Arena Hotel - Special Class0

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.

they deserve 10 points for the facilities and the proximity BUT I HAD A DISASTROUS EXPERIENCE ON MY WAY BACK TO THE AIRPORT , the airport transfer the hotel arranged for us was worst to say the least. the driver was either drunk or sleepy and was driving crazily , we almost had a major highway accident, I Received a call back from hotel once I informed them about the situation , Mr Ahmet assured that they have taken cognizance of the situation and apologized for the same, IT WAS A VERY BAD EXPERIENCE AT THE END OF A GREAT HOLIDAY TRIP. IT IS DEFINITELY THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO ARRANGE A SAFE AND PLEASANT TRANSPORT FOR THEIR GUESTS.

Good location and hospitality. Rooms are nice and very clean, the price is right.

More focus should be on the room maintanance, some simple things in the bathroom should be fixed or replaced (e.g. a handle for the toilet brush, shower faucet etc). This was also noted by some other guests in their reviews, it seems that no actions were taken in this regards to improve the service as it could be easly fixed before guest arrival.

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.

There was no hotel guide or information in the room whatsoever and they don't give you any complimentary water. The hot water in the shower was good, but it takes around 4 minutes before it reaches temperature, once it does it is fine. The door to the balcony doesn't have a proper curtain, only a net curtain and lets in a lot of light. The view outside the balcony and windows is marred/blocked by overgrown trees.

Amazing staff - nothing was too much trouble - whether booking taxis, giving advice on travelling in Istanbul via public transport, keeping our luggage for a few extra hours after checkout. Really helpful and trustworthy. Location is excellent - central SultanAhmet. Simple but delicious breakfast - all the staples - cereals, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, salad bar, fresh fruit (melons, watermelons, grapes), tea, cakes and biscuits. Room was quaint size but had everything we needed. Minifridge + kettle. Daily room clean offered. Great shower, bidet toilet. Turkish bath (hamaam) available but did not try.

Room size is little small but very comfortable and did not impact our stay.

Location, price & performance good value, great room with a view and a nice balcony

loud neighbors, loud water in pipes, missed a more Turkish breakfast

Perfect location! Quiet nights despite being in busiest part of Istanbul because of the location on a small alley off the main roads. Everything in walking distance, including main sights in Sultanhamed and tram line easy to get to- a few minutes' walk.. Comfortable rooms- lovely ambience.

I thought the breakfasts were mediocre to poor. Considering Istanbul's extraordinary cuisine and amazing food culture, the breakfast offerings were 'cheap and nasty' by any comparison. Most unappetising. It's a pity really as the rest was extremely pleasant!

After 8 years i came back. Still an amazing hotel. Staff excellent. Nice clean hotel. Breakfast was decent. The hotel unlike many others in istanbul was same in real life as in photos maybe even better. A lot of hotel scams in istanbul this hotel is honest with their photos.

The tv in breakfast area which had inappropriate music video clips. Annoying. I dont want to watch dirty people when eating breakfast or any other time to be honest. But to be fair the staff did turn off tv when i asked so thats good, but didnt understand why i asked. Better to keep tv clean.

gréât location near several historical places. a lot of restaurants around. public transportation is just 5 min away. Breakfast was good and tasty.

I understand they have kind of rules that breakfast is till 10:30. we got our food at 10:00, and by 10:30 we were still eating the rest of our food we got at 10:00 and talking with my friend, and guys from staff came exactly at 10:30 clean up all food and switched the lights in the room where we were still sitting and finishing our food. It was not very welcoming move… For the rest staff did their job well, just kind of cold approach.

A very nice hotel located in the heart of Istanbul. The hotel is very nice, clean, close to many places - short walk to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, nearby tram stops, a lot of restaurants nearby, cafes, souvenirs shops and mosques too. Breakfast is nice too. The price is very reasonable. The staff are very helpful and friendly especially Burge who helped a lot during my stay. Burge was always helpful to answer some questions and helped during sahur time. The hotel provide sahur meals as well to replace the breakfast food. Overall, this is a nice stay in Istanbul.

The only negative thing about the hotel is probably its location, it’s located on the lower part of the hilly area, so to go somewhere else can be challenging since you have to climb up a little bit and it gets tiring after some time. But this is not big of a problem.

Great location and easy walking distance from everything. Wasn’t difficult to find and the surroundings were lovely. Clean outside and inside (more important) and quiet. The room was very nice. The bathroom would need to be re-grouted and sink had a crack but didn’t ruin anything. The safe box in the room could have been screwed down for added reassurance but was safe. I paid for breakfast but didn’t have it as I was late waking up so I can’t comment on that part. Otherwise a nice friendly place, with a homely feel.

The sink basin had a crack and the shower tiles could do with a new grout. The safe box could do with securing down to the closet. Otherwise a nice and comfortable place.