Grand Balyan Hotel & Restaurant

This place shouldn’t be called hotel . Is more likely hostel . Based in the manufacturing area , very dirty and busy . No cleaning room 7 days , end up with 5 bags of rubbish in the small room . No beds changed and towels either . When complaining to the receptionist we don’t have a fresh towels , toilet paper and toiletries I got one torn towel. Breakfast very poor , not served hot . If you come 8.20am , you don’t have all choices as is first come , first served. Dust and dirt build up in the room and rust in the toilet . For that price I don’t expect fireworks but basic hygiene level is far away here to achieve when even sanitary bin in the toilet was not changed 7 days !!!! Please avoid if you want to really enjoy your time in Istanbul!

Lovely room and shower, heating and air conditioning worked well. Breakfast was also fantastic, big selection of meat and cheeses with a fantastic view of the city. I have to say also the customer service was fantastic, with the front receptionist being a warm, friendly face

The Hotel was in a great location, with restaurants at hand a in walking distance of the Bazaar and the Mosques. The breakfast was of good quality and served in a lovely terrace with views of the water and the Blue Mosque. What really made the hotel stand out was the friendliness of the staff both in reception day and night and also the ladies in the breakfast room. The reception staff especially Sophia on nights who was mine of information, and on the day reception the man(forgot his name :( ) was a god send when our taxi failed to appear, arranging us another taxi so we could make our flight. The hotel was very clean and would recommend to anyone staying in Istanbul

This "hotel" is nothing like a hotel; it's more akin to a hostel. It's situated on a very noisy street, surrounded by numerous wholesale stores. There's absolutely no soundproofing in the building; you can hear EVERYTHING happening on the street and inside the building. Sleeping at night was impossible due to constant walking and loud talking in the corridors. The advertised restaurant DOES NOT EXIST. It's there in name only, functioning solely during breakfast hours (8:00 - 10:00 AM). The breakfast itself is appalling. The only somewhat edible item was boiled eggs. Notably, if you arrive for breakfast after 8:30 AM, the eggs are already cold, and there's no device to keep them warm. Besides eggs, they offer a few types of cheese, sausage, and muesli. In essence, those who prefer healthy eating will find nothing suitable. There's no option for real coffee; all that's available is a jar of Nescafe instant coffee, which is simply undrinkable. The room I was assigned had no windows, making it impossible to get natural light or ventilate the room. Fortunately, I was allowed to sit and work in the "restaurant," but it was far from ideal because: a) it was incredibly cold, b) it was noisy due to lack of sound insulation, c) in the evenings, strange people would gather and smoke INSIDE the building, which is unacceptable for someone from Europe. During a couple of days of very bad weather, with relentless rain, all surrounding restaurants were closed. I wanted to order food online, but the local "Getir" service didn't operate in that area. In summary: 1. I ate breakfast at a café, rendering the "included breakfast" service irrelevant. 2. I couldn't have proper lunches and dinners due to the absence of a restaurant in the hotel. 3. I couldn't sleep well because of the constant noise. I do not recommend this place.

While the hotel was clean and the people friendly, it was super basic. No safe, no wardrobe, the bathroom fitted only one person. No bench space in the bathroom at all. Our bed was surrounded on 3 sides by walls so my wife had to climb over me to go to the bathroom. Our friends room was a little better. During the day Taxis can come to the door as the street is blocked off. It’s a 5 minute walk to the tram and Bazaar. It’s in the wholesale district so if you want bags or shoes it a great location. We stayed one night and then moved to the Novotel on the European side.