Nelly Guesthouse

Mert son of Nelly was a fantastic host. He always wants to take good care of you like a member of the family. He answered our questions with excellent tips & always goes the extra mile. The guest house is wonderfully located minutes from Taksim Square & half an hour via bus & tram to Sultanahmet. The bus stops are minutes from the guest house. Sharing a bathroom was no problem at all & it’s awesome and hygienically cleaned. It’s great having a small fridge in each room. Staff are fantastic & lovely people cleaning and asking if we require any fresh towels. There are very good affordable shops and eating places very nearby. We enjoyed wonderful kofte, soups and fish meals from a stall at the end of our road (photos attached). Good local affordable eateries & shops on our doorstep. Small shops served us well for water, biscuits, milk, top up of Istanbul card etc. Wonderfully vibrant area full of classy people. Thanks to info from our host, ALBARAKA cash machine 5 minutes away, does not charge a fee to withdraw money from the ATM. I withdrew 10,000 lira which is the limit without any issues (withdraw this amount multiple times if required). There is a brilliant market on a Sunday right next to the guest house selling stunning fresh fruit, fish, clothes etc. Mert is a real ambassador for Türkiye, they are fortunate to have him. Feel free to chat to him about anything as he’s always visible and approachable around the place trying to make everyone’s stay as special as possible. He’s a top man and very genuine and relatable. We will visit again as all his guests love him.

Nothing, all very positive.

It was very clear and very nice

I was so happy when I saw my room

Nelly is a wonderful and kind person who welcomes travelers like family. The building itself is older, but the room, kitchen, bath setup is very nice and cozy. 10” walk to Istiklal, which is very busy tourist area. Inexpensive compared to a hotel.

The space was large and comfortable, with nice furniture in general. The space was beautifully clean. The host is very friendly and helpful, with good English language.

The area is extremely noisy at night (even with all the windows closed). The cars are screeching while struggling to drive up a very steep street, and hooting along the way to warn people and other vehicles to get out of the way (because if they would slow down, they would lose traction and roll backwards again). There are lots of kids playing in the streets at night, and yelling and making a noise until very late. It is quiet in the mornings though, which is a nice break from the noise. Although the beds were clean and neat, the bed linen was rough and scratchy, and the pillows could be improved. While the aircon is large and effective, it is in the lounge, which means that the bedroom can be very hot and uncomfortable at night in summer. The location is relatively close to public transport and many street food shops, but it is dirty and run-down and I would not feel safe walking alone.