Guest Tips
The "Back Room" Rule: When making your reservation or at check-in, specifically request a "quiet back room" or something available on a high floor. Vatan Avenue is apparently the preferred route of ambulances and police cars any time they need to speed somewhere in the city, so front-facing rooms can get quite loud. A back room will be blissfully silent.
Eat in Fatih (The "Real" Istanbul): Just walk a few blocks inland into the Fatih district (behind the hotel/mall) to find âBuryanâ (pit-roasted lamb) restaurants. This area is famous for food from the South-East of Turkey (Siirt and Hatay cuisine). T his is where you will find meals at 50% of the price you pay in Sultanahmet, with a taste thatâs 100% better. Akdeniz Hatay Sofrası nearby is legendary for its salt-crusted chicken.
Currency Exchange: Since you are in a commercial district (Laleli/Aksaray), there are many âDövizâ (Exchange) offices nearby. The rates here are often better than at the airport or inside the Grand Bazaar.
Shopping Hack: If you forgot any clothes or toiletries, just go to Historia Mall next door. Itâs open late (usually until 10 PM), clean, and has fixed prices, so you donât have to haggle like in the bazaars.