Optimist Hotel

We arrived for our booked three-night stay at Optimist Hotel Istanbul and were told our room had been sold for cash to someone else. We had called the night before to check about early check-in or leaving our luggage, and were told yes, so we came around 10:00 am. Despite the Booking.com App still showing our booking as valid, they refused to check us in and said there were no rooms. They said they couldn't contact us by phone, so we would have to request the cancellation. This was a terrible experience. Save your money, time, and nerves, and stay away. I later read that this had happened to other customers too. Thumbs down.

We had a confirmed reservation, but when we got there, the waiter said they had no rooms for us and would send us to a hotel far away. He said he wasn’t responsible, and when we asked to speak to someone who was, he told us that person had the day off. That was the end of it. We sat in the cafe for half an hour trying to find somewhere to stay, but nobody would serve us. The girl working there acted like she couldn’t understand us, then just left. The cafe was packed, the tables were right next to each other, and we could hear everything from the people beside us. No privacy at all.

The owner is larger than life and seems to love running the place. There’s a bar and restaurant facing the square where you can sit, relax, and have some good food or a drink. The location is brilliant, right opposite the Blue Mosque and 20 metres from the Egyptian Obelisk. It’s an interesting, fairly unique stay in Istambul. If you’re after a standard hotel, go somewhere else. I’ll return next time I’m in Istambul.

Caesar and his father were lovely and helpful hosts. We arrived on a very hot day and they welcomed us with complimentary drinks and desserts. The Turkish breakfast was a beautiful spread, with my favorite lentil soup, garlic bread, crepes, fruit, menemen, omelette, cheeses, olives, and more. The room had a nice Turkish touch, plus a balcony almost facing the Blue Mosque. It’s a strategically located hotel run by a lovely family, and their cute dog Charles is there too. We had a lovely stay, lots of jokes, and full stomachs. We’ll definitely come back to Istanbul and stay here again.