Stone House

We had a really good stay and got the biggest room in the hotel. My children loved the garden and spent ages playing checkers there. Receptionist Melika and Bakhtiyar were very helpful, and Fatima the cleaner is such a sweet lady. On our last day we were in a rush, and Sayyara the chef was really kind to go downstairs and make hot scrambled eggs for us at breakfast.

The room was moldy and the bathroom was awful, with mold and things not working as they should. The rooms weren’t cleaned, and there were even used soaps. There were no towels in the bathroom, and I had to ask several times before we finally got some at midnight on the first day. Room service didn’t replace toilet paper either. On our last day we had to go and beg for it, with nowhere else to get more. The air conditioner was coded so we couldn’t use it. After I complained, they let us use it and said it was working. Of the four lights in the hanging fixtures, only one worked, and the holders were displaced and never fixed. There was no bottled water in the room. I wouldn’t even give this hotel one star. I booked a’la sofia, but they’re part of the a’la sofia hotel scam. On arrival, they transferred us to “Stone Hotel Istanbul,” saying our room wasn’t available. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

The terrace breakfast with the Bosphorus view was a real highlight, and the food was good with plenty of choices. I can see the same 8-10 items getting boring on a longer stay, though. Maya at reception was an exceptionally good host and helped us a lot. The phone and fridge in our room weren’t working, and they couldn’t fix them over two days. Still, they shared a WhatsApp number and replied quickly, so it wasn’t a big issue. For this budget, I’d recommend the hotel.

The front desk staff member was warm and very helpful, and the price matched what we’d booked online two weeks earlier. This was the only place in Istanbul that didn’t try to scam us. We stayed for a couple of days in June 2023, and the clean, tidy room, good breakfast, and excellent location and view made it an affordable place to stop. Teşekkürler Stone Hotel!