Bakırköy Otel

Cool.

A cheap hotel.

The location was the only good part. We needed to be near Ataköy for a bodybuilding competition, so I figured the price was fair for one night, just to sleep. I was wrong about wanting to stay in the room. It smelled awful as soon as I walked in the hotel, and the rooms smelled of smoke too, even though they were marked non-smoking. There was hardly any light, no door between the toilet and the room, and they had hidden the air conditioner remotes, so it was freezing. The room had a jacuzzi, but I didn't use it or even take a shower. I've stayed in lovely places where you don't want to leave, but here I couldn't wait to get out. My Istanbul trip had started with so much excitement and ended up terrible. I wish this place had been nice at least 🥹

The room I ended up in had no real access to fresh air. It was in the attic, with a window opening onto an attic-like space where the air conditioning units were. The drain smell was strong enough to wake me in the morning, and there were blood stains on the sheets. On the second night they called to ask if we were three people, even though we were staying as two. I booked three nights using an app, based on its photos and reviews, and felt humiliated and like I'd wasted my money. The first room barely had enough space to stand upright. I explained that to a manager, who changed our room, and I appreciate the effort, but the next room was also awful. The rooms were incredibly dirty, maybe not cleaned at all, with a lot of dampness on the ceilings, and the building is very old. I felt there could be a risk of catching a disease. I was forced to stay there, but I won't go near it again. In my view it's completely unsuitable for hygiene and tourism, and I advise against staying there.