Ring Stone Hotels Old City - Special Class

Set up with an old retro vibe in a previous bank building - the hotel's main positives are location, big rooms on average, reasonably clean and a decent (relatively) spread of breakfast.

What can improve is : house keeping needs training ; some staff like Gorkhe and hamza were helpful but rest seemed cold and usually not helpful. Rooms have teething issues (Aircon , hairdryer , sewage smell etc.) some were fixed when highlighted.

### What I liked The location was fantastic, just a short walk from key sights including Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque, as well as the T1 tram stop, which provided easy access to other parts of the city. Housed in a former bank, the building has beautiful Ottoman-inspired architecture and spectacular chandeliers, giving the hotel a real sense of character. The breakfast was very good, with a cold buffet, as well as a selection of hot dishes, and eggs could be ordered as well. The staff were very helpful and friendly, and gave us an excellent restaurant recommendation (The Seafood Lounge). We had the luxury of five nights in amazing Istanbul and made the most of the hotel’s excellent location. We visited Hagia Sophia (although it was undergoing significant renovation, so access to the interior was limited), the Blue Mosque, which was wonderful both during the day and illuminated at night, and the absolutely amazing Basilica Cistern. We also visited the Süleymaniye Mosque, explored the Spice Bazaar and the colourful neighbourhood of Balat, took the ferry across to Kadıköy, walked along İstiklal Avenue and around Karaköy, and enjoyed the views from the Galata Tower. It was a wonderful introduction to Istanbul, with plenty of time to explore both the major sights and some of the city’s neighbourhoods.

The photographs on the hotel’s website were somewhat misleading, as they tended to show the larger suites rather than the standard double rooms. Our standard double had a Queen bed, which left very little space to move around. The hotel also listed and showed a terrace as a facility, but this was only available to guests who booked a particular room. There was no lounge area, other than some seating in the reception area. Overall, the hotel suited my husband and me for our five-day stay, but I think the photographs and facilities listed on the website could be more clearly labelled so that guests have a more accurate idea of what to expect when booking a standard double room.

Great location. Beautiful spacious rooms.

Convenient location, within walking distance of many of the sights we were in Istanbul to see. The neighborhood was safe with a police presence just down on the corner.

The room we were assigned was literally at/off the front door of the hotel lobby. Very convenient with all the luggage we had with us, but very inconvenient with you hearing EVERYTHING that goes on in the lobby or out on the street in front of the hotel. This included every person checking in/out of the hotel as well as the mating wild cats in the late afternoon. Istanbul is a city of cats, just so you know. Most annoying were the lobby chairs right out in front of the door to our room which always seemed to be occupied by people coming and going and their luggage we would have to walk around to leave our room. The worst however, was when a friend of the night time manager showed up late one night and proceeded to talk at the top of his lungs for about 30 min (around 11 pm) before I got dressed and went out signaling to the manager to tone it down, which he immediately had his friend do. Bottom line: turn down this room. We stayed there 4 nights and I should have done it, but my wife talked me out of it.