Ottoman Suites by Sera House

The hotel is a three-storey house, coupled with a cafe outside (where the tastiest breakfast is served (thanks!)). My room was very nice, thought through, I really liked the oldish appearance of the house itself and the design of the room, wooden furniture and huge windows. Since the room was on the first floor and the windows were facing the cafe, it was a little noisy in the evenings, and I needed to pull down the curtains as well. The room had all the listed appliances (incl. a small fridge and a kettle) but I lacked a table, however I guess the room size does not allow for it. The main advantage for me was the location: I really love that district, walked around it a lot. There are two very pleasant parks that descend to Bosphorus (going down the slope is pretty easy), and there is Üsküdar dock nearby if you want to get to other parts of the city by ferry. The metro station is ±8-10 min away and there are shops and local restaurants around.

Cons - disorganized, inconsiderate host - uncomfortable bed/pillows - loud - terrible location Pros - quaint, cafe on site, breakfast included, clean - good for backpackers on a budget, not ideal for those that can afford to stay elsewhere Of note, I booked the suite for extra space for packing- last night in Istanbul. Wanted to spend 1 night on Asian side. Checked-in, showered, unpacked including 2 full suitcases of souvenirs for reorganization. Went to cafe for dinner at 8pm and host demanded that we move immediately into a different room as they had made a mistake. She would not allow us to eat dinner first. She was unwilling to even comp our dinner for the inconvenience. She was very unorganized and inconsiderate. Ultimately, I went up to the room to pack and found email confirmation that we were in the correct room. This made for a very stressful experience. I am an MD and have travelled all over the world. This was the worst experience with a host that I can recall.

What a Wonderful host, Gulsar who looked after me. The Hotel is absolutely beautiful and is filled with historical furnishings and kept in a spotless condition. Following checking in and whilst recovering following surgery, to checking out, all staff were very helpful and accommodating and when I was not able to physically get to the beautiful cafe on site, their staff brought the food to me. You won't be disappointed.