Karakoy Rooms

The hotel is situated in the gentrifying neighbourhood of Karakoy, so looks dodgy and dirty on street level when your cab/airport transfer drops you off. The good: The hotel itself is nice and the rooms and bathrooms are spacious, clean, stylish, with a mini-bar and they provide 2 x 500ml waters per guest every day since you can't drink tap water. There was also nice fruit upon arrival. The hotel managers and staff at the front desk are friendly and helpful. There is a nice rooftop area with a bathroom you can use if, like me, you arrived way before your check-in time. The bad: - Pillows were lumpy, you only received one per person, so made sleeping difficult - for what you're paying here, the pillows should be a decent quality. - The area around the hotel is very noisy - every night, there was loud music and construction happening outside my window till after midnight. So if like me, you want a peaceful stay so you can be ready for touring the sites the next day, this isn't the place to go. I barely slept for the four nights I was there. - The doors in the hotel are also noisy - so if the person staying next to you is a night owl, or going back and forth to party (which was the case with us) the light outside your door turns on when anyone walks into the corridor, which wakes you up and, there is lots of banging from the doors leading onto the floor - all in all my main complaint is the level of noise you have to deal with at the hotel, which is my main issue and why I probably wouldn't stay there again.

This lovely (and small) boutique hotel was perfect for my visit to Istanbul. I deliberately wanted to stay outside of the old city, but wanted easy access to Sultanahmet and other areas on public transportation. This fit the bill perfectly — it’s just a short distance from a tram station and a ferry. It’s a 15-minute walk to Galata Tower and a easy stroll to other historic sites. The immediate neighborhood has lots of cute cafes for lunch and dinner. My view of the sea was great and I enjoyed sitting in the balcony at night with a bottle of wine. I booked a deluxe room, which is actually larger than my apartment back home. One caveat: there’s quite a bit of construction in the area. The noise didn’t bother me, but it’s worth mentioning if you’re particularly sensitive.

Absolutely beautiful stay here. The room was so spacious and the furnishings were beautiful and were exactly as pictured. The view from the terrace (below) was stunning at sunset. The foyer is small and not as pictured on booking websites and the blue tiled restaurant seen on the same booking websites are actually from the restaurant next door, not sure why they're used on the websites. Concierge were always present and helpful. Free fruit and water was also a nice daily touch

I cannot say enough about our wonderful stay at Karaköy Rooms. The rooms are everything that they are supposed to be -- they are gorgeous, they're comfortable, they're clean and spacious, they're in a great location, the beds are extremely comfortable and they have all of the amenities that the other reviews recommended. The included breakfast, served next door at Karaköy Lokantasi is especially incredible; we began each day with cappuccinos, delicious breads, house-made jams, yogurt, fresh fruit and vegetables, and eggs to order, in addition to the selection of nuts, olives, cheeses, fresh squeezed orange juice -- the catalogue of deliciousness goes on and on. On my list of favorite breakfasts anywhere, ever: I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. Moreover, the staff treat you like more than a guest; they treat you like a good friend. They go completely above and beyond with help and recommendations for seeing and experiencing the best of Istanbul and just generally being extremely warm, personable, and helpful, absolutely all the time. Cannot recommend highly enough.

This hotel outright exceeded our expectations. The room was very big and clean and the decoration was on point. The staff assisted us with whatever we needed and were very friendly. The location of the hotel is perfect as it's close to Karakoy's trendy restaurants and a short walk from Istanbul's main attractions. Would definitely consider staying here again and would recommend to anyone looking for a boutique hotel with a big personality.

An excellent boutique hotel in karaköy. Rooms are immaculate and decorated in a cool modern style. Nice and quiet although there is some building work going on locally it can only be heard when windows are open. Staff are friendly and helpful at all times. Location is also good. Breakfast was also very nice and served the the restaurant attached to the hotel.

Beautiful design hotel, well located with friendly service and awesome roof terrace! The room we stayed in was big and well equipped, not noisy at all even though it was very central. Although pricey, this was a super place to start our holiday and to explore the hip bars in Karakoy and the old town around Galata.

Beautiful artistic rooms. Extremely spacious and the staff lovely. In an awesome vibrant chic neighborhood and within walking distance of the Galata bridge. Only downside was the noise of round the clock construction across the street.

We had the most wonderful stay at Karakoy Rooms. The location is fantastic, super convenient to all of the major sights by walking or a short tram ride. It's in a hip and more local neighborhood than the ultra-touristy Sultanahmet District across the Bosphorus. It is located directly above one of the best restaurants in the area and a few doors down from a famous baklava shop. We arrived early in the morning and were met by the very helpful employee. Although the room was not yet ready, he held our luggage and we did end up checking in several hours before the official check-in time. The building is historic and has tons of character. It also has the convenience of an elevator, which I am thankful for. I splurged a bit (still very reasonably priced) for a 55 square meter studio that even had a kitchen area. The room was huge and we loved the decor and the comfortable furniture. It was perfect! Since we were staying at Karakoy Rooms, the front desk was able to help us get a dinner reservation at the popular restaurant downstairs, which was equally amazing. We only spent one night at Karakoy Rooms but it was one great stay.

We had a reservation here during the US visa row. The hotel was initially kind and allowed us to delay our booking..but when we actually found time to visit istanbul again just a few months later, the hotel ate our money and refuses to honor any re-booking. It's despicable to use a government dispute for business gain.

We recently spent five nights in one of the standard rooms. First off, the room was huge. Secondly, the room was well designed with hardwood floors, a super firm, comfortable bed, and cool touches, such as copper light fixtures. My first impression when I walked into the room was that I wished that I could move in permanently! The room and hotel were very clean. The climate control actually worked well, and I was easily able to get the room cool enough to sleep comfortably at night. There are only 12 rooms at Karakoy Rooms with no lobby. So, if you congregating in a lobby to have drinks or talk with your crew is your thing, this place isn't for you. A delicious breakfast at Karakoy Lokantasi is included in the room rate. Made-to-order egg dishes are available, so be sure to try the menemen. Lokantasi also happens to be a very popular restaurant that serves good Turkish cuisine, so be sure you make a reservation for dinner as well. A nice perk, as well, is that bottles of water are complimentary. Location wise, it cannot be beat. You're within walking distance to Sultanahmet, Galata and Taksim. As well, you're a short walk to the ferry terminal if you want to get over to Kadakoy. A tram stop is nearby if you're not the walking type. Nearby, you'll find many restaurants, cool cafes and shops, and a few cheesy nightclubs. The room rates were exceptional, especially given that breakfast was included. My stay here at Karakoy Rooms was 10x better than the one earlier in the year at the Istanbul Ritz Carlton and at about 1/4 of the rate. Service was very good and prices for transfers (40 euros or one free transfer if you're staying for 3 or more nights) and laundry are very reasonable. I look forward to my next visit to Istanbul and Karakoy Rooms.