Askin Hotel

Location and roof terasse.

In part of hotel which should be lobby are living family,owner of hotel.

The staff helped with all inquiries and tried their best to make our stay comfortable. They were cheerful and very welcoming.

There were no reading lamps so that it was impossible to read in bed. That is a necessity for me but obviously not a priority for most people, otherwise something would be done about it.

The breakfast location, on the roof overlooking the Blue Mosque,was very good..

Wedid not like the fact that transfer arrangements arranged with the hotel in advance were not met. The room we booked was not available for first night.We also dreaded opening the bathroom door due to extremely unpleasant smells, and the inside pane of double glazed window was broken with shafts of glass left sticking out. Most importantly we were very concerned that we were on third floor and fire escape exits were blocked by heavy furniture and despite discussing with manager twice nothing was done.

Perfectly situated for sight seeing some of city's main attractions, this hotel is a short walk from the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia and Topkapi Palace. The Grand Bazaar is a little further but still an easy walk. It is easy to access the city's tram system for travelling further afield, or simply accessing the airport quickly and cheaply. There is a good range of restaurants nearby for evening meals. Friendly, helpful staff made for a very pleasant stay. Breakfast is served on the roof terrace which has fantastic views of the Bosphorus and the Blue Mosque. Proximity to the mosque does mean that you are aware of calls to prayer, but otherwise the location is relatively quiet. An ideal, good value base for a city stay.

Breakfast is simple, although adequate. The addition of fruit and real fruit juice would be an improvement.