Stay Inn Taksim Hostel

A decent budget stay on Istanbul's European side, near some nice cafes and restaurants. My room had basic facilities, with private bunks in the four-bed dorm and perfectly fine toilets and showers. I arrived very late from the airport, around midnight, and really appreciated that a man was waiting for me. The main drawback is the noise. There's a club or two nearby, and the bar next to my dorm was loud. Drunken chatter and bass-heavy club music went on all night. Still, the price and location make it a good option.

The only good things were the location and the salon next door. Otherwise, this was a filthy, stressful, dishonest, racist experience, and I would warn people to stay away. I spent three nights here, and it was one of the dirtiest and most stressful places I've ever stayed. The bed had visible blood stains. I showed staff a photo, but instead of apologizing or properly fixing the problem, they denied it and brushed it off. The room smelled disgusting, as did the bathroom. The hygiene was shocking, and the whole place felt neglected. There was only one tiny toilet for the floor. It seemed unclean, and I had to thoroughly clean it each time before using it. The setup was miserable, with poor hygiene and management. The room was unbearably hot. Opening the window meant dealing with outside noise, so I was stuck choosing between the heat and being kept awake. I barely slept. The listing's claim of privacy was misleading too. The curtains didn't properly cover the bed, so the photos gave a false impression. WiFi worked only at random times and was practically useless at night. I tried multiple networks, but kept getting no internet connection, as shown in the photos. I had to go to reception again and again to reconnect, only for it to fail. That's a serious problem for travelers who need internet for bookings, transport, family contact, or work. The staff's attitude made everything worse, especially ULAS GOKSU. He was rude, dismissive, dishonest, disrespectful, racist, and completely unhelpful. I paid an advance in euros and had to keep returning for the balance. When I asked for euros back because I didn't need more lira, I was ignored and told to come back the next day. At checkout, they gave me lira anyway. Their lies and incompetence left me dragging my luggage through the rain on a Sunday to exchange money elsewhere. A nearby salon was more helpful than the hostel staff. There was no apology, accountability, or basic decency. On the second day, I asked ULAS face to face about changing rooms. He said no beds were available, but I took a photo of the bed next to me, which had been empty for two days. He then said the booking had been canceled. I know his attitude made that seem like another lie. I had messaged repeatedly about the issues too, including to request a room change, and was ignored. The place was dirty, misleading, and badly run, and it left me disgusted, exhausted, and angry. In my opinion, Booking.com and Google should review whether the property should remain listed. I hope the relevant authorities inspect it. There were always drunk people by the doorstep, which wasn't an issue for me, but female travelers should think carefully before booking this horrible place. Avoid it at all costs.

The price was reasonable, and the room was clean and good. The AC worked well, and the hotel staff were friendly and helpful. The bathroom and toilet, though, weren't clean, and water leaked everywhere.

The price makes this place okay, despite a similar number of drawbacks and good points. Reception is staffed from 8am to midnight by friendly, helpful people who provide the information you need for an easy check-in. I liked the small, relaxed common area. Rooms have keycard entry, and there's a code on the front door, so security is good. They're cramped, but the beds are decent, and the old AC still works. You get basic curtains, a bed light, and a shelf. The locker was big enough for my 65L backpack and more, though squeezing it past the bed was tricky. There's also a drawer under the bed that you can secure with your own lock. The bathrooms were shabby and grimy. Some had no showerheads or doors, and they're so tight that water splashes into the toilet area and pools there. Paper on the floor made it gross until someone cleaned it, which seemed to happen about once a day. Wet rooms would make more sense so the water could drain properly. The WiFi was unreliable. Routers would stop working on different floors, and sometimes the internet provider had no service for hours. Switching floors could mean a weaker signal and slower speed, but at least there was a connection. When it worked, I got 30Mbps download and 15Mbps upload. After checkout, you can still leave your bags or hang out in the common room, but you can't shower. That was a bit rough since I had a night bus and couldn't shower until the next day. For the price, it's okay.