Mar Boutique Apartment

We stayed for seven nights in March 2025. Our booking was confirmed when we left Doha that afternoon, but when we arrived at the train station at 10pm and contacted the hotel, they said it had been cancelled. I couldn’t review the place earlier because the review disappeared from Bookings.com. I suspect that happens when the hotel cancels the booking. I begged the young person at reception to let us stay, and eventually he agreed. The place was horrible and nothing like the pictures. I wanted to check out the next day, but they begged us to stay. They only took cash, no credit cards. The balcony door had no lock, the shower was suitcase-sized and its door wouldn’t close, and we had no hot water on three of the seven days. I couldn’t open our room door from either side and had to call reception to have it opened. Reviews talk about friendly staff, but there was only one young person living at reception. He was friendly, and the saving grace of the place. Read the Bookings.com reviews with five stars or less and you’ll get a good idea what it’s like. Stay away.

We spent four nights at Mar Boutique Apartment and found it clean and comfortable, with friendly, helpful staff. The stay was decent overall, though some maintenance and connectivity fixes are needed. The WiFi kept dropping, and the washing machine didn’t work. We told staff, but it wasn’t repaired or replaced during our stay. The location is a little far from the main sights, so getting around was difficult without Uber. Traveling with a wheelchair made that more challenging, though we managed.

We’re a family of four from New Zealand and needed extra bedrooms for our teenage kids. The apartments are well placed for most of the old town’s tourist sights, and this one was an extremely well-located option for a great price. I’d recommend it to families traveling on a budget. Thanks, Sumit, for your hospitality.

Thank you for hosting me and for the service. I rarely see a hotel like this in Istanbul. It’s a rare boutique place where comfort, convenience, hygiene, and a sense of trust come together. I also appreciated the smiling staff and the sincerity that’s hard to find in many hotels. Mar boutique apartment, you’re wonderful. Wishing you continued success.