Faros Hotel Taksim-Special Category

Overall it's good, no major problems

The room looks like it does in the pictures, but we weren't really happy with the hotel. On the first day we didn't have any fresh towels, there were hairs and fluff in them, just like in the bed. In general, the room didn't seem really clean to us, because if you looked around a little bit, you could see dirt/hair/etc. everywhere. The cleaning girls were also really unfriendly to us, probably because my wife wasn't wearing a headscarf. We always had to put up with dirty looks. In general, the people at reception (with a few exceptions) were also quite unfriendly and never said hello. The location of the hotel is very good, as it is on Taksim Square, but it was very loud all night long. The ventilation was also very loud and made squeaking (like unoiled brakes) and unpleasant noises all night long. The walls were also very thin and we thought we were in the same bed as our neighbors. The breakfast was of okay quality (apart from the instant coffee), but for us it wasn't breakfast, more of a starter. There is only white bread and a few Turkish dips, 4 types of olives, rocket, sausage (1 type) and cheese that no longer looks fresh, dried fruit, apples, oranges, yogurt and muesli (it's quite possible that there is more, but we can't remember). To drink there was tap water (warm), cay, milk and instant coffee. We were never really full or satisfied with breakfast on any day. It would have been better to save the money when booking and have breakfast in the nearby restaurants. Moreover, for a European, it is a "breakfast" that really takes some getting used to. To be honest, we were worried that we would get stuck in the elevator at some point, as it is also a bit old. It was also a shame that you couldn't reach the upper floors by elevator, so you always had to walk. I would also recommend that you don't go onto the balcony, you really don't feel safe there anymore. (see the houses opposite, which were already collapsing) Overall, I can say that we didn't really feel welcome and that if we were to come to Istanbul again, we would choose a different hotel. We hope that we were able to help some people with our review.

We arrived at 9am after a very long trip and they let us in before the room check-in time! The breakfast is very good and complete. The room, on the 8th floor, clean, new and spacious. The hotel workers are very helpful.