Ein sehr akzeptables Billighotel

Meine Frau und ich haben dieses Billighotel wirklich gemocht. Unser Zimmer war größer als sonst üblich in europäischen Billighotels. Es war sauber, die Zimmer wurden jeden Tag gemacht und die Betten täglich gewechselt. Wir hatten sogar einen kleinen Balkon, von dem man auf das Marmarameer blicken konnte. Es gab 2 Fahrstühle. Ein türkischen Frühstück war im Preis mit drin und es war sehr gut, mit reichlich amerikanischen Kaffee. Das Frühstück wurde im obersten Stockwerk serviert und man hatte von dort aus eine wunderbare Sicht auf Istanbul und das Meer. Am Abend verwandelt sich der Frühstücksraum in eine wunderbare Bar - gehen Sie wenigstens ein Mal auf ein Getränk dort hin und schauen Sie auf die Lichter der Altstadt. Um zu den Sehenswürdigkeiten zu kommen, muss man erst einmal ein paar Straßen den Berg hinauf laufen, aber von da kann man dann die Straßenbahn nehmen, mit der man fast überall hinkommt. Das Hotel liegt im ältesten Teil der Stadt und um das Hotel herum findet man noch sehr verwinkelte Straßen mit Pflastersteinen, am Anfang kann man sich leicht verirren. Alle Sehenswürdigkeiten der Altstadt kann man zu Fuß erreichen und mit der Straßenbahn, günstigen Taxis und noch günstigeren Fähren kommt man schnell überall hin. Auf der anderen Straßenseite gibt es auch einen Laden, wo man günstig Wasser, Snacks, Bier und Wein kaufen kann. Insgesamt ein sehr akzeptables Billighotel.

Verstecken Sie Ihre Wasserflaschen!

Unser 6-tägiger Aufenthalt im Grand Yavuz war zufriedenstellend. Die Zimmer sind sauber, die Betten werden täglich neu bezogen, die Badezimmereinrichtung war okay. Das Frühstücksbüfett war langweilig und hatte keine große Auswahl, war aber auch okay. Der Service war nicht ganz so toll und man wird angehalten, wenn sie dort bemerken, dass man Wasserflaschen oder andere Getränke mit aufs Zimmer nehmen will. Sie bestehen darauf, dass man diese für einen natürlich viel höheren Preis an der Bar kauft. Verstecken Sie also den Wein und das Wasser, wenn Sie das Hotel betreten. Wenn Sie gerne zu Fuß laufen (und nicht gerne ein Taxi nehmen), dann stellen Sie sich schon einmal jetzt darauf ein, dass sie ein ganzes Stück einen Hügel hoch laufen müssen, um auf die Geschäftsstraße nahe des Hippodromes und der Blauen Moschee zu kommen. Außer dieser Sache hat das Hotel aber eine praktische Lage. In der Nähe gibt es das Restaurant Kackar, wo man eine große Auswahl an Speisen vorfindet. Sie sind auch lecker, günstig und man wird von freundlichen jungen Männern mit guten Englischkenntnissen bedient.

Happy Campers

We were very happy with the Grand Yavuz being a little apprehensive after reading some of the reviews. You can tell immediately that the hotel is upgrading - nice painting lights on the walls of the lobby but shining down on nothing and blank walls in the rooms - but those are little things that will soon be completed, I'm sure. Everything in the hotel looks new in fact. Our room had nary a scratch or bump on the walls and all the bathroom fixtures were a nice brushed stainless steel. My favorite thing was the fact that when I pulled down the new, tasteful bedspread the blankets were encased in a pure white duvet. Another thing I liked about the room was that the window opened and it was a new doubled paned affair that kept out the call to prayer at 5:30 a.m. if that's what you wanted. Someone mentioned the service not being good; that wasn't what we experienced. We decided to use the room safe and couldn't figure it out so called the desk and we had someone at our door in about 60 seconds! But they could have told us that the safe cannot be used without a deposit - you only get 1/2 your deposit back when you return the little activator. We also blatantly carried big bottles of wanted into the hotel and no one seemed to care so I'm not sure about the previous reviewer's experience. O.K. so it wasn't perfect. There was a problem that we never mentioned to the desk but I think I will e-mail them about it. The bathroom had a distinct odor of sewage. I always travel with a candle so we lit in when using the bathroom and seemed to take care of it but either they needed water in the u-trap or there is some sort of larger issue. That may be a deal closer for some. The location was convenient. Yes, it is on a hill, like another poster mentioned, but you can easily avoid the steep hill and take a side street to all the sites. We figured that out on our second day. The breakfast was everything you need (boiled eggs, cheese, coldcuts, olives, veggies, cereals, breads, juices, etc.) tho it was the same every day. The coffee was especially good, I thought. Never tried the rooftop restaurant. Our room had a terrific view of mosques and the Bosphorus. The desk clerk was helpful, making reservations for us and looking up weather reports on the computer.

One thing I noticed is that the photo of the hotel on this site is incorrect. Google "The Grand Yavuz Istanbul" and you will see their website with photos of the hotel and rooms.

Hide your bottled water!

Our 6-day stay at the Grand Yavuz was satisfactory. The rooms are clean, linens changed daily, bathroom facilities adequate. The breakfast buffet is boring and limited, but adequate. The service left a bit to be desired in that you will be stopped if they notice you carrying in bottled water or other beverages. They insist that these must be bought in their bar for many times the price. Just keep your wine and water covered as you enter.

If you're a walker (as opposed to taxis everywhere), be prepared a very steep uphill walk for 5 or 6 blocks from the hotel to the commercial street near the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque. Except for that, the hotel's location is quite convenient. And the nearby Restaurant Kackar is an excellent choice for dinner: delicious, reasonably priced food served by friendly young men with very good English.

A very acceptable budget hotel

My wife and I really liked this budget hotel. Our room was larger than most European budget hotel rooms. It was clean, with a daily housekeeper and fresh sheets. We even had a small standing-room balcony where you could look out onto the Sea of Marmara. There are 2 elevators. A Turkish breakfast was included and was quite good, with plenty of American coffee. Breakfast was served on the top floor with superb views of old Istanbul and the Sea. At night it becomes a wonderful bar -- be sure to go up at night for at least one drink and to see the old city lights. To get to all the great sights you have to hike up a couple of blocks of a fairly steep hill, but from there you can catch the tram and go almost anywhere. The hotel is located in the oldest part of the city, surrounded by winding cobblestone streets, so you might get disoriented at first. All the great old city sites are within easy walking distance, and with the tram, cheap taxis, and even cheaper ferrys, you can easily get anywhere you might like to go. There is also a little shop right across the street from the hotel where you can get cheap bottled water, snacks, and assorted beer and wine. In sum, this is a very acceptable budget hotel.

OK room, bad service

The personel is the problem. They doesn't want to do anything:

We reserved a three person de luxe suite with single beds and got one double bed. After a lot of trouble we got a foldable, really unconfortable tent-style bed. We couldn't get any extra sheets for that bed and no towels. So I had to sleep under a thin blanket and my two male friends had to share the other bed and quilt. They didn't make the beds and clean the room during the day.

We had to wait for over one hour for food in the restaurant and the food was not very good. One person at the table got her food when the rest of us were paying, her food was 1h45min late. One person in our company got robbed just outside the hotel.

Choose another hotel!

Grand

The Grand Yavuz sits in an out-of-the-way but convenient location in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. It's a medium-sized hotel, used by small groups and independent travellers. It's often available at deeply discounted rates below $40 a double with buffet breakfast, and it's a bargain at that price.

From the rooftop restaurant, you have a view of the Sea of Marmara, and of the Blue Mosque about a kilometer away. The hotel is in a neighborhoo of steep, winding, narrow streets, with a taxi stand and park a block downhill, and Cemberlitas and Divan Yalu about five blocks up the hill.

It's an easy walk to the Grand Bazaar, Suleimaniye Mosque, University, Beyazi, the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, or Topkaki Palace. The area has many places to eat, and there's a cineplex just a few blocks away.

The desk staff are very efficient and accommodating, and the rooms, of moderate size, are clean and comfortable. Some have sea views. The food isn't outstanding, but the breakfast is adequate. If you're looking for a great deal in an excellent location, you aren't likely to beat the Grand Yavuz. (As a side note, the Hotel Resadiye, often offered cheaper, is a relative hole.)

Fine hotel for the price

This was an absolutely acceptable hotel if you want a budget hotel near the city centre and most major tourist sites. We were pleasantly surprised; the accomodation was clean and spacious enough, the breakfast adequate, and the staff helpful. It is worth checking various on-line booking agencies as the price can vary dramatically. We payed £20 for a double room in high season. Exceptional value!

Not bad at all

If you have a decent sense of direction, the Grand Yavuz is a relatively easy walk to ALL the principle sights in Sultanhamet. The hotel itself - the rooms are small (as expected), bathrooms more than adequate (pleasantlysurprised). The service was superior and friendly, much better than the so called 5 star resort in Kusadasi. The breakfast buffet was extremely limited. The view from the 7th floor bar/restaurant - supurb. The immediate neighborhood was somewhat slummy but probably not particularily dangerous. A good value as part of a fly/hotel package.

Absolutely acceptable

This is a perfectly adequate inexpensive hotel in a convenient location. A few minutes' walk (uphill) will get you to the center of things -- the covered bazaar, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, etc. The room was average to small, the front desk was helpful, the breakfast was fine. I would not hesitate to recommend this as an acceptable inexpensive stay. If you can't walk uphill, then the advantage of the location is pretty much lost.