Out of 6 nights I’ve spent at Mola I didn’t manage to have a single night of good sleep. And it has seriously affected my time in Istanbul in a negative way.
You hear absolutely every person on the stairs, you hear everything that is said and done in the rooms around you. It’s a very immersive experience: you occasionally even feel yourself a part of the relationship your neighbours have as the furniture in your room shakes as it does it theirs.
But jokes aside: when I asked for some solution, I was told with a polite smile that nothing can be done because it’s a historic building. I’ve replied that I’ve stayed in another 2 hotels like this within the walking distance of this location before, and while yes, old buildings had their quirks, none was that omnipresent and bad. The host asked what I proposed. I said I was told in other places that some structural repairs helped. To which she said that they are still in the process of construction, but weren’t planning on really investing in the structure as they do not own the building. I’ve also suggested to possibly use carpets to help soundproof or offer ear plugs to the guests.
Host proposed she would speak to people about their behaviour. But the truth is that the guests have the right to come to their rooms at 4 am, speak and laugh at a normal volume, and have sex on a vacation.
Overall the host was nice and polite, but not very helpful.
And not just on this: for example there is no fridge in the room, but there is one in common area, which you can’t use. There are cups in the room, but the response to inquiry about a fork and knife was that they “didn’t offer these amenities”. Same with the requests about things like ice.
Again in itself it’s not a big deal, but if we do compare to the average service in similar hotels in the area - I was always offered some solutions, even if alternative and not perfect, but hosts always tried to go out of their way and help the best they could. This wasn’t the case. And the asks weren’t big.
Another important thing is that this room is way smaller than it appears. The photos focus on small beautiful details which hides the fact that the room is tiny: the shower cabin is situated in your bedroom about 30 cm away from the bed! The sink is also in the bedroom. The door to toilet is nominal. And automatic light and ventilator keep working (loudly) long after you leave it.
So sharing the room was extremely uncomfortable. There is barely any space to walk around if you have a luggage piece.
Notes to myself: lack of elevator, fridge, basic things like fork and knife are a bog deal on a stay longer than 2 nights.
The front desk working only till 5 PM and then you are left to your own devices was also a new inconvenient thing to me.
Overall the place is clean, design is nice, staff is friendly, AC is working fine, location is great, and it can still be an ok fit for someone whose sleep is bulletproof, and who doesn’t mind being in the middle of other people’s business.
But in my experience for the same money you could get a way better value in the area, which I did for the next 9 nights.