Solo Boutique Hotel

Positives: location. In Kaleici, so within walking distance of all the historical sights, Mermerli beach (800tl), traditional Hamman (eg. Sefa), bakery (Tarihi Balik pazari) and public transport (tram, bus, taxi) Areas for improvement: Communication. Emails sent prior to arrival not responded to - no access code provided. Telephone number left on front door. Not okay when a late anrrival. Advertisement needs updating to reflect current situation. Overall: A useful base but not really a hotel but more a room attached to a ‘bar’. There was no 24 hour concierge - no food amenities - no courtesy water nor kettle (in room) and no access to the roof top (door locked). The bar did not open during my stay. Re: comments from others re ‘noise’. Given its central location - yes - there was’ noise’ but it was the sounds of traditional live Turkish musicians, or the Muezzin, or contemporary music (all from neighbouring outlets)- all fine.

BEDBUGS!!!!! BEWARE!!!!!!! This was the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. We were supposed to stay longer, but checked out early after just one night because we woke up COVERED in bedbug bites. It was obvious something was seriously wrong with the room, and no guest should ever have to deal with that. Not to mention the black mold in the bathroom AND they REUSE toilet paper and shampoo bottles from previous guests. What’s even more concerning is how poorly the situation was handled by staff. There was no urgency, and no real attempt to resolve the issue. When we asked for a refund since we were checking out early, THEY REFUSED. A hotel charging guests to stay in unsanitary conditions and then refusing to take accountability is unacceptable. I would strongly caution anyone considering staying here.

The WiFi was good. When present, the staff were charming, but, too often, there were no staff, including on my check out, which I'd warned them about, the evening before. (A new friend told me that she had arrived late evening for her stay, as a single woman with heavy luggage, in the pouring rain, with no staff present and, when phoned, took two and a half hours to arrive. I don't feel that level of service (?) is acceptable. God help you, if you have any emergency here! No effort to maintain my room, change bedding or towels, was made unless I asked for it. My rooms had no fridge or kettle. I stayed in two rooms. The first had a ludicrously small bathroom where you could not easily sit on the toilet be ausr of the sink hanging over from your left and the (tiny) shower frame hanging over from the right. In both toilets, the toilet pan was not secured. My second room had two light fittings. One failed within a week of arrival, but was immediately replaced. The second had no bulb at all at any point in my stay and I asked for a bulb. I was told they had no spare bulbs, but would buy some the next day. Two weeks later, despite me nagging persistently, no bulb arrived. There are no laundry facilities, despite the fact that I think that they were listed as amenities. I can't say that the noise of surrounding entertainment bothered me (expecting quiet in a tourist hub is like expecting not to get wet when it rains.) Despite a good location, I will not be staying at Solo again.

I am very disappointed in this hotel. The description does not match the pictures of the hotel at all. The room is very small and dirty. I was there for 2 weeks, the first 5 days the hotel did not have internet. Then I asked about cleaning but the room was not cleaned, the only thing was that the cleaner only changed towels, not sheets or other cleaning. The staff does nothing but just sits and plays on their mobile phones, not helpful in any way. The TV and fan do not work at all in the room. Asked to change rooms but was not allowed. I had to seek medical attention twice because I have a rash on my body. When I showed this and explained to the cleaner, she said no. It shows that I have been bitten by fleas that are in the bed. Almost every day they play loud music without taking into account the guests' needs.

I guess this place is cheap so worth it. Didn't like that the photos don't really match what we got but ended up being fine.