Hotel Review – Golden Horn Sultanahmet

As announced, we had a really good time in Istanbul. When choosing a hotel, I attach particular importance to a central location. When looking for suitable hotels, I prefer the site booking.com, because I have always had good experiences so far and find the whole search process very user-friendly. Since there is an almost endless list of hotels in all price categories in Istanbul, we spontaneously decided on the Hotel Golden Horn Sultanahmet, which is centrally located in the Sultanahmet district. The decision was quite impulsive and decisive was above all the roof terrace with a view over the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. So, of course, we were curious to see if the hotel could confirm the good rating on the various portals.

Journey:

We were picked up at the airport by a private taxi organized by the hotel, which actually worked out well, but was associated with some waiting time. The positive effect of this was that our private transfer actually employs three people: 1. the man with my name tag at the exit, 2. the man who led us outside to the parking lots, and 3. the man who actually drove the car.

At the hotel we were immediately provided with sweets and could wait for check-in in the beautiful entrance area (although it would have been even nicer if there had been no waiting time at all.

Room:

Our deluxe room was really like from 1001 nights. It may seem a bit cheesy and pompous at first glance, but I think it fits wonderfully into the surroundings and the bed was absolutely heavenly. With the extra bed and the sitting area, you will find enough space to spread out your things. The bathroom, on the other hand, was rather simple and, in my opinion, could have been designed a little better to match the room. Otherwise, not too much was promised and I personally liked this retro style very much.

Layer:

From the hotel, the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia can be reached on foot in less than 10 minutes, which I thought was great. The Grand Bazaar can also be easily reached after a short walk. Otherwise, the Sultanahmet tram station is about 200 metres from the hotel. The location is therefore ideal for exploring the historic district.

Breakfast:

The hotel offer was including breakfast and so I didn’t think much about whether I wanted to book with or without breakfast. The breakfast buffet was unfortunately a slight disappointment, as it consisted mainly of vegetables. I was also taught that in Turkey you actually eat cucumbers and tomatoes for breakfast. Well, somehow that’s not my thing and unfortunately there was no clever bread or fruit alternative. The freshly squeezed orange juice cost extra and the coffee had filter quality… Conclusion: Next time you will book without breakfast, because there are enough good cafés.

The only positive thing about breakfast was the location of the restaurant, because it was on top of the roof with access to the roof terrace and with such a panoramic view you can start the day well.

Result:

Great room at good value for money (at least in low season) and great starting point for exploring Sultanahmet.