely field any questions asked. Our room, on the first floor, was a good size with excellent storage, a large bathroom, a fridge, nice balcony and excellent air conditioning. A kettle and complimentary water, tea and coffee were also included as was free Wi-Fi. The location is excellent, situated on a cobbled side street just 10 minutes’ walk from Sultanhamet/Blue Mosque in one direction and Cemberlitas/the Grand Bazaar (via quite a steep hill) in the other. The surrounding neighbourhood is filled with varied restaurants, bars and shops. The breakfast buffet was superb – varied, including Turkish specialties, hot buffet, breads, fruits and cold meats, and substantial and enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere. I have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending. A great value hotel in a wonderful location.

Breakfast was pretty good, lots of choice but not a lot of variation over the days we stayed. We didn't know that there was a guy who would do eggs for you - that area wasn't manned and you had to ask a member of staff to come and do it for you, but unless you see someone else having one, you wouldn't even know you could get it. Our room was large and comfortable, as was the bed. Aircon worked well and there was a large TV. Cleaners came every day and seemed to do a good job. They provide bathrobes and complimentary slippers and fresh towels as needed. Location was great, a 5 minute walk to the Blue Mosque and other main tourist attractions, plus there was a fairly large historic mosque right next door. Lots of nice food places nearby too. Staffed seemed happy to help and loaned us some umbrellas when it rained one morning.