I would strongly recommend that when booking your stay, that you book it with breakfast included in the price. The buffet breakfast is very good and since you are going to be doing a great deal of walking everyday in Istanbul (and I really mean a great deal of walking, around 13,000 to 15000 steps everyday if you have a tracker), it is imperative that you get a good, solid breakfast under your belt first, and then proceed with the rest of the itinerary for the day. Regarding the location of Hotel Porta Romanos I can only say that it is the perfect location in terms of accessibility to the main T1 Metro Line which is line on which almost all of the attractions that you have planned to see are located. It is located in a very quiet and peaceful area of Istanbul called "Pazartekke, " which is not in the crowded commercial areas like "Grand Bazaar or Yusuf Pasha, or Sultanahmet but due to the T1 Metro Line all these touristy places are just a few minute train ride away. Another important point to keep in mind is that the topography of Istanbul is FULL OF UPHILL AND DOWNHILL roads. So while searching on the inter The T1 Metro starts at one end from a station called Bagcilar (pronounced in Turkish as BagCHILAR) which is a few stations before the Metro station near Hotel Porta Romanos which is called "Pazartekke." The T1 Line at the other end terminates for the most part at a station called Kabatas (though a few trains may also terminate at a station called "Eminonou" so you need to check the indicator on the train before boarding at Pazartekke).

One very important point for English speaking tourists coming to Turkey.... Please note that NO ONE, absolutely No One speaks English in the Hotel (and also in Istanbul) except Mr. Ramazan the Manager whose English is very good and he is very helpful. Outside, except for the traders inside Grand Bazaar, Istiklal Street and Sultanahment area no one speaks English nor are there any helpful signboards in English for international tourists. You will also need the help of a local to get a Metro Card and charge the card with money because the machine also has instructions only in Turkish.

It’s my sixth visit to Istanbul and I travelled alone for 8 days. I have stayed in many different hotels in the city in the past including The Ramada, The Wyndham and The Mercure and this has definitely been my favourite of them all. I love smaller boutique hotels because staff are more personable and the staff here were amazing and went above and beyond to make my stay here comfortable - especially Omut, Rameez and Redwan. I had an issue one day and Orhan, the manager went out of his way to resolve this and then added a little extra on top. I stayed in the single room which was surprisingly very spacious with tonnes of storage and very clean. Bathroom was also clean and modern. The room was cleaned on a daily basis, toiletries provided and towels were replaced every day. Breakfast was basic with not much variety and it didn’t change at all but it did the job because it had all the essentials. The best thing about this hotel though is the location - it’s fantastic. The T1 tram station and Bus Stop are literally outside the hotel, you can get 1 tram straight to Sultanahmet in 15 minutes as well as all of the other major attractions. I’m loyal when I find a hotel that I like and I’ll definitely be returning to Istanbul and I’m sure I’ll be staying here again.

I literally can’t think of anything.

I was traveling with kids for two weeks so the hotel was a perfect choice for me and they didn't disappoint from clean, spacious room and excellent room service to hotel reception and their assistance in accruing Istanboul Kart, arranging for Airport Taxi and PCR test. The hotel was smoke free which is essential for me and they didn't disappoint with that. The breakfast was good with something new everyday from hot meals, soup to jams, cheese and cold meat. I would have loved to have some traditional Turkish breakfast Mezzas but it was ok. The hotel is close to the bus station and tram station which has made my commuting so comfortable and didn't have to rely on taxis for most of my trips. I never say no to some tea and Mr. Sabit was a perfect match for me, always showing his hospitality by offering tea and small talks while giving any assistance during my stay. Mr. Ramazan was specially helpful and gave us a worry free vacation and helping us with any city inquiry or service. Special thanks to Mr. Mahmoud for his assistance as well.

Nothing

The most friendly staff. This is not a luxury hotel but the service is amazing. The rooms are cleaned daily. The reception is welcoming and helpful.

The fridge could be colder and a bit bigger.

everything is excellent, all staff help us :) also the manager Mr Ramazan, he help us with EVERYTHING, i mean EVERYTHING when you looking for excellent hospitality, a good location, a big room (for me, even economy room for 2 person it's big in 503), clean hotel, helpful manager, this hotel will be in your list when you plan to stay in Istanbul. over cay while waiting for check in (it's a good point)

only fridge not cold enough, i told to Mr Ramazan because even winter I need drink cold water *lol but AGAIN he help me, I can use fridge in the lobby (thank you) and sometimes he gave cold water when I sitting in the lobby hehee

The hotel is in a very quiet and central location. Hotel manager Orhan is very helpful to his customers. It was just a 1 day trip, I can't wait to come back. Thanks for everything

There was nothing negative.

Every things is beret good ,clean room ,nice stuff,location Near from tram metro,buss station

Frigidaire not working good , and when I ask to change,they change it with another not wok😅

this is our second time in Istanbul, and our biggest concern was about cleanliness. But this hotel is really clean! We‘ve been there for 6 days and we were completely satisfied. At the beginning we was sceptical, because hotel building looks a little strange ( hotel building is painted black) Therefore we were worried what we can expect when we see rooms. We booked three double rooms for our group, all three rooms were pretty much the same quality. Room size is 20-25m2, TV has a variety of channels (even if they are mostly Turkish channels, they are digital, and it is possible to change channel language and subtitles to English for most of them). Every day you get two bottles of fresh water and two portions of coffee and tea for your daily needs. Rooms are REALLY clean. Every few days they changed bedding and almost every day towels, which we’ve been used. In rooms there are praying mat and quibla direction, which is very useful if you are a Muslim. Variety of food is OK. There are few improvement possibilities, but in global we was satisfied. Menu was slightly different every two days, what is not so often seen in the hotels of their category.

Very nice hotel, very big room, great breakfast, helpful stuff and a very good location.

The hotel parking is very small, covers only 2 cars and extra 4 to 5 cars with blocking the other ones (keys have to be left at the reception). The pictures with the parking are not relevant. I've asked reception for near by private parking and they didn't guided me toit (although across the street, near the Police station, it is a very big private parking). Rooms are a little bit noisy, but the air con covers the noise. Although the hotel and rooms are very clean, you do need to ask to refill the bathroom amenities.

I like all the people working in this hotel, they were very helpful all the time, very polite and caring. They took care of our family the whole time, whatever we need was available. Also to add about location, its very near to a tramway, just 3 mins walk to “Pazartekke” station. Walking distance to exchange (exchange rates in this area was best that I found in the city) and little bazaar, also a small carrefour supermarket is very near.

My whole family is non smoking people. I couldn’t open the window and get chilled fresh air most of the time, because people are smoking very frequently and it all comes inside the room.