2ppl. We stayed for 5 days, paid 30EUR/night (May 2022)
Location: A stone's throw away from the main tourist attractions in Sultanahmet.
7min walk from kumkapi and the immigrant neighborhood where you can eat excellent
indian/uzbek/pakistani food for a fraction of what you would pay anywhere else.
5-6 minute walk (uphill) to the cemberlitas tram station. Bakeries/pharmacy/convenience stores
very close. The neighborhood mght seem a little shady at first but nobody bothered us. Public
transportation is cheap, frequent, punctual, easy to use, and runs at least
until midnight, so as long as you stay near some sort of tram/bus/metro station you're golden.
Don't stay here if you have any sort of special mobility need, temporary or otherwise, as the
distances are small but the roads themselves are very steep and the sidewalks are tiny or
nonexistent. Overall: 9/10.
Accomodation: The room is on the first floor. Getting anything more than a standard 23kg suitcase there
might prove a bit of a challenge since the staircase is exceptionally narrow. Technically
speaking, all the amenities listed are present, but there are a few caches: for example, the TV
is about the size of a laptop screen and inconveniently placed. We didn't bother with it
but if it matters to you it might be a problem. There is a kettle, but no mugs or tea. The
biggest problem is the lack of storage space. other than a small hanging rack (which you
can't really use, at least not if you also want to use the mirror that hangs underneath) and a
small cabinet under the bathroom sink, there's nowhere to put your stuff except back in your
suitcase after use. The sheets/blankets are of poor quality. The towels are nice. The mattress
is hard, which we liked. There's a street light right outside the window which can be annoying
at night, especially since there are no shutters, just curtains. Finally, there's a mosque very
close to the building which means when it's prayer time (13:00, 17:30, 20:00 mainly) you'll be
the first to know, but you get used to it (or already are if you're coming from a muslim
country). Overall: 3/10.
Cleanliness: The place was initially clean when we arrived, but Faruk does not provide cleaning services. The
distinctive smell of humid/stale air accompanied us for the entirety of our stay, since the room
only has one window and is impossible to ventilate. Leaving said window open was also
impossible since the aforementioned street lamp attracts insects and there are no window nets.
The towels were impossible to dry after taking a shower, no matter were we hung them. There's
no trash can or place to put your shoes. Overall: 2/10.
Host: Faruk is very responsive, typically taking <10min to respond to our texts. He provided an extra blanket upon request and helped us navigate the journey to and from the airport. We never actually met in person. We were received by two associates of his, and we checked out on our own, which was fine by us. He was flexible with the checkout, letting us leave our luggage at the room until it was time to go to the airport late in the afternoon. Overall: 8/10.
Final thoughts: If you're pinching pennies and don't plan on spending too much time in your room, but just want a place to wash off and sleep, this one will do. Otherwise, I strongly suggest spending a few euros extra. The upgrade is likely worth it.