“A delightful hotel in a central but quiet location with very friendly staff”

We spent 5 nights in this hotel and were were very sad to leave at the end of our stay. This a small boutique hotel converted from an old merchant's house and decorated in the antique style. The hotel is conveniently situated some 5 minutes walk from the southern end of the Hippodrome and so is ideal for visiting all the major attractions and for getting to the tram to explore further afield. We really enjoyed our corner room which had lots of character, was very clean and comfortable and had fine views of the Bosphorus and of Istanbul. The location felt safe and was very quiet at night and my elderly parents were very grateful for the lift. We always looked forward to the super buffet breakfasts that we took in the courtyard filled with potted plants and flowers. However it was the staff who made our stay so memorable. They were extremely helpful and friendly and cheerfully answered our questions, solved our problems or made suggestions whatever the time of day. In short the hotel with its warm and friendly staff soon felt like home to us and we felt we could not have chosen a better place to stay. We would thoroughly recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul and requiring a central location.

“Sultanahmet's Best Hotel Gives Personel Service”

Thank you every staff especially G.M. MR. Vedat made my stay unforgettable by their special interest and recommendations what to see where to eat. i didn't want to stay in a large crowded hotel but i still wanted great service with class, and that's what i got from Arena Hotel.

“Friendly staff and excellent location!”

Enjoyed my stay and was very impressed with everything to do with the hotel.

“Cozy hotel...”

Charming and friendly boutique hotel...

“Fantastic location and extremely helpfull staff!”

I enjoyed my stay there in July 2011. Was very satisfied with the friendly staff and would definitely stay at the Arena again if I had the chance to! Farouq, the manager at the reception, is a lovely person who spoke fluent English and would go out of his way to help! The location is a stone throw from the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia and the touristic part of Sultan Ahmet where all the cafes and restaurants are located. The only thing that was a bit hard (which is not the hotel's fault by the way) was that the hotel is located on an uphill street so you need to climb up and down the street to get to the hotel. That was not a problem for me though but it was for my mother who is an elderly.

“Nice hotel, close to attractions, Expedia/Google Maps have WRONG address/location”

Starting with the good, Arena hotel was nice, clean, safe and had friendly and helpful service who were also not too pushy with selling their own (or friends') services. It was within walking distance to everything nearby, up to and including the Galata bridge. My room was smaller than what I'd expected based on the photos but good accommodations just in a smaller space. I WOULD STAY THERE AGAIN, decent rates for what was offered and the location with breakfast included. As for the bad - and for this I don't fault Arena Hotel - both Expedia and Google Maps have their location and address for the hotel INCORRECT! This was the source of MUCH FRUSTRATION upon arrival - it took me two taxis (the first dropped me off where it was placed on the Expedia and Google map), the second drove me closer but still couldn't find it... and a lot of walking with a heavy bag around twisty streets. I spoke with the hotel and it seems they've been trying to address this problem - showed me a paper trail with Google - to no avail. Expedia, it is at least within your control here to fix this problem. Please contact the hotel, get their CORRECT ADDRESS and update your listing.

“Gods of the Arena:)”

My experience with the taxis was not great so I've used hotel private limo service with very reasonable price. Shortly; helpful staff, clean rooms, excellent location walking distance to Hippodrome, Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace. Very good breakfast, welcome drinks, complimentary afternoon tea.....Thanks to everyone for making my stay unforgettable.

“Most recommended hotel in Istanbul”

For the money you spend, it's like you are buying a bed and breakfast accommodation, yet you get facilities you would expect from a five or four stars hotel. Full buffet breakfast with nice hot chocolate, great coffee (usually hotel's coffee sucks), traditional turkish tea, juices, cheeses, olives, bread, egg, pancake, yoghurt, beef salami etc. My room is clean and tidy, bathrobe, slippers, complete set of puffy towel (bath, hand, and face), coffee and tea replenish everyday, mini bar, and even safe box are available. Super duper nice is the free wifi in the room! The staff are all super sweet, friendly and helpful. Faruk from the reception team, show me around the Sultan Ahmet area which is where the hotel located and most of the tourist interests are; accompanied me to shop at the Grand Bazar and Spice Bazar so that I get a good bargain and spent less money; lend me the Istanbulkart to get on and off public transportation: tram, metro, furnikuler, bus, ferry so that I pay discounted fare which is only one third of normal fare; and even lend me his proper camera for photo shooting. All staff that I can't name one by one are all great.

“Terrific Eight nights (ten days) in Istanbul”

A friend and I recently returned from an eight night stay at the Arena Hotel in Sultanamet. After the long flight from New York, we were met at the door,and given tea and cookies by the most congenial Unoor (do not know how to spell his name). He asked us what type of visit we had planned and then helped us map out wonderful sightseeing. The hotel was formerly an Ottoman mansion. The seating areas in the lobby were like someone's home. The hotel staff continuously asked if we needed anything, offering refreshments or help. The location of the hotel was perfect for visiting the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Topkapi, (and wonderful Hamam), the Cistern, The Archeological Museum and The Museum of Islamic Art . The tram was nearby for going to other parts of the city and connecting to the wonderful ferry system. Each morning, Unoor went through our itinerary and offered suggestions for stopping for meals or coffee. My only regret is that we didn't have at least another week in the city!

“Lovely, friendly, clean hotel.”

From the moment we walked through their doors we were looked after, all the staff spoke excellent english and were very friendly, nothing was too much trouble. We spent a lot of time researching the hundreds of hotels available, but we were delighted we chose this one in the end.