Blue Royal Apart Hotel

Our new hotel was first class, and we were glad we moved. My son and DIL found it for a similar price after struggling with the stairs at Blue Royal Hotel. Our assigned rooms were on the sixth floor, up a narrow spiral staircase with no lift, and my DIL has mobility issues. One room had a boiler in the corridor that made it very hot. I paid for two rooms and that's what we ended up using. We'd booked three rooms, two at the Blue "Royal" and one at adjoining Romanos, which is owned by the same people. Our flights were delayed, and the manager waited for us, as you'd expect from a 24-hour reception. But then we were told one room was out of order, even though they still took payment. We were promised it would be ready the next day, but couldn't see it because we were told the lock was broken. The cleaning lady had no trouble getting in. Based on other reviews, I suspect they were overbooked and had given the room to another guest. I also think they may deliberately send guests to a third hotel they own, which has terrible reviews mentioning bed bugs. My son and DIL booked a different hotel, and we joined them. At first the Blue Royal manager wanted full payment. He'd taken my payment in Turkish Liras instead of Euros, then told me a refund would come out of his wages and said he was only a poor student, although earlier he'd claimed to be the owner. I offered around half, which in hindsight was generous since we stayed one night out of seven. He accepted. This is a budget hotel, but it isn't that cheap. They should be honest about its condition and shouldn't overbook. Our flights had been delayed, and the manager did wait for us, but that's the least I'd expect from a 24-hour reception.

We arrived after a long day of travel, having kept in touch about our arrival time and received directions. There was a closed door waiting for us, and the lobby seemed to be in a different hotel. They then said our booking had been cancelled at 9 pm, less than an hour before we got there. We had no internet to find out, and four other Turkey bookings had gone through on the same card without a problem. They also said they'd given our room away. As we were about to leave and look elsewhere, they suddenly found a room for us. It didn't match the pictures, and the whole situation felt off, so we left to find another place. The area looked dodgy too. I can't believe this place has a rating above one star. Don't book here.

We stayed a few nights and felt it was money well spent. The room was clean and the staff were nice. It's about a 15-minute walk to Hagia Sophia and other major places in Fatih. Just around the corner there's a cheap stand selling freshly squeezed juice, plus some nice restaurants.

The rooms look lovely, with nice bedding, an LED TV, and a great balcony view. The host had provided everything. I'd recommend it, though keep in mind there's no elevator, just stairs. 👍