During the trip to Istanbul, Turkey, I stayed at a small boutique hotel in busy Beyoglu. At the Nine Istanbul Hotel just off the lively Istiklal Caddesi that never sleeps.
I chose Beyoglu because I want to feel safe going back late at night to my hotel. The old city area of Sultanahmet in Fatih and the surroundings can get a bit quiet in the evening whilst Beyoglu is known as the place to be when dusk falls. Istiklal Street for example runs on a 24 x 7 lifeline. It is non-stop flowing with masses walking on the street. I have never seen anything like it before.
Initially I booked the hotel together with Blondine with two beds, but then Blondine could not make it last minute so I switched the room booking to a single double bed.
The interior design of this hotel is quite nice. I love that they preserved the old historical red brick walls. I love the high ceilings and French windows. The room is spacious, comfortable and quite modern. The flat TV screen is embedded inside a picture frame which is quite cool. I slept here soundly so the bed must be very good.
The owners, Mehmet and Onur were also very nice. Two gentlemen who were very attentive to their guest’s needs. They were very friendly and quite sincere. They gave me tips, lent me their Istanbul card for the metro and even warned me of the taxi drivers.
There is no lift in this boutique hotel so this is not for the oldies with mobility issues. The staircase is a winding staircase enclosed in red brick walls that has lots of character though.
Breakfasts are served in the rooftop terrace with lovely views of Istanbul. I think you can elect to have your breakfast served in your room but why would you want to do that when you have a fantastic view of the city up in the terrace?
Although this is not much of an issue for me because I can fall back to sleep quickly, but during Friday and Saturday evenings, the street outside can be very noisy. This is because the hotel is located just around the corner from all the restaurants, bars and night life scene, and all the taxi cabs queue up in front of the hotel and around the corner of the street. The cabbies can get rowdy at night until early dawn with their honking and voices. If you are a light sleeper, you can better take a room at the back. But other than that, this is a very ideal place, just a stone’s throw away to all the shopping, restaurants and nightlife scene on Taksim, Pera and Galatasaray.
The old city is reachable with the metro from Taksim Square or you can walk down the hill to one of the metro stops.
Travel Period: May 2015
Destination: Beyoglu, Istanbul (Marmara), Turkey
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