Golden Lounge Hotel

The restaurant opened for us after our long flight, and the staff were friendly. Our room was clean, the bed was good, and the shower was decent. Breakfast was included and had plenty of choice, including a honeycomb you could take fresh honey from. It’s close to Sabiha Gokcen airport, while the old town is about an hour away. The metro is an inexpensive way to get there and back. The concierge even agreed to mail the postcards we’d bought in the city for a ridiculously small fee. I’d book here again.

I booked this place while leaving the airport, with an 11-hour Istanbul stopover ahead of me. I wanted somewhere affordable and nearby with decent quality and amenities, and this hotel fit the bill. It took about 15 minutes to reach. You can take an Uber, the yellow taxi, or one outside; I paid 40TL. The manager initially said my room wasn’t ready, but after a few calls I got one. Breakfast was provided from 7:30 to 10am, then I went to sleep. The bed was comfortable, the Wi-Fi was great, and the shower was excellent. I had lunch at a local restaurant, got a taxi back at 6pm, and that was it. Recommended.

We’ve travelled all over the world, but the service here was especially awful from check-in to check-out. The manager tried to overcharge us 40 lira at check-in through sheer carelessness. Checking the booking confirmation shouldn’t be difficult. Room service comes from a local restaurant, which can be fine, but the manager got our order wrong. We didn’t want the food, yet he insisted we had to pay because he’d misunderstood what we asked for and didn’t want to take responsibility. If he wasn’t sure what the guest meant, he should have sent someone up to clarify. Instead, his assumption caused a huge ordeal. He was upset when we brought the untouched food down, then said we should pay because he works 12 hours a day for only 300 euro a month. I know hotel work is hard, but we’re not in Turkey to give to charity or take up a labour-board issue. He said the restaurant would make him pay for the mistake, so we walked there in the rain and explained the problem to its managers ourselves. We did it out of kindness so the hotel manager wouldn’t have to pay out of pocket. We did his job, then went to bed hungry. I was also very sick. At checkout he still had an attitude with my partner, so I didn’t acknowledge him. We’d fixed his mistake for him, and he had no right to treat us that way. The incompetence was real. The free breakfast and nice housekeepers might have earned two stars, but the service brought it down to one. Guests shouldn’t be treated like that because someone is tired of their job. If it’s that bad, quit. The front-of-house staff need retraining or replacing.

The hotel has a beautiful view, and although it’s out on Istanbul’s Asian side, transport makes it easy to reach. The rooms, toilets, and everything else are very well maintained. Worth it 👌 Don’t miss the view 😍🥰