sian_frenc

Istanbul Guesthouse review: Oceans 7 Guest House

Hi everyone

My fiend and I stayed at Oceans & for four nights in August 2009. When discussing how we would review his hotel, we agreed that we would give it a 7 out of 10 score. This is how our views of this hotel break down:

The good points:
- the people are friemdly and helpful (a big shout out for Kubi, one of the guys who mans the hotel desk and is a real gem);
- the room was a good price (we got it for 35 Euro per night - a bargain!)
- the breakfast was good (buffet style with a choice of boiled egg, cold meat, tomato, cucumber, bread, spreads (e.g. jam, nutella), watermelon, orange juice, tea/coffee)
- the bathroom in the room was great - quite roomy with a shower in a shower stall, rather than open in the bathroom as in many of the places we stayed)
- the location is good if you want to be close to the main sights (e.g. the Top Kapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia)

The not so good points
- the noise. This is the main reason we rated this hotel lower than other places we stayed in. Over the 4 nights we stayed we felt that we didn't get a proper nights sleep during any of our nights (which makes for grumpy girls!). We stayed in room 201 which is at the front of the hotel, on the street side and directly next too (kinda 'in') the lobby area. We heard EVERYTHING which drove us nuts, especially since there were giggling Aussies up until all hours (this makes me sound like an old nana!). The only way to escape the noise is for the hotel to double glaze the windows and put a solid wood door in (the door had glass, which was papered over, but this did nothing to stop the noise or the light coming through). For these reasons I would suggest asking to stay on the third floor if you want to stay at Oceans 7 (my guess is that this would be rooms 301 or 302? just a guess).
- the location, but this depends on what you want. As mentioned above, the location is good for the main sites, but if you want to get away from the main tourist traps then this area (and Sultanahmet in general) is not the place for you. Having said that, the people and shops in the area did't give us too much hassle.

I hope this review is helpful to travellers out there - enjoy Istanbul!

Cheers,
Sian and Melody

Overall

3

Location

4

Cleanliness

4

Value

4

Facilities

3

Service

4

sian_frenc stayed here in Aug 2009
Stayed at Oceans 7 Guest House in Istanbul? Write a review

Fethiye Guesthouse review: Duygu Pension

My friend and I stayed at Duygu Pensıon for two nights. I found Birol to be a great host. We had only recently arrived ın Turkey so it was great to be staying somewhere where the host is so helpful. Birol helped us book a great 12 Island tour (we thought about shopping around and then saw that all the tours are pretty much the same at the same price)and helped us sort our bus travel out as well (he even walked us to the bus - above and beyond the call of duty!). The room we had was very clean and had a lovely vıew out to the harbour. Breakfast was nice too served up on the roof terrace. I lıked the location of this pensıon. It' a little further out then some (a couple of minutes along from some of the others), but I liked that as it meant it was quieter ın the evening. The pool also looked great though we didn't have a chance to use it. It was very convenient having the free internet available (and in my travels since I've found that most places charge you). Birol wıll also pick you up from your transport if you give him a call when you arrıve (we didnn't realise this so missed out - next time!).

All in all I have no hesitation recommendıng this pensiıon.

Cheers,
Sian

Overall

4

Location

4

Cleanliness

4

Value

4

Facilities

5

Service

5

sian_frenc stayed here in Aug 2009
Stayed at Duygu Pension in Fethiye? Write a review