Almina Hotel Special Class

One of the best hotels we have been to. Very nice, kind and helpful staff, the manger, the reception, the waiters. very clean rooms, amazing breakfast with a nice view. Highly recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul. I hope if it was more than 5 stars to give them.

I stayed there for 4 nights. The service was excellent, and the breakfast was even better — especially with the beautiful view. I looked forward to it every morning. The location was great — it was just a 10-minute walk to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. On both sides of the street, there were many restaurants. The staff outside tried to invite me in every time I walked by, which I didn’t like — but I guess that’s quite normal in Istanbul. The neighborhood had several small hotels and a noticeable police presence, including surveillance patrols. It felt a bit unusual, but I assume it's related to the nearby construction sites — which are everywhere at the moment. Hopefully, the area will improve in the future. The staff were very kind and helpful. Unfortunately, I forgot to tip them because I was busy with other things on the day of my flight. The room was okay — a bit too small, and the hood and air conditioning were quite loud. Overall, it was a pleasant stay, and I would definitely come again.

Unfortunately, my experience at this hotel was far from what I expected. I had a look at all the positive reviews and fell for the trap!! From the start, the staff displayed a poor attitude and were largely unwilling to assist with even basic requests. I had to ask four separate times before my room was finally cleaned, which was incredibly frustrating. Housekeeping seemed disorganized and unresponsive. The rooms themselves were quite small and the air conditioning was unreliable—sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t, which made it hard to get comfortable. Noise was another major issue, with loud passing train and outside noises at all hours. The food was average at best—not terrible, but nothing memorable either. There weren’t many standout positives, and overall, the hotel just didn’t meet expectations for comfort or service. Be wary about getting any prices weather for laundry, taxis etc the reception guys stick on there own comission depending on how they feel!! Shockingly got my laundry done from one of the guys who advised its approx 240TL per kg after couple days i dropped more laundry off as the guy was night shift we now had a lady at desk who said it would be 380TL per kg until confronted and then advised oh he obviously uses a different place!!! Plz be really careful they are all out to mug u, same with taxi fares its changes so much pending on who's at the desk best you outsource everything yourselves avoid booking anything directly with hotel. For the same amount of money I could have easily gotten a better hotel and room and regret not doing so!! Definitely would not recommend just isint worth all the stress and hassle. Things to improve: Staff training on customer service More responsive housekeeping Better maintenance of air conditioning units Improved soundproofing Stop mugging your guests!!! Final conclusion 100% There are definitely better options out there. I wouldn’t return and wouldn’t recommend it to others.