Avicenna

This hotel is located in a lovely area, with a wide selection of restaraunts as well as touristic attractions. The hotel itself is outstanding in terms of cleanliness, and it is generally quiet and peaceful. The rooms are in good condition and are cleaned regularly. The breakfast was delicious and there was a wide range of dishes to choose from. The breakfast team especially were incredibly helpful and easy to speak to. Lastly, I am haply to say that this hotel was certainly money well spent, especially for what it has to offer. I would recommend this hotel to any tourist travelling to Istanbul, whether on their own,or with a group/family.

Arif was very friendly to serve us at the breakfast!

I am writing this review to share my experience prior to my stay. Due to an injury, I was unable to travel. I informed the hotel via email four days before my check-in date and requested a date change. I also asked to cancel a taxi service I had booked through them. Instead of assisting, the hotel and Lastminute.com passed me back and forth. The hotel waited until my actual day of travel (17 June) to tell me I had to deal with Lastminute.com directly. Meanwhile, Lastminute.com claimed the hotel held the decision-making power. Ultimately, I could not recover the accommodation costs due to my policy terms. However, despite giving two days' notice to cancel the taxi, the hotel has completely ignored my requests for a refund on that specific cost. The communication was incredibly poor. I reached out via emails, calls, and texts, but received no real help. It felt like both companies intentionally stalled until my travel date passed so they wouldn't have to act. This lacked transparency and genuine support. Travelers should be very cautious regarding their policies when booking through this hotel and Lastminute.com.

I would strongly advise others to avoid this hotel. My family and I arrived at Avicenna Hotel during a recent trip to Istanbul and were extremely disappointed by the condition of the accommodation. The hotel was nothing like the description or photographs online. The rooms were far smaller than expected and appeared poorly maintained throughout. The carpets were heavily stained and dirty, the decor was worn and deteriorating, and the bathroom was extremely small, unsanitary, and contained visible mould. There was also a persistent damp smell in the room. As someone who suffers from asthma, the mould and poor air quality triggered coughing, breathlessness, and chest discomfort. The hotel was also very noisy. There were gaps around the door allowing light into the room, and we could hear guests and activity throughout the hotel all night. To make matters worse, the door locks did not function properly, which raised serious concerns about privacy and security. Due to concerns about cleanliness, health, and safety, we had to urgently find alternative accommodation and did not sleep or get any rest that night. We checked out the following morning and chose not to continue our stay. Based on our experience, this hotel fell well below acceptable standards of cleanliness, maintenance, comfort, and security. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend this hotel.

The location is good at this hotel. It’s in Sultan Ahmet and a short walk to the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia mosque. However, our experience was just average. We didn’t receive a warm welcome upon arrival and no information about wifi or the key cards, they just made us sign a privacy form and then took us to the room. Staying in the Sultan Ahmet area you will here the sound of the Athan (Islamic call to prayer) which if you’re a light sleeper may wake you up but it wasn’t even the athan that didn’t allow us to sleep but rather the seagulls. This is no fault of the hotel but if you’re a light sleeper keep this in mind. Breakfast was also just ok, you won’t go hungry but there wasn’t much of a variety. I’ve been to Istanbul before and other same quality hotels had much better breakfasts. I understand there is inflation and the cost of food is expensive but a variety would be appreciated. The staff at the breakfast were also not helpful, none served drinks or anything, they just cleaned up. There is a roof top restaurant that you have to pay extra for. Unfortunately you can’t use it if you don’t dine there. There is also no tea or coffee available. There should be a coffee station in the lobby rather they just put dry cookies. Also, the small water cups they provide is not enough water. For a hotel that states it’s 4 stars, it’s lacking in basic things. The bed was comfortable but short so if you’re tall your legs will dangle. The sheets and room were clean. Overall, I don’t think the value and experience is here. An enhanced breakfast buffet, as well as a tea and coffee station and water bottles in the room would enhance the experience.