Lime Garden Hotel

The photos don’t match reality. Everything was very old and smelled of smoke, even though my room was supposed to be non-smoking. It was extremely dark, with no decent lighting. Over four days, nobody cleaned. The toilet kept leaking and making noise. There were someone else’s underwear in the washing machine, the electric stove didn’t work, and there were no pots, which seemed pointless with a broken stove anyway. On the first day, money disappeared from the safe. We had counted it and put it away before going out, then returned two hours later to find it gone. We had asked how the safe worked beforehand, and reception said it could be opened with a key, which they also had. We’re almost sure it was the person at reception we asked, who works from noon until midnight. They said it couldn’t have happened. The owner did nothing to help us, which showed how little regard he had for tourists. I don’t recommend this place.

The location is ideal, the prices are reasonable, and the staff are supportive and very helpful. The only drawback was that cars aren’t allowed on the street, so at night we had to carry our shopping bags as we walked to the hotel.

There’s no breakfast, but the hotel has a cafe where drinks are free. It’s in a lively area and is a good choice if that’s what you’re after, though it can be noisy at night. For Taksim, this was the cleanest and most reasonably priced hotel we could find. I’d definitely stay again.

We had a great time there with my family, so I’m giving it five stars. It’s right in the heart of Istanbul on Istiklal street, with shops and everything you need all around. The staff were friendly, kind, and ready to help with anything, though the hotel already had everything we needed. I’d strongly recommend it to travelers visiting Istanbul.