Loop Hotel Bosphorus İstanbul — Hotel in Beyoğlu

I am quite fortunate to come across this wonderful boutique hotel in Istanbul. I’ve been staying in Findikli everytime I visit but this by far is the best one for me. ||Arriving at the hotel is a refreshing experience itself, where trees, a peaceful local community vibe and a pleasant hotel lobby welcoming you as you start on your Loop Bosphorous experience.||A quaint and elegant lobby with a wonderful staff will be welcoming you as you enter this property. ||Check in and check out was fairly easy and swift. Luggage assistance was provided by the staff and directed me to my room (or i should say Home) right away. Elevator is present which is very convenient for all.||The room I got was with the beautiful bosphorous view. I wanted to book the Suite, however, it was not available during that time, but I was already pleased with the room I got anyway.||The white, grey, and gold interior matches with a striking natural light coming from the windows are just perfect for a calming proper rest for those seeking a mini vacation from a busy lifestyle. ||The room has an ensuite shower room with the same elegant aesthetic as the room. Ive observed that the linens, beddings, furniture and fixtures found in the room were of premium quality. Shower, toilet and comfort amenities provided are of the same good quality. The room is equipped with a standard fully stocked mini fridge, hair dryer, and a decent air conditioner. As for the space, I find it just right with an adequate provision to store your suitcase.||Breakfast was part of my booking but I just couldn’t wake up on time to experience it. Ot is offered at the restaurant located at the same floor of the lobby which is beside a lovely pool and a pool bar which offers yet another captivating view of the Bosphorous and the residential neighborhood around. Seeing this amenity for a boutique hotel alone, upon check-in made me realize I booked the right hotel already. ||Alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages and ala carte menu is available from the restaurant. Just wasn’t sure about any room service feature, as I didn’t even thought about it during my stay. I’ve also noticed a self serving water and coffee station in the lobby for all the guests which is another plus.||I have observed that the hotel is fairly new hence a well maintained standard for cleanliness and upkeep was noticeable. The design of the hotel is modern yet refreshing, the same time comfortable and relaxing for all type of travelers. I am hopeful that they can maintain the cleanliness and over all presentation of the hotel as the years go by. ||As for the location, Findikli will always be my choice to stay at. Its situated on a hill so during check-in and check out, assistance from the hotel staff is required and will definitely be provided, when carrying and loading your suitcases to and from your transport. Apart from this there are no other concerns from my part. This is somewhat a residential area with a few boutique hotels here and there which is why it is very quiet, clean, and peaceful to stay here. ||Findikli tram is just 5 minutes walk down from a steep charming stairs, where you will pass by a lovely local coffee shop, bakery, and a mini carrefour market nearby. I just find the location perfect. For coming back to the hotel, I prefer taking the uber and being dropped at the upper part of the staircase so I can just walk down the stairs heading to the hotel. ||The staff..! Welcoming. Warm. Very Helpful. Considerate. They will make sure your stay will be a pleasant and fuzz free one. Special mention to Mr. Furcan who assisted me during the stay. ||They provide luggage storage and they offer tours and airport transfer services via third party transport. All these you can directly communicate and coordinate with them and they will ensure to the best of their ability, to make you enjoy your stay without any hassle. ||Will I book this hotel again? Absolutely.||Note: Accessibility for elderly guests and people with reduced mobility might have an issue with the only access to the hotel which is a long and steep stairs...

Was there for 3 nights with my wife. We've taken half board (Breakfast + Dinner). I will split my review on few sections for easier reading.

Room: The room we've had was on the 2nd floor, with windows facing the direction of the entrance stairs. Room itself was really clean, had a mini bar, a safe, and seemed to be newly renovated. The bathroom was fully covered with marble tiles, which made it look really good and premium. However, the room windows were made completely out of wood, with a single layer of glass, and without sealings at their ends. Due to the lack of rubber sealing and the thin glass layers, every sound coming from outside could be heard. Especially the morning prayers coming from the nearby mosque, which started already at 6AM. For someone trying to sleep there, it was unbearable, rendering the whole room useless.

Breakfast: The breakfast itself felt somehow poor, with a minor selection of dishes (hams/cheese etc.). Since apparently we came at the time when there aren't so many guests in the hotel, and there is a lot of staff at breakfast, most of the waiters cleaning tables were packed next to the breakfast buffet, practically watching guest's every movement and meal taken. It feels very strange and uncomfortable for the guests to take the food from the buffet like this, since the buffet area is really small and packed.

Dinner: For the dinner which is included in the half board we got a separate menu consisting out of 5 appetizers and 5 main courses. The menu itself was printed out twice on a A4 piece of paper, after which the paper was just hand torn apart into two pieces, each of which my wife and me got. During this tearing process, 20% of my page went missing, which didn't seem to bother the staff while handing me the paper. The other paper we've gotten looked like a child has played with it, scrunched it up, after which they straightened it up with an iron. It felt really cheap, and more like a paper which the kids send to each other in school while the teacher is not watching. The food choice itself was also weird, as for the main course you can either get Pizza Margherita or a steak (which doesn't come with a side dish). The portions themselves were really poor, due to which we always had to go somewhere else to eat after the hotel's dinner. Drinks at dinner are extra (logical), but they cost exactly the same like in western Europe (Heineken 0,33l 6€; Coke 0,25 4€).

Staff: Most of the staff seemed friendly, but the biggest issue with them is that NOBODY (except one receptionist) from them speaks ANY foreign language but Turkish. This made it super hard for us to have any conversation with anyone in the hotel.

Location: Location is very good actually, since you can reach the tram going to the Mosques (Hagia & Blue), as well as the Taksim square within 10 minutes of walking. The bad side is that there are A LOT OF (100+) stairs which need to be taken in order to do this.

It seems to me that this hotel has many bots or fake reviews on both Booking and Google, since there is no way that it should have such a high grade. Hence I put such a low...

First impressions are awful. The taxi drops you off at the top of a staircase in an insalubrious street where you walk past feral cats and garbage. I argued with the driver that a 4 star hotel must have a street entrance - he was right, there is no vehicular access. We struggled down the steps with our suitcases helped by a friendly local.||I had made an error with the booking but Mustafa, the receptionist, was helpful and we sorted it. The first of our four nights was spent on an upper floor in a suite which had probably 16 window blinds incapable of blocking out the afternoon heat. The a/c was ineffective. The view of the Bosphorus, however, was incredible.||The next night we moved to a lower room with a similar view but with totally inadequate a/c. In the morning we complained that the night temperature was 27 degrees. When we returned that afternoon we were told the engineer had fixed the a/c. An hour later the temperature was still 27 degrees so they moved us to a third room where we remained for two nights. The temperature never got lower than 23 degrees and then only briefly. ||Another recent reviewer has described a very disappointing breakfast so I won’t repeat that.||As first time Istanbul visitors we sought normal tourist advice. Mustafa, the friendly receptionist, proffered a tour company leaflet. He was unable to be of much help. When asked about tram tickets he explained the use of a smart card - he sold me one for 10 euros only to find that there was no credit on the card. When I later told him he shrugged his shoulders.||The manager tried to be helpful and as he realised we were running out of patience he said the hotel would arrange our airport transfer at their cost. That was nice of him. ||However my wife and I expected to be in a 4 star hotel with normal services including a room with proper a/c and a decent breakfast. This expectation was not fulfilled. This is a poor hotel by...