Constantine Hotel

Perhaps the Constantine’s biggest selling point, and certainly the first thing that will strike you about it, is its location. Istanbul is a huge city, so it is fairly easy for a hotel to claim a central location, but they don’t come much better than this: in the heart of ancient Sultanahamet, the Constantine is right next to the Gülhane Park and Topkapi Palace, and just a couple of minutes walk down the road from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. The Grand Bazaar is nearby, and there’s even a tram stop right outside, but get this: it’s quiet, too.
So you’re won on location, but whilst you’re hopefully going to spend more time exploring one of the world’s most historically rich cities than you are examining the inside of your hotel room, you probably want to know that at the very least it isn’t swarming with cockroaches. If you’re seeking five-star luxury, then look elsewhere; but if you want a clean, spacious room, a lovely bathroom (with an ultra-powerful shower) and friendly, courteous staff, then the Constantine most certainly fits the bill. Small enough to feel intimate, it is nonetheless an efficiently run, modern establishment. A sprawling dining area offers a large breakfast spread (though you’d be best advised to head to the city’s plethora of wonderful restaurants for your evening meals), and you are left wanting for nothing. It may not be the most charming or individual hotel experience that you’ll ever have but the Constantine is the ideal base to explore Turkey’s largest city: it doesn’t try too hard to tempt you to waste time inside when you can be marvelling at millennia of history or haggling for bargains, but the welcome is warm, standards are high and the beds are very comfy – and that was more than enough for this traveller.