Side Hotel

I stayed at the pension here not at the hotel. It was only a little more then a hostel and you get your own room. Nothing in my room other then a bed, side table, rug and an overhead light. The people the own the place were very nice when emailing them with questions before hand but the man that worked the front desk at night was not very friendly it helpful to say the lest. Other then that great place to stay if you want to see the city. Lots of places to eat nearby. Lots of things to do nearby. Not so much of a nightlife though so if you’re looking for that I would check out other parts of the city.

I couldn’t rave more about this place. Hotel Side was absolutely PERFECT for my needs while I was here and I highly recommend it to travelers interested in having a good value, friendly springboard to exploring Istanbul’s old city.
First off, the staff is so friendly and welcoming. Check-​in, check-​out and everything in between was a breeze, and they even let me store my bags there for four days while I was in another city. I came back to Istanbul at 1 am and had a flight early the next morning and even though I wasn’t paying for a room there at the time they let me sleep on the couch in the front hall and the desk guy even asked what time I needed to get up so he could wake me up in time to get to the airport. Truly the nicest people ever. There is complimentary, delicious tea in the front hall as well as some interesting books, comfy couch and computer with Internet.
Secondly, this is not so expensive — a little more expensive than a hostel, but you get your own room. My room on the first floor was no frills — no TV, simple closet, bedside table, shelf, bed, lamp, tiny bathroom and that was it. The furniture appeared to be attached to the walls, probably because of earthquakes. I loved the simplicity of the room because really I didn’t spend much time in there other than sleeping and occasional naps. Again, EXACTLY what I needed was provided and no more.
Breakfast is complimentary and served upstairs in a pretty room where you can see the spires of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. You get unlimited tea and water and they serve a small eastern style breakfast of an egg, some tomato slices and one or two other things which I am forgetting. It didn’t exactly fill me up but was still satisfying and delicious. The atmosphere is pleasant and relaxing.
And last, the location is great. You are two blocks from many of the main sites and the area is safe and easily walkable. I walked basically everywhere I wanted to go in the city with no problem from this location. It is quiet at night, but I liked that. My favorite thing to do at night was to buy a sausage from the store down the street and feed the stray cat gangs that are everywhere around here.
I truly love this place and would stay here again and again and again. I highly recommend this for no-​frills tourists who may not want to stay at a hostel because they want more privacy or their own bathroom. Great value, great staff, great location. I could go on forever. Stay here!