Golden Horn Sultanahmet 4* Golden Horn Sultanahmet 4*

I returned from Istanbul two days ago, so the impressions are the freshest and brightest. This was my first visit to Turkey, so I approached the selection of a hotel with particular scrupulousness, having read unflattering reviews about other hotels. I hope my opinion will help someone make a choice.
After reading many review sites, I decided to spend a week at the Golden Horn Hotel Sultanahmet. It is worth noting right away that almost all hotels in the Sultanahmet area have a conditional star rating, i. e. in fact, they do not have a rating at all, but conditionally, for the convenience and attraction of tourists, they are assigned stars of all ranks and merits. Therefore, do not be surprised that the 4+-star hotels declared in the booklet will turn out to be three-star upon arrival. As explained in the travel agency, the stars rise and fall depending on the time of year.
Well, firstly, from the general impressions, the rooms are really small, and the combined toilet and shower room are completely small, by the way, a funny fact, the toilet bowls are partially covered by sinks, so you can sit on them only by moving to the edge or leaning your elbows on the washstand. The balcony in ordinary rooms is rather decorative, not every person can fit on it, but in more expensive rooms, there is enough space for a coffee table and two chairs, but you also can’t turn around too much. But you don’t feel any significant discomfort in moving around the room or in need of help, you can nestle everywhere, in the bedroom all the necessary things are at hand without getting out of bed. In the economy class rooms, the situation is appropriate: a cheap locally assembled TV with a remote control, these are usually called "country", Turkish, English, German and Italian channels, apparently, the hotel management does not consider Russian tourists their priority customers. In addition, there are no AV tulip outputs or any other third-party connection methods. So it's worth stocking up on books and personal players.

Outwardly, the rooms are cozy, but cold (in winter), moreover, the corner rooms are blown by drafts from the balcony on one side, windows and ventilation on the other. The air conditioner, and part-time heater, is quite noisy, emits a howling hum. Of the decoration items, only a red carpet trampled by boots, dusty curtains and stale, smoky bedspreads embroidered with gold threads. Of the furniture - beds, one bunk bedside table, a chest of drawers with a refrigerator, two mirrors in the bedroom and toilet, a TV stand, built-in wardrobe for outerwear, a personal safe with an electronic lock. Everything looks very "worn", and the equipment is completely outdated and unreliable.
The hotels have 4 floors and a panoramic terrace adjacent to the restaurant, it offers a picturesque view of the main attractions of Istanbul, and the sea, by the way, almost all hotels in the area have such terraces, and stationary binoculars are also installed in the neighboring Lady Diana. The windows of many rooms overlook the courtyard, where merchants from neighboring shops, loving cats, homeless people like to gather at night. Rooms with beautiful sea views are called Delux, and are priced accordingly. Access to the terrace is free, even in winter you can drink tea there, inhaling the healing winds of the Bosphorus. From entertainment, seagulls often descend on tourists, expecting to receive a piece of bun in gratitude for posing in front of the lens.
The hotel is located in the back of the courtyard, away from one of the main streets of Sultanahmet, in my opinion, the location is its main advantage, since being in the center of a busy tourist area, you will be protected from the noise of passing cars, cod, the creak of trams and the polyphony of scurrying touts and tourists. A stone's throw from him McDonald's, and private eateries where you can have a hearty lunch and dinner with kebabs for 20-30 lira. Local shops of gold, carpets and souvenirs offer a range of goods at a significantly higher price than at the same Grand Bazaar, fortunately, it is located two tram stops away, and the Lolelit Russian leather and fur district is three.
Now for the staff and food! Breakfasts are monotonous, as elsewhere, it seems that they do not update the menu every day, the french fries are soaked, the buns are dried up, the food looks weathered and stale. Also, green tea is not always in stock, we added it to the tray only after my request.

Tips are not just welcome, but morally extorted, for example, every overdue day, when we "forgot" to leave a couple of dollars, the cleaning lady with special intent threw coins of small denomination on the table to us, apparently hinting that since we are so greedy and poor, she will donate alms to us, and after that she made the beds with dirty sheets. The attitude of the staff towards Russian tourists is cool and wary, but rather neutral, which is especially noticeable when addressing immigrants from the EU countries, for example, a cook or a hall manager approaches them during breakfast and wishes them a good appetite, the waiters try their best to please. By the way, the hotel staff does not speak or understand Russian at all, but they can exchange a few phrases in French or German.
Despite the listed disadvantages, the hotel can be called quite appropriate for the price / quality ratio, and recommend to friends.