IQ Hotel Galatasaray

It felt like home, with a nice room, a kitchen, a separate living room, and a washing machine. I’d have given it five stars if the windows were soundproof. The hotel is near a parking lot, so cars pass by often and make quite a bit of noise.

The rooms have amazing views across the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Galata Town, and Topkapi Palace. The hotel is very well located, a short walk from Istical and close to a supermarket and some good restaurants. It’s clean but very basic, which is understandable given the low nightly rates. There’s no breakfast or room service, though rooms do have a washing machine and dishwasher, handy for a longer stay. The reception guys can be a bit gruff.

The apartments are spacious and really clean, and the location is fantastic, just a few minutes’ walk from the main Istiklal street. I love this place and will definitely come back.

I enjoyed my week here, and the €47 nightly rate felt reasonable for the stay. The friendly front desk staff were available 24/7, the Wi-Fi stayed fast, and housekeeping did a good job. The apartment was spacious and bright, with a great Istanbul view from the fourth floor, unit #401. It had Turkish style touches, a comfortable soft bed, plenty of closet space, and a small kitchen with a dishwasher, microwave, roomy refrigerator, and other essentials. Having a washing machine was useful too. Being on the fourth floor helped with street noise. With the windows shut, I barely heard anything; open, the noise still didn’t bother me much. The location is handy, close to Taksim Square and right beside Istanbul’s main shopping promenade. There were a lot of problems with the apartment’s condition. The walls had many scratches and several big holes, some furniture was in very bad shape, and the sofa was covered in dirt marks. Some electrical outlets were broken, especially the kitchen one, which fell apart and meant I couldn’t use the kettle. The kettle itself was dusty and rusty, and parts of the stove were rusty too. The washing machine was basic and outdated, with no drying function; there was no dryer, drying rack, or detergent. The living room TV was small and old, and the pillows weren’t comfortable. One of the two air conditioners, the one in the living room, cooled briefly and then stopped working. The bathroom was tiny, with an uncomfortable small shower stall, a low toilet, weak water pressure, and cheap amenities that smelled awful. Fixing these issues would make this a great place to stay.