Kalyon Hotel - Istanbul, Turkey 

Decent hotel, good location
Posted: Sat, Jul 05 2008
I just returned from a six night stay at the Kalyon. I was there with a large group for a wedding. Overall, this is a very decent, clean hotel. The location is excellent, just a short walk to the major sites of Istanbul, and a gorgeous view of the Marmara Sea (I really enjoyed sitting out on their patio overlooking the sea.) My room was one of the older ones - they've redone about half the hotel, and only a few in my group received the newer rooms. My room was in the corner, facing the rear street. It was spotless, though, so I can't really complain. A great shower and FREE wifi were definite pluses. The staff were, for the most part, friendly & helpful. The free breakfast was plentiful & quite good. Not all cab drivers knew exactly where to find the hotel, so if you stay here, make sure you carry a card with the map & address!

Reasonable, but be aware of their expenseive assistance
Posted: Thu, May 29 2008
In general this is a clean, modern hotel reasonably well located. The bed was very comfortable, although two larger people may find it on the small side. I do however advise to be very careful when asking the hotel to arrange any trips, taxis, or to give recommendations for restaurants as it will always cost you significantly more. This is something you need to get used to in Istanbul in general as pretty much everything is a negotiation and you fully expect it in the markets, carpet stores, etc. but I expected more from a 4 star hotel. To give you an idea, if you accept the prices they give you at face value without negotiating you will pay about double what you should. I would expect them to gain something from the deal, but this was beyond reason for me and left a bad taste in my mouth. Also be careful to make sure when you book through the internet that you get the room you ordered. We ordered a standard room, but were allocated their smaller rooms and from what we saw there was a significant difference between the two. This may have been down to poor communication between the travel site and the hotel, we are not sure, but just something to be aware of.

Very comfortable
Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2008
Stayed here for 6 nights in all on a business trip (the company uses this hotel). My room did not overlook the sea but was very comfortable and everything worked fine. Bathroom was clean and three was good hot water for showers. Free wireless is a big plus. The room overlooked the narrow back street and this was a bit noisy a couple of times in the early morning. Staff I found to be very polite and helpful. Restaurant was good though breakfasts in Turkey aren't great from my experience. Had good dinner and lunch there. (Watch wine prices though - they're extortionate in Turkish hotels, and the wine isn't always much good either.) Location is good - not far from the airport, easy walk (though a bit uphill) to Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia and other sights. Close too to the fish restaurants of Kumkapi, worth a visit! The hotel doesn't have a great deal of charm or atmosphere, it's a relatively new, modern building, but I'd recommend it for business or pleasure.