Samil Hotel

An affordable and very centrally located hotel near the Marmaray train station and the Topkapi Palace. The most important sights are all within walking distance. Friendly, helpful staff. Although it is a pointed corner house right on a busy Istanbul street with tram traffic, there is not very much background noise. Breakfast buffet style, but kept simple. Overall, very good value for money. If you're looking for cheap accommodation right in the center of Istanbul and don't need too much comfort, you've come to the right place.

I had booked 2 nights in a single room, when I checked in I was told that after one night I had to change rooms because they went out of single rooms and I was first put in a double room. But the next day I was allowed to stay in the same room. There is no shower tray in the bathroom, so the shower water is distributed on the floor throughout the bathroom. In addition, there was no space between the sink and toilet, so I could only stand diagonally in front of the sink and mirror because the toilet was in front of it. Corridors, elevator and stairwell are quite narrow, but okay for the price.

Good quality - price ratio

It was not possible to pay by Visa card, terminal didn’t work, only cash

The hotel staff was extremely polite and friendly. The room was just the right size for a single person and satisfied my needs. The room was heated by a heat exchanger which I found most preferable than other heating systems.

Breakfast could have been better by adding cereals and possibly some bacon, etc. But then again the competitive price probably justified the breakfast offering.